Number Taking/Train Spotting

[ComUtoR]

This is a genuine interest in why people "Train Spot" I have no issue with other peoples hobbies and its great to see people enjoying themselves.

Why do it ?

I 'travel' on trains almost daily and see many many people out there taking photos. I see kids on bridges waving to the train. I see the ubiquitous notepad number takers and the suited and booted on the steam days out of Vic (London Victoria)

I have perused the photo threads and some of you guys and gals take incredible photos and have obvious talent (thanks for sharing) There is a certain joy in a picture and thanks to the digital age they can be shared to great effect. I asked a young lad once. "Why networkers, aren't they all the same ?" His answer was "My dad always took me so now I do it."

The kids on bridges thing always astounds me. What is it about trains that fascinates children so much ?

Number takers plain weird me out :/ Why take the numbers ? Modern units (of the same traction) all look the same so what is it about jotting down the unit number and filing it away somewhere ? Pretty sure there is something I'm missing PLEASE enlighten me. Does anyone get tempted just to photoshop the numbers or simply lie ? Number taking always appears to be the more solitary side of "spotting" as none ever talk to each other and stand at the end of the platform (I usually see them at London Bridge) hugging their notebooks close to the chest, backs turned to their counterparts.

Don't get me wrong. I have a few photos in my phone and will certainly nip over to P2 at Vic when the steamer is out and about. We will never see such beautiful engineering marvels again so yeah, I'll have a gander at history.

I take my kids out to museums and galleries and if York wasn't so far from me I would have taken them to the National Rail Museum by now. (For educational purposes...)

Everyone needs a hobby. Personally I have a few collectible items and have done a few things people may also find odd so again, I have no issue and just wanna know what makes you guys tick

 

[Searle]

The thing behind number taking is the same as any collecting; the joy of getting them all. I'm not one personally for number taking myself, but that's what I understand the basis behind it is.

I generally like to be by myself in life (through choice, I do have friends, honest!), and the main thing I like about spotting/taking photos is just being by myself and it gives me something to do that interests me. My grandparents used to take me trainspotting as a kid, so I guess the joy never really wore off!

 

[starrymarkb]

I think Number Taking is a form of obsessive collecting. Much like Stamps or Action Figures. They are less interested in the travel and more with completing the set.

 

[TheJRB]

I do take numbers but that's mainly because my grandfather encouraged me. There's something about collecting things and thinking you've seen all of x class. However it doesn't bother me if I only see trains I've seen before because I just enjoy being around the railway. I also enjoy travelling by train a lot so any excuse to either go to the station or take a train somewhere and I'm happy!

I'm easily pleased I guess but just a couple of hours of normal traffic at say Tonbridge is a good afternoon for me, even if I have seen all the 465s and 375s! I enjoy the photography aspect more and I suppose that explains it really.

I don't get the argument that all new trains look the same to me as to my eyes a heck a lot of steam locos look the same. Blasphemy I know but that's how I feel.

I do make an effort to see the Direct Rail Services 37s or 20s on the nuclear flask trains though. There's something about diesels of that era which is really quite appealing.

I tend to find that steam attracts a bit of a strange and over enthusiastic crowd which puts me off a bit. I guess that's another reason why I'm more into modern traction.

It's also about what you grow up with. People of a certain age who can remember steam might like to criticise newer trains but a good amount of slam door stock has been preserved. One day some of the units which are about now will be preserved too because it's what people are familiar with and it's important to document it and show it's part in history.

 

[ComUtoR]

The thing behind number taking is the same as any collecting; the joy of getting them all. I'm not one personally for number taking myself, but that's what I understand the basis behind it is.

I can see that. I have a small collection of 1st Editions from one of my favorite authors and they took time and dedication to get them all. Different edits and covers were what drove me initially but then it certainly was about getting every one.

Cheers for the reply.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

It's also about what you grow up with. People of a certain age who can remember steam might like to criticise newer trains but a good amount of slam door stock has been preserved. One day some of the units which are about now will be preserved too because it's what people are familiar with and it's important to document it and show it's part in history.

I must admit I never saw it this way and thanks for showing me that the "modern" traction units also have a place in history. Sometimes we are a little blind about what deserves its place and what doesn't.

My day trips to museums with the kids will attest to this as museums are very much stuck in the past and are rather antiquated themselves now.

 

[Strat-tastic]

The kids on bridges thing always astounds me. What is it about trains that fascinates children so much ?

The size, the power, momentum, sounds, smells, how each loco looks. It can be an awe-inspiring thing if that's what makes you tick

 

[Class377]

I think, for many children, it can be as simple as "that giant moving thing that takes you to exciting, far-away places....like Didcot and Wakefield".

I agree with the OP in that I still struggle to understand the active appeal of number taking. I can kind of "get" the aspect of getting them all, but it is the aspect of not even having a community - whenever I see spotters at stations, as the OP alluded to they're all standing apart, ignoring each other and appear solitary.

I enjoy football - but I wouldn't go if I knew I was going to be on my own. Half of the enjoyment of most things I do is in meeting other people and spending time with others, and when there clearly are others there spotting it seems absurd to me that they always ignore each other.

 

[tsr]

I would describe myself as an enthusiast to some degree, in the sense that I enjoy rail travel and some of the technical aspects as well as the personal stories/accounts of journeys - but I don't take down numbers. I just personally don't feel the need to know exactly which train I've been on.

That said, I will recognise trains which I feel are special, and if someone takes a real interest, I will tell them about why they are important. For example, if I see the 377 "Speed Run" unit, I might have a chat with someone about the charity event which also saw the London-Brighton rail journey time (and probably land-based journey time) record broken. Likewise, I may well be interested in the stories in the history of a given family of locomotives or units. But I certainly wouldn't force it on anyone, even if my non-enthusiast friends know I'm interested.

In general, I think that for the majority (even if it's not that great a majority) of enthusiasts and spotters, they're fine to have a chat if they know the person they speak to is not going to wind them up or laugh at them. This is certainly based on my experiences. I am one of those people who will try to have at least a brief conversation with someone at a station or museum who appears to be relaxed and interested in the industry, but again, I will not force it on somebody.

 

[theblackwatch]

The NRM has just launched its 'Trainspotting' season - the website at http://www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/Events/trainspotting/main.aspx makes quite an interesting read...

 

[GarethJohn]

Is Train Spotting the Twitchers version of Bird Watchers?
I can understand the collection of numbers but cannot find just the taking of the number of a train that may have 400+ identical members in it's Class interesting. Ticking off a species just to be top of the Bird Track list might be a challenge but I prefer to spend time watching what it does for a while and how it goes about feeding and catching prey, I still will watch an Animal even if iv'e seen it a hundred times before.
My quest to visit all Premier League football grounds is probably the closest hobby I have got to what the Trainspotter may understand. I go not just to visit the ground to ''tick it off'' but to travel their meet new people and to try their local brew's. There are Groundhoppers some of which will visit numerous grounds too ''tick it'' and rarely see a game in one, I don't understand this but like a Trainspotter will get a thrill out of getting a new number I suppose it's each to their own.
I do though find Trainspotters who pretend not to be interested when a Train passes while slyly jotting it down odd especially when your shown on ''You Tube'' doing it.
If anyone is annoyed by their presence then point a Camera in their direction and they will soon shift.

 

[Jamesb1974]

The kids on bridges thing always astounds me. What is it about trains that fascinates children so much ?

Were you never a child yourself? Kids love to wave at things. My lad waves at aircraft taking off, even though no-one on board can see him. Its just what they do.

 

[Chris Wallis]

My name is Chris, and I'm a Trainspotter.......

For me, it's a combination of enjoying just being around trains and the 'Collecting' thing.

Railways are in my blood, and have been since I was four and I woke up one morning in the early 70's to discover my Dad had set up his Hornby Dublo train set on the Living Room floor.

I was a Spotter in the early 80's, from the age of 11 until 15. After that I discovered Girls and started playing sport at a decent standard and the Hobby didnt seem to fit in.

Even then I was still 'interested' in railways and my focus turned towards it's history, and especially the Great Eastern Railway. I have hundreds of books and have dabbled in modelling as well.

In 2010 my youngest daughter was born, and to give my wife a break I'd plonk her (the daughter) in her pram/buggy and walk a long the railway line for a couple of hours and watch the trains go by. Just for something to do I started to keep a note of the trains I saw and my interest in modern railways expanded from there.

I eventually decided to pop out for a trip, just to see if I enjoyed 'Modern Image' spotting, and I've been hooked again since.

Spotting is the perfect alternative to my main hobby - I start, coach and manage American Football teams - and I get out as often as I can.

I just enjoy standing at the end of a platform watching trains go by, and recording what I see while I do it. I would say that I'm actually addicted to it I reckon, and get 'twitchy' when I haven't been out for a while.

I enjoy meeting and chatting with fellow spotters/enthusiasts I meet at th end of platforms. But I appreciate that some like to be left alone and try to respect that as well.

Also, it gives my mates something to rib me about, so it keeps them happy as well!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Is Train Spotting the Twitchers version of Bird Watchers?

I think this is correct.

I do though find Trainspotters who pretend not to be interested when a Train passes while slyly jotting it down odd especially when your shown on ''You Tube'' doing it.

I suspect this happens because of the perception of the hobby, and those who indulge in it, in the yes of the general public.

I am also aware that some Spotters have been harassed while out spotting.

 

[Dawg]

I used to spot in the early/mid '80's - when locos still ruled the roost. They were something to see that was impressive engineering I guess - class 40s were always the favourites as they made the most racket & looked good... Then they all started disappearing as I turned 15/16 and got into other things.


It's a hangover from steam days when in my opinion locos and trains were truly something to behold. Mechanical breathing objects of beauty and engineering beauty. A real craft to construct and a pride to drive. I'm too young to have been around in the '50's but ache for a time machine to sit on the north end of Crewe platform in the summer of 1959 when steam snorting Stanier Duchess Pacifics rubbed shoulders with brand new type 4's and 0-6-0 types constructed some 60 years previously. A real mix.



Today I really have to scratch my head at blokes of a certain age taking numbers of sprinters, modern DMU types and even photographing them. There's just nothing there now - nothing to be emotional about. Nothing of beauty or intetest. Just sheer dull functionality. Might as well snap shopping trolleys.


Just my op though.

 

[theblackwatch]

Today I really have to scratch my head at blokes of a certain age taking numbers of sprinters, modern DMU types and even photographing them. There's just nothing there now - nothing to be emotional about. Nothing of beauty or intetest. Just sheer dull functionality. Might as well snap shopping trolleys.

Didn't the steam brigade say exactly the same about anyone who showed an interest in diesels in the 60s?

 

[Dawg]

Absolutely - have you ever seen photos of Crewe platform ends in the 1950's - absolutely rammed. Diesels took over and the interest waned and look where we are now...

 

[Spamcan81]

I do take numbers but that's mainly because my grandfather encouraged me. There's something about collecting things and thinking you've seen all of x class. However it doesn't bother me if I only see trains I've seen before because I just enjoy being around the railway. I also enjoy travelling by train a lot so any excuse to either go to the station or take a train somewhere and I'm happy!

I'm easily pleased I guess but just a couple of hours of normal traffic at say Tonbridge is a good afternoon for me, even if I have seen all the 465s and 375s! I enjoy the photography aspect more and I suppose that explains it really.

I don't get the argument that all new trains look the same to me as to my eyes a heck a lot of steam locos look the same. Blasphemy I know but that's how I feel.

I do make an effort to see the Direct Rail Services 37s or 20s on the nuclear flask trains though. There's something about diesels of that era which is really quite appealing.

I tend to find that steam attracts a bit of a strange and over enthusiastic crowd which puts me off a bit. I guess that's another reason why I'm more into modern traction.

It's also about what you grow up with. People of a certain age who can remember steam might like to criticise newer trains but a good amount of slam door stock has been preserved. One day some of the units which are about now will be preserved too because it's what people are familiar with and it's important to document it and show it's part in history.

Ah, that old chestnut. I can assure you that there are equally strange modern traction enthusiasts. In fact every hobby has its oddballs.
Back to your question though. I started spotting 50 years ago and it was something that lots of youngsters did. We never asked ourselves why. We enjoyed watching trains and once we realised that there were numbers to collect, the hunt was on the clear the class. Nowadays I only record numbers for captioning my photos.

 

[trainophile]

I don't collect numbers, and generally couldn't even tell you what class they are, unless it's in an obvious place on the front or side, but I get a real emotional buzz from hanging around stations and just wandering around seeing what's going where, and watching the lucky (maybe not in the rush hour ) folk boarding and getting ready for their journey.

Stayed in London last week, in the Premier Inn at Kings Cross, and every night after dinner we walked the few hundred yards to KGX and St Pancras, where we spent an hour or so just soaking up the atmosphere. As we got near the station I could feel the excitement rising up inside me. If a train was showing as soon to depart we'd walk to the front and watch it go out - sometimes we even got a wave from the driver!

I expect the control room were saying "it's those nutters again", but we're harmless, and always take care not to look like we're wanting to board, which could cause the guard confusion if the train is about to leave. I guess we just love trains, stations, and the whole scene. It's given our retirement a new dimension, and is not far short of an obsession now. It's also the thrill of travel, although I wouldn't give you a thank you for a trip by car.

 

[43167]

For me, I find chasing units and locos for haulage the more interesting challenge, and with certain types of traction, I keep the mileage.

 

[dannypye9999]

I have no problem when I see train spotters - its their hobby and its also something which I tried to do as a child but it just didn't have that buzz to keep me going. I soon grew bored of it and my hobby turned in to a more challenging one which was jumping into a MK2 carriage and ripping off the destination window label, I must have got over 5000 of these.

 

[Mag_seven]

Today I really have to scratch my head at blokes of a certain age taking numbers of sprinters, modern DMU types and even photographing them. There's just nothing there now - nothing to be emotional about. Nothing of beauty or intetest. Just sheer dull functionality. Might as well snap shopping trolleys.


Just my op though.

To me there is nothing more functional than aircraft, yet there seem to be a lot of people content to spot and take take pictures of streams of A320's landing at Heathrow, while places such as Crewe are now devoid of spotters.

 

[TheJRB]

Today I really have to scratch my head at blokes of a certain age taking numbers of sprinters, modern DMU types and even photographing them. There's just nothing there now - nothing to be emotional about. Nothing of beauty or intetest. Just sheer dull functionality. Might as well snap shopping trolleys.


Just my op though.

Well to each their own but like I said earlier, emotion is about each individuals' life. For those that remember steam, they feel sentimental because it's what they remember from their childhood. I've grown up with units and I've never understood the big difference between locos and units.

That's not to say I don't appreciate the beauty of a steam locomotive because I certainly do. It's just that if there were still loads of locos about on passengers duties, I'd still be hunting out the freight and other unusual workings because they are just that, different!

Ah, that old chestnut. I can assure you that there are equally strange modern traction enthusiasts. In fact every hobby has its oddballs.

Yes, I'm sorry for generalising. It's just that in my experience the bigger the crowds you attract, the more "characters" turn up and nothing attracts bigger crowds than steam.

To me there is nothing more functional than aircraft, yet there seem to be a lot of people content to spot and take take pictures of streams of A320's landing at Heathrow, while places such as Crewe are now devoid of spotters.

Crewe is hardly devoid of spotters! Blimey you should have seen it the day of the DRS open day in July. The station was absolutely packed, particularly when a couple of Network Rail 97s came in.

Doncaster is another one. People might say that spotting is dead. I would beg to differ.

 

[Oswyntail]

I have been a "spotter" since the late 50s. Then, it was something that all the kids did, but I was hooked for sure. These days I rarely - too rarely - go on a trip just to spot, but, when I do, part of the delight is just being on my own. I can be as excited shooting fish in a barrel (eg sitting on Bethnal Green to see my first 379s) as seeing on of the remaining 66s. It is a mixture of nostalgia, the joy of the pastime being completely meaningless, and obsessive collecting.

 

[ComUtoR]

Wow Guys. Many thanks for such a positive response.

Another question for the number takers. What happens when you "get them all" ? Once a collector completes their collection then there is a sense of completion. I'll accept that side with a cheery new insight but What happens next ? Do you buy a new notepad then restart or go to the pub and celebrate.

Again I will admit that I hadn't seen the historical side of modern traction and that each unit may have some significance. Is there also some thrill when you see XXX 001 or a unit like 319 009 (the first full new livery) I would have thought that liveries and various unique units would appeal to the photographers more.

Do you guys crossover much (Number take/Photo/Historians) or do you pretty much stick to specific area ?

Cheers as usual.

 

[IanXC]

Another question for the number takers. What happens when you "get them all" ? Once a collector completes their collection then there is a sense of completion. I'll accept that side with a cheery new insight but What happens next ? Do you buy a new notepad then restart or go to the pub and celebrate.

I hesitate to use the "painting the Forth bridge" phrase... But given the rate of new deliveries on the network if anyone did 'finish' it would be a maximum of a few months before some new ones enter service!

 

[Minilad]

I don't think there is a "point" to most hobbies. What is the point of hitting a ball into a small hole then taking out again. Or catching a fish and then throwing it back in the water. And every hobby seems rather mystifying to someone who doesn't indulge in that hobby.
Why are some hobbies more socially acceptable than others ? Why is someone taking pictures of aircraft or trains "sad" but someone sitting on a riverbank all day staring at a rod not.
A hobby, usually, exists to take the hobbyist away from it all. Even for just a few hours. A little oasis from daily life. And therefore shouldn't be derided. As long as no harm is being done or laws broken just let people do what they enjoy

 

[David Goddard]

Those that rib us with hobbies purely do so because they don't have any of their own.
I found that when I was at school and did actually give up for a few years, but then started again when I was in my early 20s.
Some spotters try to get everything, often involving travelling widely to clear certain classes, then thereafter try to clear just their local trains year on year. For example in Reading to get all GW HSTs and turbos each year.
Some spotters are just glad to record what they see, and have no desire to complete the set. It's the same with buses.
Some people want to tick off every football ground, some want every pub of a particular brewery, some want every Little Chef in the country. We are all different and that's what is great about the species.
I for one want to visit every branch of the company I work for, but we are opening them more quickly than we can visit them!

 

[davyp]

Completing the set, be it locomotive numbers, wagon numbers(!) or picture cards (Pokemon, Brooke Bond PG Tips, cigarette cards etc) is simply the modern-day equivalent of the 'hunter-gatherer' existence of the earliest generations of mankind - the genes will out... Back in the day 'man' would range far and wide to hunt for meat and gather seeds and leaves to eat, sometimes becoming 'food' for another creature himself. Today, with food and drink so easily available, man has to seek other ways to fulfill the drive to 'hunt and gather.'
There is no harm in the hobby (unless the quest for that last number becomes a trigger for OCD) and it does give people something to do other than watch TV or a computer screen.

 

[ComUtoR]

I fully agree with the above few posters and hopefully my quote at the very top stated that clearly.

However; Its great to share that interest and hopefully with a little more insight I can appreciate others and be respectful of their hobby. When I speak to them I can be educated rather than ignorant that way the world can be a happier place.

No one has been negative of derisive so far and I'm please those by who have shared. Any potential forumites and casual readers might sign up when they see such welcoming people.

 

[Condor7]

I fully agree with the above few posters and hopefully my quote at the very top stated that clearly.

However; Its great to share that interest and hopefully with a little more insight I can appreciate others and be respectful of their hobby. When I speak to them I can be educated rather than ignorant that way the world can be a happier place.

No one has been negative of derisive so far and I'm please those by who have shared. Any potential forumites and casual readers might sign up when they see such welcoming people.

I actually think this was an excellent post, and was done respectfully by yourself which is why no one has been negative.

I have really enjoyed reading other peoples reasons as to why they spot, and I think Chris Wallis, on the first page of this thread, was amazingly like my own experience.

I was around trainspotting in the early to mid 60's like a lot of young lads were in those days. Steam was of course dominant especially in West Yorkshire where I was. That being said I always loved the diesels, to me they were modern slick and exciting, and seeing the Thames Clyde Express pulled by a 'Peak' was such a thrill to me, and Deltics were just awesome.

By the time steam disappeared I was already more interested in girls and music, trains for a while lost their appeal, but by the mid 70's I was settled into married life, and found myself drifting back to railway lines.

Like many have mentioned, it was not anything specific, it was just a love of being around railways. I did not restart spotting however, as being married, and then having children, plus busy running my own business never seemed to give me time to develop what was just an interest.

It was not until I took early retirement in my mid 50's and moved up to Cumbria that things changed. I had a hospital appointment in Carlisle, and afterward stopped off at the Citadel to see what the station was like, and fell in love with the place, the atmosphere the variety of trains (I did not care if they were loco hauled or units) I love it all, and from that day on started to develop my interest.

First I started off spotting, (I am not sure what the attraction is, it is hard to explain it to someone) but it sort of gave a purpose to seeing a train, and trying to collect all the numbers of a certain class. I then bought a reasonable camera and started to take photos and videos, which give me a lot of pleasure looking back at.

I think other enthusiasts are generally very friendly. It is true some myself included like the alone time, but that has never stopped me saying hi to a fellow spotter, and briefly passing pleasantries. Sometime you can be on a platform end for several hours, it would be challenging to maintain conversation over that period of time. However as things happen it can spark a brief conversation, or if you or they have missed a number it is good to have someone to check what it was etc.

In the end I just love railways even if there are little or no trains running, I just love everything about them, and being around them, and guess I always will.

 

[455driver]

I am a train geek, rail enthusiast, train spotter, whoteva we are called this week, and I jot down any interesting numbers I see (even when driving trains as long as I am not too busy) and always wave or say morning to the platform enders (some wave back and others just look confused ) but what gets my back up is when they shove the camera in the window trying to get a picture of the controls without even asking so I will shove the camera back out the window, but a polite request and I will even take the picture for them so it is square on.

Manners go both ways, something a lot of people on both sides seem to struggle with.
As far as I am concerned as long as you enjoy your hobby and it doesnt cause anyone else any harm then enjoy it, but please consider others.