Trains

HaX said:
I'm very interested in trains and have been most of my life. I only "Came Out" about 4 years ago when I had had a steady girlfriend and house for a few years.

The Mrs is very supportive, though since my friends have found out, I do get a bit of a ribbing.

One thing which never ceases to amaze me - people can get all excited about someone kicking a ball around and not get mocked for it, yet people who admire what are essentially engineering wonders get ridiculed.

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Deltic in front of a class 50

:o
 
HaX said:
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I was at that station on thursday, woop. Saw a couple of people taking photos as well, must be a popular place.

Watching the East Coast Kings Cross train go past was quite impressive, even if it's only about 125mph (I think). Can't imagine seeing those 270mph trains ever in the UK.
 
[TW]Fox;11547184 said:
You cant mix names like that. It's either a Class 55 in front of a 50 or its a Deltic in front of a Hoover ;)
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Blimmy I'm shocked Fox..

The Deltics only ran on one engine during their last days but I remember the noise they made when running on twin.

I was on the last scheduled Deltic train from King Cross and got on the telly.. I was about 12 lol I went o doncaster about a month later to see them all lined up ready for scrap.. Except 55015 Tulyar which was reserved.
 
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I know I am going to regret this, but here goes.

My fathers 2 main hobbies were fishing and trainspotting, so as a boy, thats what I did. Every weekend we would do one or the other. I hated the fishing, but loved the train stuff. I actually enjoyed the travelling as much as anything. Looking back, it was probably the quality time we spent together that I remember most fondly. As I got into my teens, we would go off for days at a time during the holidays, travelling up and down the country. This resulted in one of my favorite memories. My dad had a chance to "finish" the class 47`s and this was a big deal to him (spotters will understand) This sounds so silly now, but at the time it was great. He had a "tip off" that the 2 locomotives he needed were actually in for repair at Cardiff Canton TMD, and were unlikely to be back on track anytime soon. He promptly booked some tickets and off we went to Cardiff. After arriving, we were promptly turned away from the depot and sent packing. My dad was gutted. We travelled around the other stations in the area and got ready for home. My dad then informed me that he was going to nip back to Cardiff for one more go. I was not old enough to argue so off we went. I thought he was going to ask nicely. This is when it got silly. This time we approched the depot from a different angle. Once we reached what my dad thought was a safe area, out of sight, I was instructed to wait where I was, he would be back in ten minutes. My dad was going to try and infiltrate the depot :D

On his return, he was escorted by 2 members of staff from the depot, who threatened to call the police. After much discussion, we were allowed to go on our way. All this for 2 trains. It seems silly now, but at the time, it was fantastic. :D

Other highlights include riding the APT and travelling in the cab of a class 47 all the way from Norwich to London, having to duck down at every signal box.:) I remember the introduction of the HST, which at the time was quick, and also the nuclear test at Derby.

I was also fascinated by the engineering side of the railways, and ended up doing a project on Brunel at school. I still love travelling by train, but i don`t spot any more. ;)
 
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Machines with massive supporting civil engineering, 4000bhp and the ability to travel at speeds you'd get locked up for in a car are interesting. How can they NOT be interesting?
 
Trains appeal to me. Although I'm not a 'trainspotter' as a kid my dad used to take us to the old disused platform near our house, watch the trains go by and get them to honk.
We also used to always go to the open days at Laira depot.

Recording numbers and keeping logs doesn't appeal to me but I can understand why some do. I'm more interested in the fact that they are impressive machines, the sight and sound of a steam loco charging past at full tilt makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. In a different way a Class 43 haring past at close to full speed is also impressive.

It makes me quite sad looking at the state of the railways now even comparing them to the 80s when I was a kid.
 
Well well seems to be a few undercover spotters here,

My father is one so I grew up sitting on platforms, dont go myself but know plenty and he models too so I know about that,

Had my photo taken in the cabs of 47's and 37's.

Still impressed by the loudness and size of them though!

And a train is a full set the actual power is a locomotive! /anorak

Dad has a massive Lima collection but has really moved on to heljan and Hornby (since they stopped making rubbish toys and moved on to the detailed models like the 60 and the 31)

Lee
 
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