A Personal Decline of Interest in the Railways

[Sad Sprinter]

I'm one of those people who were born with an interest in the railways, and sustained that interest for much of the way into my teens. However, I've noticed in the past few years feeling more blase about the railways. I think part of it was teenage pursuits- girls and video games etc takeover, but also because I have a feeling the railways in Britain are becoming incredibly soulless.

I was born in the mid 90s so never got to experience BR in her full glory, so I used to think the BR blue era was the "dark ages" and the WCML before the introduction of DVT's wasn't worth remembering. I remember my Dad once telling me he didn't like DVTs, because he always found plain locomotive hauled passenger sets more interesting-I thought he was mad. I think it all changed on a trip to America I had a few years ago, where I took Amtrak's Northeast Corridor down from New York to Baltimore. Those trains, apart from the Acela Express, are hauled by locomotives and coaches and found the experience more interesting than being hemmed into a multiple unit for two hours.

I began watching more Northeast Corridor videos on Youtube, and not to long ago Amtrak had up to three kind of electric locomotives pulling trains, plus the variety of coaching stock used on services down to the South, meant that every train that came pass was different. It wasn't just Pendolino, Pendolino, Pendolino, Pendolino, Voyager as in the case in this country. "Avocet 1989" has some very interesting YouTube videos of WCML operation pre-DVTs in the late 80s. It's worrying when my 10 year old cousin told me he no longer likes trains anymore because "they're all just the same". I don't blame him, there's only so many Electrostars you can take.

I've stopped buying railway magazines a few years ago, owing to the fact railway news these days have become so dull. I find most trains built these days to be ugly and strange looking and it's hard to get excited about new build trains, when they're not built at the traditional places such as York, Birmingham or Derby. but at large faceless plants from large corporate names such as Siemens or Alstom. Future British trains have lost that "British" look to them, and are looking more and more like any other EMU or locomotive running in Europe.

I find the lack of identity in the railways too, a turn off. It is hard to really get enthusiastic about "Abelio Greater Anglia", or Abelio DB Greater Thameslink or whatever, the same way one would have in BR or Big Four days. The train network is so fragmented, so broken up and assets owned, leased and managed by various parties it really takes the soul out of railways.

Has anyone else felt this or is it just me? Is it my age or my era?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I think it depends on your interests and background.

I can appreciate for anyone whose interest is traction and grew up in or has an interest in the old school, loco hauled to here there and everywhere, Sheds, Deltics, trash, clag and whatever else you want to lump in with it then you are going to feel quite out of place as gradually everything becomes practically identical, comparatively dull multiple units.

However, if, like me, your interest lies in operations, service provision, network development etc then the modern day is the most interesting and exciting time that I can remember - all the service improvements to the North that are so long overdue; the juicing across Scotland, Great Western and North West; all of the potential improvements for East Anglia, West Midlands and the South West in their respective franchises; for me it's certainly more interesting and upbeat than it was, say, when I joined this forum seven years ago.

I've no doubt that way back when, people were decrying those ugly, boring Deltics replacing the steam locos on the East Coast Main Line; or the First Generation DMUs replacing whatever steam locos they replaced. Similarly, I imagine someone with my interests in the Sixties and Seventies felt similarly aggrieved. Everyone will go through peaks and valleys in this hobby.

 

[6Gman]

I've no doubt that way back when, people were decrying those ugly, boring Deltics replacing the steam locos on the East Coast Main Line; or the First Generation DMUs replacing whatever steam locos they replaced. Similarly, I imagine someone with my interests in the Sixties and Seventies felt similarly aggrieved. Everyone will go through peaks and valleys in this hobby.

They were. They were.

 

[richw]

I had about 5 years where my interest went. From about 16/17 until 21/22. I then settled down with a girl (now my wife) and my old interests came back as I wasn't trying to impress anymore. My interest now after several years of marriage and children is probably more than ever.

 

[GusB]

My interest has recently been re-kindled, after several years in the wilderness. I was a member of my local model railway club from about twelve, and even after leaving home and going to university I tried to keep it going. Priorities do change, though, and combined with other factors (Sprinterisation), I did lose interest after a while.

Privatisation came and went, and then trains became things I just travelled on to get from A to B when I could afford to get there quicker than by Citylink. Even the introduction of the Pendolinos did nothing to inspire me.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

for me it's certainly more interesting and upbeat than it was, say, when I joined this forum seven years ago.

I've no doubt that way back when, people were decrying those ugly, boring Deltics replacing the steam locos on the East Coast Main Line

I know what you mean. The 2000s was a dreary time for railways; so many projects that were dreamt and you could count would vanish into thin air. There does seem to be more political enthusiasm for the railways after the economic downturn.

There definitely were those lamenting the end of steam. Some of the photo albums I've read sound as if it was the world that ended, not steam.

I had about 5 years where my interest went. From about 16/17 until 21/22. I then settled down with a girl (now my wife) and my old interests came back as I wasn't trying to impress anymore. My interest now after several years of marriage and children is probably more than ever.

Yes, hiding your interest in your teenage years probably doesn't help, especially when you get to university and your desperate not for everyone to see you as weird. That said. I did manage to first explain to my girlfiend how I felt about her using a complicated analogy involving moving-block signalling.

My interest has recently been re-kindled, after several years in the wilderness. I was a member of my local model railway club from about twelve, and even after leaving home and going to university I tried to keep it going. Priorities do change, though, and combined with other factors (Sprinterisation), I did lose interest after a while.

Privatisation came and went, and then trains became things I just travelled on to get from A to B when I could afford to get there quicker than by Citylink. Even the introduction of the Pendolinos did nothing to inspire me.

I think you are right, leaving home and going to university really does dilute your railway interests, because there is so much more going on in your life. So perhaps there is hope for me yet.

 

[muddythefish]

. I did manage to first explain to my girlfiend how I felt about her using a complicated analogy involving moving-block signalling.

Hope that pulled the right levers!

 

[Cowley]

Hope that pulled the right levers!

Very good .

I remember when Mrs Cowley and I first had a date at my old house many many years ago now.
We'd known each other for a few years but she had no idea that I liked railways.
The evening (actually it may have been a third date thinking about it) was going very well with lots of talking, laughing and a lovely feeling of it just seeming right, when I suddenly felt that I needed to be honest and share my hobby with her.
I said "could you come up to the loft please? I need to show you something",
she said "oh no, you haven't got some kind of bondage room or cross dressing disguises up there have you?"
I said "oh no, it's far worse than that" and as she climbed the last rung of an the loft ladder she was confronted by my 00 recreation of somewhere in south Devon in the mid to late 80s
Weathered locos (so you buy them all new and shiny and then make them look worn out. Why..?), mismatched liveries on the coaches as it was in that era , graffiti, 80s decay etc.

In actual fact she loved it though and before long was helping me do bits and bobs on it and even goes on the odd little bashing trip with me.
As someone at The Severn Valley diesel gala said recently "She doesn't actually mind being here?" No she likes 20s and Westerns I said, "blimey mate. She's a keeper then!"

Being that I'm a bit older and wiser these days and not so worried about being 'uncool' (just even writing it like that doesn't sound at all cool ).
I tend to tell people almost immediately that I love railways, you never know who you might come across, for instance a friend of mine told me that his father worked in investigating railway accidents, he went off to find a bit about it from his elderly mother and it turned out that he'd investigated the Lewisham rail disaster and and the underground crash at Moorgate (his last job before retirement) amongst other things, totally fascinating and I've had many experiences like that in my life just from being open about it.

As far as the original post by Sad Sprinter goes. I can totally understand where you're coming from and I semi drifted away for a bit in the late 90s, regret it now of course (especially D9000 to Ramsgate, what was I thinking. Argh!?).

I think there's still lots to see but we can't always see what's around us when we're in the middle of it. Times are changing on the railway and I think this time will be looked back on as a very interesting one. Pendolinos and Hitachi 800s rubbing shoulders with 20s, 31s, 37s and 86s etc...

My interest in railways has really never gone away, but it's adapted and changed over the years (and possibly taken a back seat at times). There's always been something for me though. When daytime diesel hauled trains started to finally disappear I had a young family and didn't have time to get out. At the time though the first of the massively improved 00 modern image models started to come onto the scene, the Hornby 50 for example, a massive step up from what was available before.

If railways are in your blood then you'll probably come back to it at some point, there's so much history and beauty on just our own fascinating network if you know where to look.

My interest has been seriously rekindled since joining the forum, but I'm selective of what I want to know about (not fair structures or disputes, it just makes me feel stressed even reading about them).
There's always something interesting to read though, even when you can't sleep properly. Like now.
Perhaps you need a bit of time out to do something different? May I suggest wild partying for bit?
Never did me any harm. Well apart from the insomnia and not being able to take things too seriously I suppose. it was fun though

 

[Calthrop]

I've had the passion pretty strongly, for almost all of my nearly-70 years; but in my own odd way. In my perception, the British Isles' national railway systems commenced going down the toilet some sixty years ago, with the -- accelerating -- closing of most of the nicest lines, and the eclipse of steam traction. Pretty well from childhood, though, a lot of my "gricing" has involved reading and hearing about rail doings in the past, often way before I was born; and I got interested very early in railways abroad -- which last has often also been second-, not first-, hand.

I've never married or had children: things which usually, by their nature, compel less time / attention / resources being given to an impassioning and absorbing hobby. I had a spell for a couple of years, though -- a few years ago now -- of diminished interest in and attention paid to the rail scene; through a new strong interest coming my way -- describable as "fiction writing" in the widest sense of that expression. That has "gone as it came"; am back as strongly as ever, to those parts of the rail scene which attract me.

 

[507021]

I was quite passionate and interested in railways from around September 2012 up until the start of this year, when my interest declined quite sharply over a short period of time. Before then I was out on the railway nearly every weekend last year, but this year, even if I have a free day, I just don't feel the desire to go and visit somewhere different or just have a ride around on the train. The only trains I have an actual desire to go and ride on right now are the PEPs, especially with their time on the Merseyrail network slowly but surely running out. Nostalgia or the local connection, I suppose.

Even though things have changed (again) in my life and I'm now more able to go out on the railways, I have only really made a proper effort to do so on my All Line Rover earlier in the year. I am doing another one later in the year, but I'm still nowhere near as interested in the railway as I used to be. I've lost that drive to try and find the next unit I need for a ride or visiting stations I haven't been to before, although with only one Northern unit still needed before my 2018 target, I'm not in a major rush to go and find it.

I don't doubt my interest will return at some point, but I'm just not feeling it at the moment. I don't know why, maybe it's because I've been there and done most of it, or maybe it's just the fact when I do get a day off these days, I'd sooner visit friends and family instead.

Am I excited about the 195s and 331s? Yes, because we're finally getting some desperately needed new trains in the North. But the new Stadler units for Merseyrail? They're really not doing it for me at all, and I can't say I'll be in any rush to go and try one out or ride every unit of the class. As an earlier poster said, I'm starting to feel all new trains are looking more and more the same, and it does get boring. Oh well.

 

[birchesgreen]

I lost interest in my late teens but rediscovered my love for trains in my early 40s again. Luckily i still had a lot of my old books!

 

[LowLevel]

It'll come and go. I still love and am interested in railways but not in the same way. In my teens I'd almost shake with excitement about a day out on the trains. Now I can't remember the last time I went out on my own on the national network to ride around (though I do like to combine public transport and pubs all over the country!).

Part of that probably is down to the fact I'm now a train guard myself and spend a lot of my life on bog standard trains anyway.

However I do still love visiting other countries and using the railways there, and I've grown a deeper interest in the technical side and preserved lines as well - especially signalling.

I also have a bit of affection for the BR era 15x units I spend so much of my life on - they won't be around forever so I try and document their everyday lives when I can.

 

[otomous]

Mine disappeared after working on them for eight years!

 

[D365]

I remember when Mrs Cowley and I first had a date at my old house many many years ago now.
We'd known each other for a few years but she had no idea that I liked railways.
The evening (actually it may have been a third date thinking about it) was going very well with lots of talking, laughing and a lovely feeling of it just seeming right, when I suddenly felt that I needed to be honest and share my hobby with her.
I said "could you come up to the loft please? I need to show you something",
she said "oh no, you haven't got some kind of bondage room or cross dressing disguises up there have you?"
I said "oh no, it's far worse than that" and as she climbed the last rung of an the loft ladder she was confronted by my 00 recreation of somewhere in south Devon in the mid to late 80s
Weathered locos (so you buy them all new and shiny and then make them look worn out. Why..?), mismatched liveries on the coaches as it was in that era , graffiti, 80s decay etc.

In actual fact she loved it though and before long was helping me do bits and bobs on it and even goes on the odd little bashing trip with me.
As someone at The Severn Valley diesel gala said recently "She doesn't actually mind being here?" No she likes 20s and Westerns I said, "blimey mate. She's a keeper then!"

Hahaha, this is brilliant. You tell it well! I know of couples who have met at railway stations, perhaps I'm unwittingly hoping for the same

I tend to tell people almost immediately that I love railways, you never know who you might come across, for instance a friend of mine told me that his father worked in investigating railway accidents, he went off to find a bit about it from his elderly mother and it turned out that he'd investigated the Lewisham rail disaster and and the underground crash at Moorgate (his last job before retirement) amongst other things, totally fascinating and I've had many experiences like that in my life just from being open about it.

...

My interest has been seriously rekindled since joining the forum, but I'm selective of what I want to know about (not fair structures or disputes, it just makes me feel stressed even reading about them).
There's always something interesting to read though, even when you can't sleep properly. Like now.
Perhaps you need a bit of time out to do something different? May I suggest wild partying for bit?
Never did me any harm. Well apart from the insomnia and not being able to take things too seriously I suppose. it was fun though

Agree entirely. There's always opportunities to learn, even by simply talking to others.

As for wild partying, no chance now that I've gone full time...

 

[D365]

Mine disappeared after working on them for eight years!

Don't say that, I'm just getting started here!

 

[Bevan Price]

I think it depends on your interests and background.


I've no doubt that way back when, people were decrying those ugly, boring Deltics replacing the steam locos on the East Coast Main Line; or the First Generation DMUs replacing whatever steam locos they replaced. Similarly, I imagine someone with my interests in the Sixties and Seventies felt similarly aggrieved. Everyone will go through peaks and valleys in this hobby.

Very true. DMUs were all regarded as "sardine cans" (despite often running with longer formations than nowadays), and there were some people who considered they "had done a line" only it had been by steam haulage.

 

[yorksrob]

I can sympathise with the OP - I had a period of time at University when I wasn't an active rail enthusiast. The funny thing is, I can't have completely lost the bug because some of my most enjoyable railway memories were travelling backwards and forwards on slammers and mk3's & 2's on "normal" business. Then I bought a magazine one day in the early noughties to see what had been going on during my sabbatical and the rest was history.

 

[47271]

I did manage to first explain to my girlfiend how I felt about her using a complicated analogy involving moving-block signalling.

You've made me laugh at the end of a long tiring day! I've no desire to ask anything personal, but in general can you explain how the analogy works?

I'm pretty certain my wife knows nothing of moving block signalling.

 

[shredder1]

I was born in 1951, the golden years of trainspotting, every kid at school went trainspotting in the 50`s, anyone who didnt was look upon as an odd ball and weirdo, in 1968 at the end of steam I blew out for 12 months, head gone, but then when I looked around the early diesels were being scrapped just like steam a few years before, so we were back shed bashing, come 1975 HST`s took over the UK and we looked towards Europe for more variety, at 66 years of age, I`ve never looked back, still mad on railways and my life hasnt been totally boring, married 3 times, 6 grandchildren, 1 great grandchild, playing guitar since 1959 and still playing with a rock band, my interests in railways however still rules the roost.

 

[Busaholic]

You've made me laugh at the end of a long tiring day! I've no desire to ask anything personal, but in general can you explain how the analogy works?

I'm pretty certain my wife knows nothing of moving block signalling.

I spot a new trend - '50 Shades of Moving Block Signalling'.

 

[satisnek]

I think myself lucky in that I'm old enough to remember BR's final decade but unlucky in that I haven't strong memories of the pre-Sectorisation BR, when things seemed really interesting!

The mid '80s to early 90's saw me travelling far and wide but the rot had already started. I can remember a trip to Leicester in 1985 and seeing the giant 'pyramids' of locos and Mark 1 stock at Vic Berry's yard. At the time the only replacements were Pacers and one or two local EMU fleets - the 150s started to come on stream later that year. But the general trend was more being scrapped than being built. And parcels traffic and wagonload freight traffic was already hurtling towards oblivion.

I came to appreciate riding the Settle & Carlisle, the West Highland and the Kyle/Far North lines in loco-hauled carriages and the rural English and Welsh routes in a first generation DMU with a view out the end of the train. I had no inclination to travel these lines in a Sprinter and still haven't today.

Then came privatisation, something I absolutely despised and which sent me into a kind of 'railway depression'. My rail mileage declined to almost zero during the mid-to-late '90s; I used the bus to get to Birmingham and Worcester, National Express for longer journeys and I discovered my local coach operator's 'days out' programme.

Things did recover but then along came Operation Princess which pretty well killed off all long-distance rail travel (except London) for me. Even railtours have become sanitised and less enjoyable - and often slower and more expensive than regular service trains to the same destination!

Today I use rail mainly to travel between house and boat (I intentionally didn't choose a local marina so that I had somewhere different to go to at weekends - but not too far), the occasional London trip and a few annual forays to heritage railway galas and suchlike. I even still purchase the odd Day Ranger - and the great thing about having the boat is that it has opened up new areas in this respect. But the joy of rail travel isn't what it used to be, whether it's the rolling stock or fellow passengers: uncontrolled small children (annoying but not illegal), people using their phone 'loudspeakers' (an offence under Railway Byelaws) or even just inane 21st century conversations (when analysed, they're always about oneself). Whereas a Walkman used to be an optional luxury for a long journey, these days I find myself with my ears plugged into my phone's mp3 player app for most of the time I'm on a train.

But there's something about railways that 'gets into the blood'. Something about railway operations which will ensure that I'll always have an interest.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

You've made me laugh at the end of a long tiring day! I've no desire to ask anything personal, but in general can you explain how the analogy works?

I'm pretty certain my wife knows nothing of moving block signalling.

I seem to recall trying to explain that, if my feelings for her were a train, then with moving block signalling my feelings progress and slow more fluidly instead of stop starting all the time at signals like on a fixed block system. I don't know why I had to shoehorn signalling technology in there but it must have worked!

From reading everyone elses memories, it seems that people lost interest in the railways after a change in their life and on the railways themselves. Funnily enough, there is a video on youtube filled from the inside of the cab of a 4EPB on a service from Charing Cross to Bromley North, where the driver can be heard decrying the new "plastic" class 319s-a unit which happens to be one of my favourite trains on the railways. So I suppose whatever era you go back to, it's still somebody elses nightmare.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I spot a new trend - '50 Shades of Moving Block Signalling'.

Starring Railtrack and the West Coast Route Modernisation team

 

[axlecounter]

Don't say that, I'm just getting started here!

If it can do any better to you, mine is still very well alive even after 7 years of train driving!

 

[PeterY]

Like most people I had a period in my life that railways came second.

I remember liking trains since the age of 4. (now 59). I used to train spot near Hemel Hempstead station, with some friends, unknown to my parents until I was about 14.

Things happen in life, I got married and my ex wife had no interest in railways. I used to take my daughter out to the seaside by train. She knows what the bings and bongs are in the drivers cab, when signals are on and off and sequence of colour light signals.

It was until I was about 40 that my interest was rekindled. I don't do numbers now but I enjoy the infrastructure, rolling stock, understanding complicated fares, and line bashing.


I often get asked about ticketing. Finding this forum certainly helped.

Also, I'm not afraid anymore to say I like railways to anyone, like I used to be.

 

[delt1c]

My intrests were in the 70's and early 80's which still had a vast amount of old and new to follow. Parcels and newspaper trains formed of a mixture of pre grouping stock. Even can remember sleeper sertvices with LMS 6 wheel bogies and LNER buffet cars. Lost intrest by late 80's but then rekindled in the 90,s whenD9000 returned to the mainline.
Still have an interest but for me its the past not the present that holds the greatest interest

 

[RichmondCommu]

I was a keen train spotter from 1976 until the September of 1984 when at the age of 18 I went to study at the University Of Manchester. Living in Derbyshire from 1978 on wards my friends and I would frequently visit Doncaster, Crewe, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and London in search of cops. All this finished when I went to University for a variety of reasons. In order to make friends and not get lonely I started playing a lot more football and going to a lot of gigs not to mention exploring pubs. My studies also took up a lot of my time but I also joined the university hill walking society which tended to take up a fair chunk of weekends.

Fast forward to August 1990 and I was living in London with my girlfriend (now wife) and we traveled up to Derbyshire to celebrate my mums birthday. Changing for the Matlock branch I was astonished to see two class 20s at either end of the train. Along with class 40s the 'choppers' were always my favourite class and looking back this might have been the moment when my interest in railways was rekindled. However that weekend my mum was having a clear out and I had no issue with getting rid of all my old spotting books. I kept all my photo albums for old times sake but that weekend really was a watershed moment. After that weekend I would visit the odd preserved railway with my dad and help him with his 5 inch gauge live steam locos when I visited him but that was it.

Fast forward to December 2009 and my wife bought me a copy of the Bakers Rail Atlas for Christmas. Although it was a shock to see how many freight branches and loco depots had disappeared I was thrilled to bits with my gift and along with joining the forum it reignited my love of railways. I now subscribe to Railway Magazine, frequently buy other magazines if the articles interest me and I'm now building my first model railway. I now visit preserved railways on a regular basis along with taking photos of signal boxes before they close.

However I could never see myself going back to being a 'spotter or even taking pictures of modern trains on our network. When I was a 'spotter there were dozens of depots to try and get round, a large variety of locos including hundreds of shunters, plenty of mixed freight, works open days, lots of freight only lines where shunting could be observed and yards themselves. In Derbyshire alone we had mpd's at Buxton, Barrow Hill, Shirebrook, loads of locos parked up at Derby, Westhouses not to mention loose shunting at Spondon and busy little freight yards at Barrow Hill and Seymour Junction. Wagons everywhere. With the loss of all that the modern railway seems so boring.

A few more things that I would like to add. When my daughters brought their boyfriends home from Uni for the first time they were soon asking "can we show them the model railway?". Once we were in the railway room they were proudly showing the boyfriend all the things that had been kit / scratch built for the railway by myself. And yet I suspect that they wouldn't entertain the idea of going out with a young man of their age who was a rail enthusiast (early 20s) because they would see him as being a little bit 'sad'. I appreciate that this will portray my daughters as being shallow but I see their good side whenever they are home and I love them dearly.

When my young grandson comes over from Germany to visit I take him up to Staffordshire to visit my dad for a few days. Occasionally we might spend an hour at Lichfield TV watching the Pendolinos hammer through at 125 mph. Max loves watching trains and whoops with delight when he sees the Pendolinos fast approaching. He also loves counting the containers on the intermodal trains as they run past. All of this raises smiles from passengers waiting for trains but I think they would have a very different view of a lone 51 year old (me) watching trains by himself.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

I was a keen train spotter from 1976 until the September of 1984 when at the age of 18 I went to study at the University Of Manchester. Living in Derbyshire from 1978 on wards my friends and I would frequently visit Doncaster, Crewe, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and London in search of cops. All this finished when I went to University for a variety of reasons. In order to make friends and not get lonely I started playing a lot more football and going to a lot of gigs not to mention exploring pubs. My studies also took up a lot of my time but I also joined the university hill walking society which tended to take up a fair chunk of weekends.

Fast forward to August 1990 and I was living in London with my girlfriend (now wife) and we traveled up to Derbyshire to celebrate my mums birthday. Changing for the Matlock branch I was astonished to see two class 20s at either end of the train. Along with class 40s the 'choppers' were always my favourite class and looking back this might have been the moment when my interest in railways was rekindled. However that weekend my mum was having a clear out and I had no issue with getting rid of all my old spotting books. I kept all my photo albums for old times sake but that weekend really was a watershed moment. After that weekend I would visit the odd preserved railway with my dad and help him with his 5 inch gauge live steam locos when I visited him but that was it.

Fast forward to December 2009 and my wife bought me a copy of the Bakers Rail Atlas for Christmas. Although it was a shock to see how many freight branches and loco depots had disappeared I was thrilled to bits with my gift and along with joining the forum it reignited my love of railways. I now subscribe to Railway Magazine, frequently buy other magazines if the articles interest me and I'm now building my first model railway. I now visit preserved railways on a regular basis along with taking photos of signal boxes before they close.

However I could never see myself going back to being a 'spotter or even taking pictures of modern trains on our network. When I was a 'spotter there were dozens of depots to try and get round, a large variety of locos including hundreds of shunters, plenty of mixed freight, works open days, lots of freight only lines where shunting could be observed and yards themselves. In Derbyshire alone we had mpd's at Buxton, Barrow Hill, Shirebrook, loads of locos parked up at Derby, Westhouses not to mention loose shunting at Spondon and busy little freight yards at Barrow Hill and Seymour Junction. Wagons everywhere. With the loss of all that the modern railway seems so boring.

A few more things that I would like to add. When my daughters brought their boyfriends home from Uni for the first time they were soon asking "can we show them the model railway?". Once we were in the railway room they were proudly showing the boyfriend all the things that had been kit / scratch built for the railway by myself. And yet I suspect that they wouldn't entertain the idea of going out with a young man of their age who was a rail enthusiast (early 20s) because they would see him as being a little bit 'sad'. I appreciate that this will portray my daughters as being shallow but I see their good side whenever they are home and I love them dearly.

When my young grandson comes over from Germany to visit I take him up to Staffordshire to visit my dad for a few days. Occasionally we might spend an hour at Lichfield TV watching the Pendolinos hammer through at 125 mph. Max loves watching trains and whoops with delight when he sees the Pendolinos fast approaching. He also loves counting the containers on the intermodal trains as they run past. All of this raises smiles from passengers waiting for trains but I think they would have a very different view of a lone 51 year old (me) watching trains by himself.

Sadly, the era of sheds packed with locos are a bit before my time, but I had the same delight when passing Selhurst depot on the train, which was always stuffed full of various EMUs in Various liveries. Problem now, as everything is either class 377s or 171's down there, it's pretty dull to look at now.

Part of my problem was I became interested in the manufacture of rolling stock too, after embarking on a long quest to find out once and for all what caused the Networker EMUs to make that sound they make. Reading a lot about GEC, Metro Cammell, BREL and Brush was very interesting. Especially when I learn't the existence of small companies such as Cravens and Hunslet. The problem is, from my reading about all these companies and thier ultimate grizzily end in the 90s, and how they came to their end, cast a bit of a shadow over my perception of the railways.

I understand the reluctance and sheer fear of people finding out "you like trains". But sometimes I find I'm just bursting to tell one of my peers the Jubilee Line train's traction packages are derived from the Metro Cammell Networker packages. Problem is I don't think any of them know what a Networker is...

 

[fowler9]

Life is such a rich tapestry. Ha ha. From as early as I can remember railways were all I was interested in from the late 70's to the early 90's. At first Sprinterisation was a nightmare and then for a while it turned in to a dream come true because they just didn't seem to work and loads of the services I used or could easily reach went to being loco hauled, even ones that had been DMU's when I was younger.

In around 1992 I was doing my A Levels, I didn't really want people to know I like trains, I discovered girls, Football and Death Metal. I didn't really speak to anyone of my previous hobby, although partially this was because multiple units had taken over a lot of services and didn't interest me at all. I left University in 98 and went in to the world of work and for a while then it was work, women, and having money to travel more and go to more gigs and football matches.

In about 2007 I met my last girlfriend and another mate from way back when thought it would be hilarious to tell her I and a few of my other mates were a train spotters. At first I thought "Oh no, I am going to get so much stick off her family who are all soldiers". After about 10 seconds I realised that I didn't care about her or anyone else knowing. Even during my sabbatical I still preferred travelling by train and made no secret of it. Once people realised that I really didn't care about them taking the mick they just stopped doing it. My ex even took me to Diesel galas as like a birthday treat.

I am single again now and my interest is still not what it was but I have started spending my days off going out on the train again purely for the enjoyment of it. I don't go properly bashing but I do make an effort to aim for loco hauled trains like the Cumbrian Coast etc. I wouldn't dream of spending a day on Crewe any more (No offence to anyone would), I find the constant procession of 350's, Voyagers and Pendolinos etc. gets quickly tiresome. I have been known to get very excited in foreign countries with more loco hauled services though. Ha ha.

Despite not being that in to multiple units I am very interested in the railways and their operation and am very excite about the changes we will see in Liverpool and the surrounding areas in coming years. I won't be out bashing the new units but I will certainly be out for a ride, especially behind the 68's on the Trans Pennine services.

One thing I do like about being older is that I am completely happy telling people in work ,if asked what I am doing over the weekend, that I am just going to get the train somewhere because I like travelling and I like trains. When I was mid teens I would get told I was boring. Now I get people saying "I wish I could do that". They don't know how to or where they would go. I have got decades of experience. Also of girls, music, football, travel. Lots of these people never venture far from the route from home to work or where they go to on holiday every year.

Apologies for the poor spelling and grammar, just got off a late shift and my brain is scrambled. Ha ha.

 

[D365]

Problem is I don't think any of them know what a Networker is...

I mean as far as I'm aware, the 365s are rather iconic here on the Great Northern!