Would you still be interested in Railways if…..

[12LDA28C]

I probably would. My interest in railways was innate and not circumstantial. That being said, some of the things that really captivated me, like the NSE livery or the Eurostar (in its original guise), are not around anymore. The NSE livery, even at a very very young age I associated with "home", because those were the colours of the trains that ran past my house - sort of. Even today, I have an enduring fondness for NSE even though I was just born after privatisation.

If you're into railway books, you might be interested to read 'The Network SouthEast Story 1982-2014' by Chris Green and Mike Vincent which details the concept and birth of NSE as well as how it evolved over time. I picked up a secondhand copy last week for £8 and it's a very good read.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Dec 2024 ==

I so agree with this. I have never been one for “bashing”, rather watching trains lineside and largely in my local area rather than afar.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Dec 2024 ==

Does this not become boring pretty quickly though, when the same trains are seen all the time? The usual progression of 'spotters' is to begin on their local patch and then move further afield to seek out new and different trains to see.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Does this not become boring pretty quickly though, when the same trains are seen all the time? The usual progression of 'spotters' is to begin on their local patch and then move further afield to seek out new and different trains to see.

I've been seeing Pendolinos from Wigan Wallgate while waiting for trains for a decade and hearing their incredible noises never gets old.

 

[Strathclyder]

It's astonishing how much "presence" a class 37 has, even when not yet visible: They have a sound that far outstrips their moderate engine output.

One of the many reasons they have (and have had) such a following. Smaller than a Deltic, but just as much presence thanks to that growl. Very much like a old-school EMD loco - think the Irish Baby GMs or the streamliners/bulldogs - in that respect.

 

[Mat17]

I miss the deafening scream of the old HST Paxman engines.

 

[Class15]

Does this not become boring pretty quickly though, when the same trains are seen all the time? The usual progression of 'spotters' is to begin on their local patch and then move further afield to seek out new and different trains to see.

Maybe but for me I’m always more interested in freight than passenger and there’s very little freight traffic that I can’t see on my local North London line. Additionally I have frequent trips to the West London line for family reasons so go there quite a bit, and also have the ECML and MML locally. Because the variety locally is so good, I don’t consider it worthwhile spending time and money going further afield, however if I am going on holiday somewhere else I will obviously take the chance to see other types of train.

Also, because I don’t have a great deal of spare time generally, a 25 minute journey to see a pair of Class 90s at Camden Lock is considerably easier than a 3 hour journey to Crewe.

A friend of mine has frequently puzzled me when saying things like ‘I’m going to Liverpool to see the 507s’. Only time I’ve seen a 507 in my life was while changing trains at Chester.

Just not my kind of thing, but I understand if others feel differently!

 

[najaB]

So I ask, if you were a younger version of yourself, would you still become interested in railways in the modern age?

Yes. But that's because my interest doesn't lie in the trains themselves as much as in infrastructure and operations.

 

[AM9]

Yes. But that's because my interest doesn't lie in the trains themselves as much as in infrastructure and operations.

That's also part of where I'm coming from. In the '70s, I was enthused with the way that the peak slow/inter/fast services interleaved, and what happened when there were problems. Now I see it on the MML where timing is even more critical.

 

[midland1]

That's also part of where I'm coming from. In the '70s, I was enthused with the way that the peak slow/inter/fast services interleaved, and what happened when there were problems. Now I see it on the MML where timing is even more critical.

Yes and you can watch it all from home now, I live in Wigston about a mile from the MML.

 

[AM9]

Yes and you can watch it all from home now, I live in Wigston about a mile from the MML.

I can't, but knowing what does happen from Realtime Trains and Traksy is both interesting and useful when caught up in it myself. I imagine that Leicester area feels part of what happens between Thameslink and EMT services south of here at St Albans