Best Train spotting stations (updated)

[Trains_At_2023]

I'm looking for new train spotting locations.
I have a list of good ones but I need more ones, mostly stations as junctions are tricky to get to.



My list is, Chesterfield, sheffield, derby, London st Pancras, kings Cross, Paddington, Manchester Picidilly, Doncaster, Peterborough, bushey, rugby, Tamworth and retford.

 

[Ken H]

Shipley, Leeds (on the bridge by the catering outlets - good view of the west throat), Hellifield (just 158's and the odd freights, but you can sit on the down platform and eat the goodies from the cafe, but check opening times), Leicester, Nuneaton, Stafford. And of course, Crewe. Bit surprised you didnt list York. Any reason for that?

 

[Sun Chariot]

I'm looking for new train spotting locations.
I have a list of good ones but I need more ones, mostly stations as junctions are tricky to get to.



My list is, Chesterfield, sheffield, derby, London st Pancras, kings Cross, Paddington, Manchester Picidilly, Doncaster, Peterborough, bushey, rugby, Tamworth and retford.

Eastleigh and Tonbridge have good mix of passenger and non-oassenger paths - a quick look on Realtime Trains will help you know which days of the week are best for you.

Crewe (by the station avoiding lines) offers a good selection of freight as well as passenger on weekdays.

 

[Western Sunset]

Westbury is always friendly towards "spotters".

 

[GarethW]

Agree with Eastleigh, plenty of space, its a bit bleak but you won’t get hassled.

Wetherspoons just outside.

I don’t really do much spotting these days but enjoy passing a few hours there.

 

[Murray J]

I haven't managed to go spotting there yet but judging by the variety in traffic Basingstoke should be pretty good. The normal SWML traffic combined with XC and GWR services plus a significant amount of freight.

 

[birchesgreen]

Hatton, Rugeley Trent Valley and Stafford are ones i like.

 

[Trains_At_2023]

I haven't managed to go spotting there yet but judging by the variety in traffic Basingstoke should be pretty good. The normal SWML traffic combined with XC and GWR services plus a significant amount of freight.

I do agree, Basingstoke is a good station to train spotting at. Just saw a video of trains at Basingstoke but it's 3 hours away plus I do not trust cross country for that long of a journey.

 

[Trains_At_2023]

Hatton, Rugeley Trent Valley and Stafford are ones i like.

I do agree, good locations

 

[Trains_At_2023]

Eastleigh and Tonbridge have good mix of passenger and non-oassenger paths - a quick look on Realtime Trains will help you know which days of the week are best for you.

Crewe (by the station avoiding lines) offers a good selection of freight as well as passenger operators.

 

[Trains_At_2023]

Shipley, Leeds (on the bridge by the catering outlets - good view of the west throat), Hellifield (just 158's and the odd freights, but you can sit on the down platform and eat the goodies from the cafe, but check opening times), Leicester, Nuneaton, Stafford. And of course, Crewe. Bit surprised you didnt list York. Any reason for that?

forgot about york at that moment!

 

[12LDA28C]

I'm looking for new train spotting locations.
I have a list of good ones but I need more ones, mostly stations as junctions are tricky to get to.



My list is, Chesterfield, sheffield, derby, London st Pancras, kings Cross, Paddington, Manchester Picidilly, Doncaster, Peterborough, bushey, rugby, Tamworth and retford.

It depends what you want to see. There won't be much variety at St Pancras, or indeed Paddington these days. You'd probably see more different classes of units at Waterloo than Paddington or King's Cross and you'd get no freight at the London termini. Doncaster however has always been good, as have Crewe, York and Clapham Junction. You might need to take into account facilities at stations such as decent toilets, shelter and somewhere to get food and drink if you're staying all day. That probably counts Bushey out from your list.

 

[Spaceship323]

Westbury is always friendly towards "spotters".

And the cafe does the best coffee I've ever bought on a station!

Nuneaton is great for freight trains but go across the road to Mcd's for lunch

 

[Western Sunset]

And the cafe does the best coffee I've ever bought on a station!

And Westbury also has toilets on both platforms. Important when one gets to a certain age...

 

[Trains_At_2023]

It depends what you want to see. There won't be much variety at St Pancras, or indeed Paddington these days. You'd probably see more different classes of units at Waterloo than Paddington or King's Cross and you'd get no freight at the London termini. Doncaster however has always been good, as have Crewe, York and Clapham Junction. You might need to take into account facilities at stations such as decent toilets, shelter and somewhere to get food and drink if you're staying all day. That probably counts Bushey out from your list.

i listed places ive been.

 

[Anonymous10]

It depends what you want to see. There won't be much variety at St Pancras, or indeed Paddington these days. You'd probably see more different classes of units at Waterloo than Paddington or King's Cross and you'd get no freight at the London termini. Doncaster however has always been good, as have Crewe, York and Clapham Junction. You might need to take into account facilities at stations such as decent toilets, shelter and somewhere to get food and drink if you're staying all day. That probably counts Bushey out from your list.

Cardiff Central can be interesting even as a passer by there's alot going on.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Acton Main Line is probably better than Paddington as you will get freight plus the Elizabeth line (the latter is underground at Paddington).

 

[birchesgreen]

Cardiff Central can be interesting even as a passer by there's alot going on.

Yeah once saw a convoy of 5 Class 66s "light engine" pass through there, that was quite cool.

 

[Condor7]

Shipley, Leeds (on the bridge by the catering outlets - good view of the west throat), Hellifield (just 158's and the odd freights, but you can sit on the down platform and eat the goodies from the cafe, but check opening times)

I guess spotting can involve more than the just number of trains, although it helps, but a visit to Hellifield is an experience in itself. A small Yorkshire dales village with a magnificent Victorian station, with 4 platforms (now two out of use) a plethora of sidings and track including the occasional generating of its own freight with the occasional Hellifield to Chirk logs, all topped off with semaphore signals a plenty and as mentioned an excellent cafe and beautiful views.

Freight is not prolific but timed right can be better than ‘occasional’ Monday to Friday avoid mornings if freight is your thing, Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be quieter than the other days. Wednesday possibly being the best where between midday and late afternoon there are about 6 scheduled freight assuming they all run which they usually do but not always. Not to forget if you choose the right day charter specials are quite common even in the winter and especially in the summer.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Overseas:

Olten (CH)
Koblenz (DE)
Villeneuve-St-Georges (FR)
Salzburg (AT)

 

[Ken H]

I guess spotting can involve more than the just number of trains, although it helps, but a visit to Hellifield is an experience in itself. A small Yorkshire dales village with a magnificent Victorian station, with 4 platforms (now two out of use) a plethora of sidings and track including the occasional generating of its own freight with the occasional Hellifield to Chirk logs, all topped off with semaphore signals a plenty and as mentioned an excellent cafe and beautiful views.

Freight is not prolific but timed right can be better than ‘occasional’ Monday to Friday avoid mornings if freight is your thing, Tuesdays and Thursdays tend to be quieter than the other days. Wednesday possibly being the best where between midday and late afternoon there are about 6 scheduled freight assuming they all run which they usually do but not always. Not to forget if you choose the right day charter specials are quite common even in the winter and especially in the summer.

I should have mentioned the wyverns cast into each canopy support.
https://images.app.goo.gl/H1ovsH1nFjvbD2zz8 (link to image of wyvern in Hellifield station canopy)

This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. See this photograph's page on the Geograph website for the photographer's contact details. The copyright on this image is owned by K A and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

 

[mangyiscute]

I really like Royal Oak as you get to see all of the trains coming in and out of Paddington with like 8/9 tracks etc, which imo is a lot more exciting than being at the actual terminus.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Mirfield used to be good until they recently dug up platform two and put up hoardings blocking the view of the up fast line.

 

[Enthusiast]

I really like Royal Oak as you get to see all of the trains coming in and out of Paddington with like 8/9 tracks etc, which imo is a lot more exciting than being at the actual terminus.

Spotting at Royal Oak really was one of the few things that were better "in the old days". I spent most of my early "gricing" days at Kings Cross and Finsbury Park but we'd occasionally take the tube to Royal Oak and spend a few happy hours on the tube station, watching the comings and goings from the Paddington. As well as watching the arrivals and departures from Paddington, an added bonus was the turntable dead opposite where we could watch the Kings, Castles, Halls, Manors and Granges being turned. I think it was called "Ranelagh Yard" after Ranelagh Bridge which crossed the lines nearby. Here's a photo from 1953:

Image of paddington station turntable, 1953 by Science & Society Picture Library

Image of paddington station turntable, 1953 by Science & Society Picture Library View and buy rights managed stock photos at Science & Society Picture Library.

www.scienceandsociety.co.uk

Naturally the turntable was removed following the end of steam but the yard continued as a stabling and fuelling point for the diesels up to about 1980.

 

[PlatformEdgeVT]

It does depend on what you like, though I think Acton Bridge (in Cheshire) is a good option because:
Many fast passenger services per hour
More freight than the nearby Hartford as freights coming off the Mid-Cheshire emerge north of Hartford
Between Crewe and Carlisle, so it is quite possible that you can get WCR Loco movements.

It can be a cold station, though.

 

[jfollows]

It does depend on what you like, though I think Acton Bridge (in Cheshire) is a good option because:
Many fast passenger services per hour
More freight than the nearby Hartford as freights coming off the Mid-Cheshire emerge north of Hartford
Between Crewe and Carlisle, so it is quite possible that you can get WCR Loco movements.

It can be a cold station, though.

Has the obnoxious home owner moved or given up his aggression? I gather he didn’t like people using the station other than for (quietly) catching trains.

 

[PlatformEdgeVT]

It's been a while since I went (November 2022 if I remember it correctly) but I didn't encounter anyone like that.

 

[mangyiscute]

Yeah it depends on what you prefer, I like seeing trains speed through stations at fast speeds (125mph if possible) and there are plenty of options for that

 

[Tester]

Spotting at Royal Oak really was one of the few things that were better "in the old days". I spent most of my early "gricing" days at Kings Cross and Finsbury Park but we'd occasionally take the tube to Royal Oak and spend a few happy hours on the tube station, watching the comings and goings from the Paddington. As well as watching the arrivals and departures from Paddington, an added bonus was the turntable dead opposite where we could watch the Kings, Castles, Halls, Manors and Granges being turned. I think it was called "Ranelagh Yard" after Ranelagh Bridge which crossed the lines nearby. Here's a photo from 1953:

Image of paddington station turntable, 1953 by Science & Society Picture Library

Image of paddington station turntable, 1953 by Science & Society Picture Library View and buy rights managed stock photos at Science & Society Picture Library.

www.scienceandsociety.co.uk

Naturally the turntable was removed following the end of steam but the yard continued as a stabling and fuelling point for the diesels up to about 1980.

That's a bit nostalgic!

Until age 4 I lived round the corner from the Paddington turntable. My mum took me there one day because she thought it might be more interesting than the park (it was).

The rest is history

 

[Western Sunset]

Kings Langley is good if you want somewhere on the WCML north of Watford. Good views up and down the line both ways, plus waiting shelters if the weather gets iffy.