Rail Guide and Platform 5 spotters guides

[tadhatter]

I can't believe that I'm the only one intensely frustrated by them.

The RG is a nightmare to locate stuff that has changed hands during the year and the P5 books hardly acknowledge the different operators.

Ideally a P5 version with the details of each class and sub-class (once is sufficient thanks Mr Marsden) then a TOC list at the back so as to readily identify what you might need. In other words the opposite of what we currently have!

Both books have great features but also very frustrating on their own and having to own 2 books seems a little daft.

 

[Condor7]

What would be better is an online book that could be updated on a regular basis. Is there such a thing?

 

[tadhatter]

What would be better is an online book that could be updated on a regular basis. Is there such a thing?

Now that's a good call! I suppose you could pay a small monthly direct debit subscription and do the whole thing online. It would certainly keep things updated in terms of stock changes from the author's point of view as well thus giving far more up to date information rather than wait a year when some info is out of date even before it comes off the printing press! The downside is that I like to physically hold something. Maybe I'm just old fashioned but I find something satisfying in that.

 

[gage75]

The Rail Express monthly mag does an update at the back of the mag, although not sure how far behind actual event to time of publication but they do usually add dates of the events anyway i.e. namings and suchlike

 

[hairyhandedfool]

http://www.abrail.co.uk/ might be useful for some.

When I was younger (and the railway was a bit simpler), the platform 5 combined books were quite big, but these days a lot of the information isn't printed and so they are much smaller (easier for carrying I guess), so now I recognise TOCs/FOCs from either the Depot Allocation or the number of the loco/unit/coach (I guess it' an acquired knowledge thing).

For example Northern has 156s allocated to Newton Heath (NH), Allerton (AN) and Heaton (HT), EMT has 156s allocated to Nottingham (NM), Greater Anglia has them allocated to Norwich Crown Point (NC) and Scotrail has them allocated to Corkerhill (CK).

Sometimes that doesn't work, for example First Hull Trains' 180s are allocated to Old Oak Common (OO), just as First Great Western's are, and XC's HST are allocated to Edinburgh Craigentinny (EC) just as East Coast's are. But then if you happen to have the 'pool codes' then you'll see that FHT 180s are PFHQ while FGW ones are EFHQ, and XC power cars are EHPC, whereas East Coast power cars are IECP, and so on.....

Numbers work about as well as allocations for post-privatisation stock, especially with every TOC wanting their own set. For example, the class 66 locos.....

660xx - DB Schenker
661xx - DB Schenker
662xx - DB Schenker
663xx - Direct Rail Services
664xx - Freightliner (411-420)/Direct Rail Services (421-434)
665xx - Freightliner
666xx - Freightliner
667xx - GBRf
668xx - Colas Rail
669xx - Freightliner

 

[Qwerty133]

EMT has 156s allocated to Nottingham (NM),

Unless it's changed recently the 156s are allocated to Etches Park (DY).

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Unless it's changed recently the 156s are allocated to Etches Park (DY).

Oooo, could be, I might be thinking of the 158s for NM, I've not got my book with me right now. In any case, the allocation in the book tends to tell me what TOC runs the stock.

 

[BlythPower]

The Rail Express monthly mag does an update at the back of the mag, although not sure how far behind actual event to time of publication but they do usually add dates of the events anyway i.e. namings and suchlike

Since it changed hands Rail Express only does a next to useless brief summary of changes. For a detailed list, get Today's Railways UK. Being published by Platform 5, its info is in the same format as the 'combine'.

 

[overtonchris]

I tend to use a combination of WNXX (Locos) and abrail (units) websites to try to keep up to date, and my own "excel" worksheets for recording stuff. The latter is a bit time consuming - especially with the initial set up - and I could see an on-line version being pretty popular. - I'd try it - come on the entrepreneurs!

......I haven't bought a mag in years now. Saying all that, I still buy the P5 "combine" (£19.00 odd now!) because I always have (or the Ian Allan version) - and I've got a nice personal collection going back to 1975. (Locosheds before that...remember those?!!!)