Trainspotting: is this currently essential?

Islineclear3_1 · 28 Apr 2020

Respectfully, I disagree.

You are less likely to catch coronavirus if you're the only one standing in a field watching a train or fishing compared to if you're buying a pre-packed sandwich in the Co-op or paint in B&Q where its more likely to be busy and you're standing in a queue for up to an hour.

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Bletchleyite · 28 Apr 2020

Islineclear3_1 said:
Respectfully, I disagree.

You are less likely to catch coronavirus if you're the only one standing in a field watching a train or fishing compared to if you're buying a pre-packed sandwich in the Co-op or paint in B&Q where its more likely to be busy and you're standing in a queue for up to an hour.

But then if you're stood on a public footpath there are more people on it, so if someone exercising comes past...

The reason for not allowing non-exercise things outside is that it causes more people to be out, increasing the risk of spread, and normalising the situation.

ValleyLines142 · 28 Apr 2020

Islineclear3_1 said:
Getting back on topic, I live near the railway, and I travel on the railway (and bus) to/from work. I am a key worker. (and very thankful to still be in work).

On a couple of occasions, I have taken my camera with me when I know something of interest is about to pass by

This I don't look at as an issue. Because you are one of the one's that are still in work (thank you for your services, whatever that may be!)

For me, as a non-essential key worker who is currently furloughed, there are PLENTY of lines I want to bash! Got my next four trips to London planned. Do I want to go? Of course, I'd go right now if I could. Am I going to? Also of course not, because I have a role to play in protecting the NHS/other key workers by not making a non-essential journey.

bramling · 28 Apr 2020

Bletchleyite said:
But then if you're stood on a public footpath there are more people on it, so if someone exercising comes past...

The reason for not allowing non-exercise things outside is that it causes more people to be out, increasing the risk of spread, and normalising the situation.

Again it comes down to using a little bit of sound judgement. Find a genuinely solitary spot and there’s not going to be any problem. The problem with the honeypot brigade is they lack the imagination to do anything more sophisticated than drive to their local honeypot, whatever that may be, with many others having exactly the same idea.

(In any case with the lockdown effectively having broken down in some areas at least, we might as well all just do what we want as it’s now at the point where it will make little difference.)

ainsworth74 · 28 Apr 2020

We were just starting to go off-topic on this thread into issues around the lock down more generally rather than whether or not trainspotting is "essential" so I've tidied up a few posts that were contributing to that and would ask everyone to please make sure that you stick to the topic. If you have something on a wider point you wish to address that fine but I suspect you'll find that we already have a dedicated thread to that or, if not, you are welcome to start one.

theblackwatch · 28 Apr 2020

To answer the subject question: NO.

I suspect my behaviour has been quite similar to many on here. My local line, which I live close to, is what is normally a unit only line, although for much of April we've had a Class 66 round on about 4 days each week on route learning. I've tried to tie in my daily walk with going out to photograph this - use of RTT has ensured I don't have to hang around for long waiting for it. On one occasion, I was out of the house for less than 30 minutes, and the furthest I've walked was about 45 mins away. I've done 8 different locations (including a couple I had never been to before!) and I've felt it's maintained my connection with the railways.

What I wouldn't consider to be acceptable (even if there was sufficient traffic for it to be interesting) would be spending a couple of hours at any of the spots I went to. Similarly, when the Class 50s came up to Tyne Yard the other week and took away a couple of HST power cars, I would have loved to have gone out for a photo - but it would have meant a 20 mile/30 minute drive which I do not consider to be within the guidelines/rules, so I had to give it a miss.

HH · 28 Apr 2020

Gemz91 said:
People can try and find loop holes in the Corona Virus rules as much as they like, but isn't the point of them to stop the spread of a potentially deadly disease?

If ones daily exercise takes you across a railway bridge, or along side the line, fair enough stand for a rest for a few moments and take a photo. But there's certainly people out there, standing at less used stations and in fields for a few hours, days in a row still watching trains. In my opinion thats not right. No difference from people going fishing, walking in the Lakes, buying a coffee or pre packed sandwich in the COOP or buying paint for non essential maintenance to their house in B&Q.

I guess its all about interpretation of the lock down rules for the individual and up to them, and people will defend their actions as much as they want.

The reason that they want to stop this behaviour is not that it's dangerous itself, it's that if everybody does it we don't have a lockdown. So if people are travelling a distance and then standing for hours, then they are simply being extremely selfish.

Spamcan81 · 28 Apr 2020

Trainspotting is not essential and whilst I'd love to be out with my camera taking photographs, I can't justify it. If I did justify it then so can every other railway photographer - and anyone else with an outdoor hobby - and the lockdown becomes less effective if we all go out and about.

sjpowermac · 28 Apr 2020

theblackwatch said:
To answer the subject question: NO.

I suspect my behaviour has been quite similar to many on here. My local line, which I live close to, is what is normally a unit only line, although for much of April we've had a Class 66 round on about 4 days each week on route learning. I've tried to tie in my daily walk with going out to photograph this - use of RTT has ensured I don't have to hang around for long waiting for it. On one occasion, I was out of the house for less than 30 minutes, and the furthest I've walked was about 45 mins away. I've done 8 different locations (including a couple I had never been to before!) and I've felt it's maintained my connection with the railways.

What I wouldn't consider to be acceptable (even if there was sufficient traffic for it to be interesting) would be spending a couple of hours at any of the spots I went to. Similarly, when the Class 50s came up to Tyne Yard the other week and took away a couple of HST power cars, I would have loved to have gone out for a photo - but it would have meant a 20 mile/30 minute drive which I do not consider to be within the guidelines/rules, so I had to give it a miss.

Spot on. I’ve followed exactly the same kind of balance. A local walk, within the 1 hour mentioned when the government were questioned on guidance. Walk timed so as not to involve more than a minute or two paused, well away from other people and a carefully chosen route to get there.

I’ve not heard of anyone spotting on stations. I waited half an hour, for a bus to work, from a stop outside one of the main stations and nobody went in or out. I’d definitely mark stations as ‘out of bounds’ out of respect for those who are having to work there.

Bletchleyite · 28 Apr 2020

sjpowermac said:
I’ve not heard of anyone spotting on stations. I waited half an hour, for a bus to work, from a stop outside one of the main stations and nobody went in or out. I’d definitely mark stations as ‘out of bounds’ out of respect for those who are having to work there.

Yes, I'd agree now is not the time to enter a railway station unless you have an essential reason to travel or are staff at that specific station for your shift.

sjpowermac · 28 Apr 2020

Spamcan81 said:
Trainspotting is not essential and whilst I'd love to be out with my camera taking photographs, I can't justify it. If I did justify it then so can every other railway photographer - and anyone else with an outdoor hobby - and the lockdown becomes less effective if we all go out and about.

Is that because you are not within walking/cycling distance of a line? Not a pop at you, just interested.

Llanigraham · 28 Apr 2020

Islineclear3_1 said:
Respectfully, I disagree.

You are less likely to catch coronavirus if you're the only one standing in a field watching a train or fishing compared to if you're buying a pre-packed sandwich in the Co-op or paint in B&Q where its more likely to be busy and you're standing in a queue for up to an hour.

Fine, but that isn't what the Law states, is it?
The Law (in Engand) states you are allowed to make an essential journey to go shopping and for a short distance to exercise, it does not state you can drive to undertake your hobby.

And once one person sees you in a field, what is to stop them joining you, and then another, and then another?

sjpowermac · 28 Apr 2020

Llanigraham said:
Fine, but that isn't what the Law states, is it?
The Law (in Engand) states you are allowed to make an essential journey to go shopping and for a short distance to exercise, it does not state you can drive to undertake your hobby.

And once one person sees you in a field, what is to stop them joining you, and then another, and then another?

Leaving the home for exercise is permitted. I can walk from home and be at a nice location by a railway line within ten minutes. If a train comes along, would you like me to cover my eyes? Am I breaking the law if I pause for two minutes to take a picture? How about on days when I’m walking to work, do you have an objection then?

One of the disappointing aspects of the lockdown have been people coming up with all sorts of stories about how others are behaving, and often it turns out the stories are second or third hand.

Islineclear3_1 · 28 Apr 2020

Llanigraham said:
Fine, but that isn't what the Law states, is it?
The Law (in Engand) states you are allowed to make an essential journey to go shopping and for a short distance to exercise, it does not state you can drive to undertake your hobby.

And once one person sees you in a field, what is to stop them joining you, and then another, and then another?

I did not mention anything about driving in the post that you quoted.

And if my essential journey means crossing a field (on foot) and a railway line to go to the shop to buy food, what's to stop me from stopping on the bridge and snapping a photo of a train if I know from RTT (or other source) that it's a working I'm interested in? Provided that I didn't hang around for too long of course

We can bang on about this all day from the sensible to the ridiculus ...

yorkie · 28 Apr 2020

Providing you have left your home for one of the reasons that is allowed, then there is no harm stopping briefly during which time you could take a photo, where reasonable.

So it's absolutely fine to go for a walk and take some photos while you are on that walk.

But it's not permitted to stand in a field for an hour or so.

malc-c · 28 Apr 2020

On a side note to the OP, should the station master have asked the three guys, who were clearly undertaking a non-essential task, to leave the platform and return home?

The only time I've ventured out from the house is one short 10 minute trip to collect the wife from ASDA after she has done the weekly shop, and 20 minute walk around the local area when its my turn to walk the dog, max 3 times a week. Other than that I've remained at home. I've often thought that it would be nice to pop down to my local station and video further developments with the Stevenage Turnback / platform 5 so that I have some fresh footage for a further update on my youtube channel... but we're in a lockdown situation and I don't class that as an essential journey so I will just have to wait until such time as restrictions get lifted.

I've seen one or two new videos appear on youtube which are not previously recorded footage taken before lockdown. Most are from remote locations (in a field for example) and in the description they claim to have been out with the camera on their half hour daily exercise and that "rare" or "unusual" train ran passed....

Hopefully restrictions will start to be lifted and we will be able to get back out with our cameras later this summer

221129 · 28 Apr 2020

malc-c said:
On a side note to the OP, should the station master have asked the three guys, who were clearly undertaking a non-essential task, to leave the platform and return home?

Given they were in a field and that Station Masters dont exist I'd say your comment is fairly pointless.

bramling · 28 Apr 2020

yorkie said:
Providing you have left your home for one of the reasons that is allowed, then there is no harm stopping briefly during which time you could take a photo, where reasonable.

So it's absolutely fine to go for a walk and take some photos while you are on that walk.

But it's not permitted to stand in a field for an hour or so.

Reality is if you pick a decent spot one is very unlikely to encounter any issue. It’s quite possible to find such locations where one is likely to encounter few if any other people.

Most of the population appear incapable of grabbing a landranger map and finding a remote footpath, but instead flock like sheep to honeypot locations as it’s all they know.

221129 · 28 Apr 2020

malc-c said:
Most are from remote locations (in a field for example) and in the description they claim to have been out with the camera on their half hour daily exercise and that "rare" or "unusual" train ran passed....

Which is perfectly legal and acceptable.

Llanigraham · 28 Apr 2020

yorkie said:
Providing you have left your home for one of the reasons that is allowed, then there is no harm stopping briefly during which time you could take a photo, where reasonable.

So it's absolutely fine to go for a walk and take some photos while you are on that walk.

But it's not permitted to stand in a field for an hour or so.

Quite!!
But it appears that some people cannot and will not accept that!

malc-c · 28 Apr 2020

221129 said:
Given they were in a field and that Station Masters dont exist I'd say your comment is fairly pointless.

My mistake, I was under the impression they were on a platform... clearly not

malc-c · 28 Apr 2020

221129 said:
Which is perfectly legal and acceptable.

Assuming that was the case, and not that they went out deliberately to photo said trains

Llanigraham · 28 Apr 2020

221129 said:
Which is perfectly legal and acceptable.

In England, but not in Wales.

Bletchleyite · 28 Apr 2020

malc-c said:
On a side note to the OP, should the station master have asked the three guys, who were clearly undertaking a non-essential task, to leave the platform and return home?

Yes and no. They shouldn't have been there, but they may have assaulted him, spat at him or whatever if he had so ignoring them may have been the safer choice for him.

Bletchleyite · 28 Apr 2020

221129 said:
Which is perfectly legal and acceptable.

Who really cares what time you choose to go for a walk as long as that's what you're spending most of your time doing?

221129 · 28 Apr 2020

Bletchleyite said:
Yes and no. They shouldn't have been there, but they may have assaulted him, spat at him or whatever if he had so ignoring them may have been the safer choice for him.

That's what the BTP are for (in theory)

221129 · 28 Apr 2020

malc-c said:
Assuming that was the case, and not that they went out deliberately to photo said trains

If they choose to time their walk deliberately to coincide with a particular working then that also is perfectly acceptable and totally legal.

221129 · 28 Apr 2020

Llanigraham said:
In England, but not in Wales.

So you're not allowed to go out for a walk in wales then? That is very surprising.

Mag_seven · 28 Apr 2020

Llanigraham said:
In England, but not in Wales.

It is not clear what is legal in England but not in Wales in the context of this thread - can you elaborate?

Bletchleyite · 28 Apr 2020

Llanigraham said:
In England, but not in Wales.

In what way does Wales not allow you to go for one daily walk (other exercise is available) at the time of your choosing?

Trainspotting: is this currently essential?

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