AEB v P5 foreign number books

[The Colonel]

Has anyone any views on the merits of the foreign number books from Platform 5 against those of AEB Publishing please? I may be having a bash to Holland next year and haven’t been for years and would like an up to date numbers book for recording my sightings, as I think my old books with 1500’s etc may be a tad out of date . . .

I’ve got an AEB UK book and it does what it says on the tin. I do like the P5 books for the photos, which are useful to initially identify new classes, but I suppose once you’ve seen one of a class you know what to look out for. However I note that some of the P5 books currently being peddled are somewhat out of date e.g. Benelux (2008) and the German ones are even older at 2004! If I’m going to buy a book it may as well be a current one rather than 4 or 8 years out of date.

Are there any other alternatives than the two listed above?

Any info/opinions gratefully received.

The Colonel

 

[156402]

Has anyone any views on the merits of the foreign number books from Platform 5 against those of AEB Publishing please? I may be having a bash to Holland next year and haven’t been for years and would like an up to date numbers book for recording my sightings, as I think my old books with 1500’s etc may be a tad out of date . . .

I’ve got an AEB UK book and it does what it says on the tin. I do like the P5 books for the photos, which are useful to initially identify new classes, but I suppose once you’ve seen one of a class you know what to look out for. However I note that some of the P5 books currently being peddled are somewhat out of date e.g. Benelux (2008) and the German ones are even older at 2004! If I’m going to buy a book it may as well be a current one rather than 4 or 8 years out of date.

Are there any other alternatives than the two listed above?

Any info/opinions gratefully received.

The Colonel

Hmmmmmmm tricky one this as P5 books are excellent quality and of course are updated through its monthly TR Europe magazine but as you say date rather quickly.

Problem with AEB is I find accuracy but tbh there are no real other options available.....

 

[theblackwatch]

Platform 5's books have the advantage that they offer more than a book of numbers - there tends to be a good selection of glossy pictures and more detailed background information within them (such as maps, details of where private owner systems operate, etc. On the negative side, they tend not to be updated that often, but P5 could rightly argue you can keep them up to date via Todays Railways Europe. However, that requires a fair bit of effort so AEB probably wins for up to date books (though I notice they don't seem to have done any in 2012?).

Another alternative is ST publications, but they are much more basic and spiral bound, which I am not keen on myself. Their books are listed at http://www.stpublications.co.uk/showcat.php?catid=6

 

[The Colonel]

Platform 5's books have the advantage that they offer more than a book of numbers - there tends to be a good selection of glossy pictures and more detailed background information within them (such as maps, details of where private owner systems operate, etc. On the negative side, they tend not to be updated that often, but P5 could rightly argue you can keep them up to date via Todays Railways Europe. However, that requires a fair bit of effort so AEB probably wins for up to date books (though I notice they don't seem to have done any in 2012?).

Another alternative is ST publications, but they are much more basic and spiral bound, which I am not keen on myself. Their books are listed at http://www.stpublications.co.uk/showcat.php?catid=6

Thank you both for your replies. I don't purchase TRE regularly so the updating would be a problem. The ancilliary info in P5 is usefull I agree, but I have bashed abroad quite a bit, so not too worried If I have a book without it.

I assume the STP books are the ones I saw in IA Waterloo last week - they didn't have the loco ones but I did see a Hungarian wagons one out of its wrapping. I thought that came under the life's too short category, but each to thier own.

The Colonel