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Trainspotting
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Freightmaster
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If you are, what exactly do you mean by trainspotting - the traditional hobby
of writing down numbers?
If so, before you do anything, you need to decide what you will spot:
just locomotives and/or mutiple units and/or coaching stock, or the big one...
...wagons!
MARK
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You could also take up the hobby of Train Not Spotting... Do you want your weak lemon drink now, or later?
The above is a reference to a BBC series Fist of Fun featuring character Simon Quinlank.
The above is a reference to a BBC series Fist of Fun featuring character Simon Quinlank.
Qwerty133
Established Member
As has been mentioned, deciding on what to spot is important, but that may become more apparent as you progress.
Trying to spot all rolling stock and wagons involves the need of at least a small tape recorder to rapidly record all the numbers as the train passes, which can be quite intense, and which also involves quite a bit of extra time when home to then transfer all those numbers to a record book.
Personally I would imagine this to be very daunting to a newcomer.
The most popular type of spotting is a little easier.
Recording locomotives and multiple units seems what most go for at least at first.
Either way there are plenty of publications that list all the numbers of all locomotives & multiple units, as well as coaching stock and wagons, but all can be bought separately depending on what you want to spot.
My advice would be to go for a combined volume which usually has all the above excluding wagons. You can then choose what you want to record or not as the case may be.
The cheapest is the NREA Spotters Companion & £8.95p, however there are no photos in this, and maybe the Platform 5 combined volume may be a better bet as there are photos of each class of locomotive or multiple unit which for a new person may be a help, this however is £18.95p so quite a jump in price, although again it can be purchased in parts. So you could buy the locomotive book at £4.75p and depending on whether you live near a electric line or not you could buy either the diesel multiple unit guide or the electric multiple unit guide, both £4.75p each.
A good notebook is useful as well, to keep a record of not just the numbers but other details of interest. Where it is going to or from, the headcode if you know it, was it running late or early, etc etc. These can make interesting reading as the years go by and the railway scene changes.
Trying to spot all rolling stock and wagons involves the need of at least a small tape recorder to rapidly record all the numbers as the train passes, which can be quite intense, and which also involves quite a bit of extra time when home to then transfer all those numbers to a record book.
Personally I would imagine this to be very daunting to a newcomer.
The most popular type of spotting is a little easier.
Recording locomotives and multiple units seems what most go for at least at first.
Either way there are plenty of publications that list all the numbers of all locomotives & multiple units, as well as coaching stock and wagons, but all can be bought separately depending on what you want to spot.
My advice would be to go for a combined volume which usually has all the above excluding wagons. You can then choose what you want to record or not as the case may be.
The cheapest is the NREA Spotters Companion & £8.95p, however there are no photos in this, and maybe the Platform 5 combined volume may be a better bet as there are photos of each class of locomotive or multiple unit which for a new person may be a help, this however is £18.95p so quite a jump in price, although again it can be purchased in parts. So you could buy the locomotive book at £4.75p and depending on whether you live near a electric line or not you could buy either the diesel multiple unit guide or the electric multiple unit guide, both £4.75p each.
A good notebook is useful as well, to keep a record of not just the numbers but other details of interest. Where it is going to or from, the headcode if you know it, was it running late or early, etc etc. These can make interesting reading as the years go by and the railway scene changes.
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Temple Meads
Established Member
Agreed. When I started out in the hobby back in 2001 it was as a spotter (don't do it any more though!), looking back on the notebooks now, it's strange to see the amount of Class 47's and 60's that were passing Tiverton Parkway on a daily basis.. Unfortunately I was too young to understand the significance
ATW Alex 101
Established Member
I take it you mean going to see a vast number of trains and note the number down. Some people may know this as vegging. The best place to go, depending on where you are in the country, would be somewhere like Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central, Bristol Temple Meads, Leeds or even Crewe. Places like that have lots of trains passing through them, I started off as a spotter (and still do 
) c.2005/6 and started on regular trips with my dad to Crewe, and we have explored the country together but now I am getting older I am starting to go to a lot of places on my own now.
Obviously the best of all places to go Trainspotting is London. London Bridge, Clapham Junction and Kensington Olympia seem to be the best but anywhere on the lines out of the termini are good. Again though, it does depend on what and how you want to spot, trains at speed, loads of trains, large number of trains at a smaller station. I am starting to go for places with trains at speed/loads at a smaller station. If for places for speed, Northallerton is good (be careful, it's known for trouble with idiots getting orgasm off horns and going over the line) as is Hadley Wood in London. Places like Nuneaton see a good number as well as speed.
If you could advise us of a rough location as to where you are in the country (north-east etc) me, or somebody else, could give you a good station you could go to to start. Any other questions, feel free to ask them as people are happy to help.
) c.2005/6 and started on regular trips with my dad to Crewe, and we have explored the country together but now I am getting older I am starting to go to a lot of places on my own now. Obviously the best of all places to go Trainspotting is London. London Bridge, Clapham Junction and Kensington Olympia seem to be the best but anywhere on the lines out of the termini are good. Again though, it does depend on what and how you want to spot, trains at speed, loads of trains, large number of trains at a smaller station. I am starting to go for places with trains at speed/loads at a smaller station. If for places for speed, Northallerton is good (be careful, it's known for trouble with idiots getting orgasm off horns and going over the line) as is Hadley Wood in London. Places like Nuneaton see a good number as well as speed.
If you could advise us of a rough location as to where you are in the country (north-east etc) me, or somebody else, could give you a good station you could go to to start. Any other questions, feel free to ask them as people are happy to help.
46223
Member
Have to agree with that. I started serious 'spotting' as a 12 year old in 1960. all I wrote down in my notebook was the locomotive number.
No details of the train, location, date, time etc. I don't half regret it now.
43074
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I still have a little red notebook I used when on a holiday in York c. 2002 - doesn't contain numbers but just ''GNER Eurostar'' ''Transpennine 158'' ''GNER 91'' etc. I still have the photos somewhere as well.
I would recommend somewhere like Tamworth, Doncaster, Ely or Ipswich where there is plenty of freight and passenger movement to keep yourself occupied with. Depends what you want to spot as has already been said by others. The Platform 5 spotters books are the best, purchased individually (Electric Multiple Units, Diesel Multiple Units, Coaches or Locomotives) because you can purchase the book(s) on what you are interested in, and they are more portable than the combined version.
I would recommend somewhere like Tamworth, Doncaster, Ely or Ipswich where there is plenty of freight and passenger movement to keep yourself occupied with. Depends what you want to spot as has already been said by others. The Platform 5 spotters books are the best, purchased individually (Electric Multiple Units, Diesel Multiple Units, Coaches or Locomotives) because you can purchase the book(s) on what you are interested in, and they are more portable than the combined version.
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47403
Established Member
I would go for the Combined Edition of platform 5, with loco's, units and coaching stock (check amazon or your local WH SMITHS or Waterstones, if not in they will order it for you) as someone suggested, that way the photo's will help you establish which class of loco's your looking at, if your going to spot loco's, units and coaches, I usually take a notebook and a dictaphone, you can always write up what's been recordeded on your dictaphone, when you have a quiet moment to yourself. I'd also suggest you get a decent pair of binoculars, especially if your going to marshalling yards or depots. all this and this is before you decide if your going to take up railway photography. Your Xmas wish list, could be almost written up for you.
The dictaphone will come in handy for taking the numbers from coaching stock and extremely busy stations, such as some of the London termini or a place like Clapham Junction, where units are whizzing by virtually every 30secs. A dictaphone will definitely come in handy if your going to take the numbers from freight wagons but as someone has already said, that'll probably be a bit daunting for someone new to this hobby, it's something I really have no interest in doing and I've been doing this on and off since 1978.
Depending on where you live, I'd suggest travelling to the nearest mainline staion to get your bearings, before you venture out to the likes of Doncaster, Carlisle, Warrington, Stafford and Tamworth.
Welcome to the fraternity, I hanker for the days when absolutely everything was a new line in the book.
Happy hunting mate/
The dictaphone will come in handy for taking the numbers from coaching stock and extremely busy stations, such as some of the London termini or a place like Clapham Junction, where units are whizzing by virtually every 30secs. A dictaphone will definitely come in handy if your going to take the numbers from freight wagons but as someone has already said, that'll probably be a bit daunting for someone new to this hobby, it's something I really have no interest in doing and I've been doing this on and off since 1978.
Depending on where you live, I'd suggest travelling to the nearest mainline staion to get your bearings, before you venture out to the likes of Doncaster, Carlisle, Warrington, Stafford and Tamworth.
Welcome to the fraternity, I hanker for the days when absolutely everything was a new line in the book.
Happy hunting mate/
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thank you for tips and advice, I starting at Leicester where all passenger services stop and fright just rolling through, so overall plenty of time to get photos. I'm also going for loco number, type, destination, time and operator for information. Overall it went today as a knew what I wanted to get.
47403
Established Member
as good a place to start as anywhere.
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