How did you get interested in railways?

[FlyingScot]

To be honest, I dont know.But I remember why I got interested in heritage railways.I thought that the main line moved on from the good things but preservation is timeless and keeps all the good things.And all that at ten years old?You must be astonished!

 

[GB]

Its in my blood. Both my parents worked on the railway (my dad still does) and its an area I have just grown up aound.

My dad used to take me too work every now and then when I was two or three and Ive even heard he used to take me to the odd incident hearing.
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When it came to choosing a proffesion it was either going to be the Police or the Railways....the railways seemed the natural choice.

 

[4SRKT]

Have always been interested. Grew up in a railway family, in a railway town (York). Used my privs widely for extensive bashing and line gricing in the mid-late '80s.

Didn't go into the railways tho. My time came just at privatisation, and what had always seemed the natural career choice simply wasn't that easy. However, I remember a friend of my father's from the Train Planning Department warned me when I was about 15 never to work for the railway because it would break my heart. I went into parcels instead, which is at least transport, and 30 years ago would have been railways through and through. I do miss the privs though. I remember well the last two weeks of privs between finishing full time education and starting with TNT. Solid travelling it was. Went on the Penzance sleeper, to Northern Ireland, the Isle of Wight, Scotland and Belgium!

 

[GB]

Im not sure about breaking your heart but it certainly cripples your social life.

 

[4SRKT]

Im not sure about breaking your heart but it certainly cripples your social life.

I'm convinced it's working in operations in any sort of transport that cripples your social life! Still, I guess I must like it as I've been doing it for years without any desire or attempt to do anything else.

 

[Fgw+xc+swtconn]

Probably after going on a train ride from Plymouth- Liskeard on an Arriva unit on hire to fgw And that unit is still with fgw

 

[Drsatan]

Probably after going on a train ride from Plymouth- Liskeard on an Arriva unit on hire to fgw And that unit is still with fgw

You must be quite young then, since it was only in late 2007/early 2008 or thereabouts that FGW had to lease extra 150s from LOROL and Arriva

 

[Moodster020]

I blame me mum, she took me to the national rail museum in york in 1983, and it all went from there really.

Had a bit of a break in my mid teens, but got back into it again in me mid 20's.

 

[4SRKT]

I had a break for many years, from my mid-20s until a couple of years ago. I blame being married. Ladies seem to suffer from prejudice against certain hobbies more than men. Anyway, it's good to be back!

 

[Wyvern]

When I was young all Derby lads had soot in their blood.

And the sparrows flew back'ards to keep the soot out of their eyes.

 

[aspierail]

I got into the railways when i was 7 years old because i love the sounds of them secondly i always choose a seat which is aligned to a window so that i could see the views and different types of rolling stock. I only became a rail enthusiast a few years ago as at first i wasn't sure spotting trains would interest me but once i kept travelling on the railways more often i got into it and nobody in my family shares the interest im the only one who is into the railways.

 

[Ivo]

I've flitted between trains and buses since I was little (six if not earlier). My dad previously worked for LTS as a Guard and for Virgin as the on-board sales assistant (or whatever the guy in the shop is called). He got me started on it, I think; these days, I'm ahead of him. I hope to drive at weekends (i.e. when I'm not working otherwise) before too long, probably on the Severn Beach Line from Bristol Temple Meads, but I'm too young as far as I know. 'Til the end of March anyway.

 

[LMS6202]

My interest in railways was built into me before birth. Great Granddad, Granddad, and Dad were all railwaymen. My two brothers also became railwaymen.

 

[Vulcan]

My Dad is also an enthusiast, and works for Network Rail, Railtrack, Jarvis and BR before that. My great grandad on my mum's side was a Horse handler (if thats the correct term) for the LMS, and I suppose the MR before that. He went on to drive mechanical horses after they got rid of the biological horses. My grandad on my mums side also worked on the railways, sorta, having worked for Express Dairies, washing out the glass lined milk tanks. later on he became a painter and decorator, which qualified him as a painter in York carriage works until it closed. He also lives in York, so frequent NRM visits might be partially to blame. My other grandad, on my dad's side was an engine designer for Yorkshire Engine company, then Hudwell Clarke, and finally Hunslet. Also a lifetime of volunteering at the ALR.