How did you get interested in railways?

[AC/DC Boy.]

Hello,

I am new, a big railway fan, and have been ever since I can remember, and I am going to puck something back into it, by combing my love of railways, and wanting to be a police officer. So I have joined the BTP, and will be starting my training soon.

Anyway, my love of the railways, came after my grandad passed away in '93. He was a driver on the Midland Mainline, until his retirement in '85. He was one of the orginal drivers to drive the class 43's when they were introduced, and drove other types of loco. And after his death I carried on the railway facination within the family. And here we are now.

Speak soon, Paul

 

[90019]

I suppose there's always been something there, becuase I've had a model railway since i was about 6. However, my interest in real life railways started about 2 years ago, completely by chance. It was on a cold night in September, I think, and I just went down into Waverley for no particular reason on my way home, and took a photo of an HST (Valenta no less ) and filmed it and a few other things. And it all really stemmed from there.
The video from that night is up on my youtube page, the first one i put up on youtube

 

[Daimler]

I've been interested as long as I can remember - mainly owing to my dad's own interest, visiting preserved lines from a very young age.

Curiously though, as he grows to hate modern railways more and more - and becomes less and less interested, my own interest grows.

I'm a steam fan at heart, though. Proper trains .

 

[gordonthemoron]

becuase I used to work for BR

 

[37401]

i dont really know to be honest i think it all started when i was about 6, i went up to Ayr for the week, by train and just by luck it was a HST (valenta of corse) just the sight of it screaming and blasting it past the lake district made me fall in love with them, after that came privitisation and i remember going on Virgin 87`s 86`s 90`s and even 47`s on smaller jorneys i think my last jorney before they got 220`s 221`s and 390`s was on a 86 i remember the sound and shape well.

i started filming them only last year first place i went to was coventry, i remember being embassesd at first so i sat on the bench filming them on my PSP but making it look like i was playing it

now almost a year down the line and ive chaged so much with my filming and confidence in saying "Yeah i film and take photos of trains, problem?"

so i think i got my love f trains from my family though my nan was telling me how someone in my family years ago worked at new street (this was back in the late 1800`s early 1900`s ) and se recalls listening to all the old steam trains. ive just taken that passion and turned it into a diesel and electric passion

i saw in a paper once that "Train entusiasm is inherited in your DNA"
anyone else get it from family?

 

[snuk]

I was only thinking about this the other day - I guess I was born with my interest - it's certainly not "in the blood" so to speak.

It might have something to do with my Dad buying me a train set when I was about 4 when my brother was born (saying it was from him lol) - other than that, I don't know. But I've always loved travelling (in the UK - never been abroad) both by car and by train - always preferred the travelling to the arriving.

I know the UK rail network is far from perfect but I love it. :roll:

Steve.

 

[Aictos]

I've had a interest in the railways since I was born, starting off with Thomas then moving onto BR as it was then and now I've got the best job going where I can combine my passion for my job and also my passion for the railways where I can "spot" trains going though, course having the tools to do my job helps as well,

Pity, it's mainly 313s and 66s but I've had 67s, 91s, HSTs, 37s, 365s, 59s, 60s, 92s, 31s, 86s and 56s going though....

Best train seen at my station was a ECS from my station to Hornsey formed up of 2 313s and 1 317 coupled together, the first time I had seen a 10 car EMU formation on the GN!

 

[90019]

Just one thing:

when i was about 6

Which would be in late 98-99

after that came privitisation

About 2-3 years before...

 

[Darandio]

I have joined the BTP, and will be starting my training soon.

Speak soon, Paul

Be nice........................

I became interested in railways ever since I can remember, that being maybe 18 months - 2yo or something along those lines. My dad used to work for BR at Ferryhill so I suppose the free travel helped to further my interest.

 

[37401]

Just one thing:


Which would be in late 98-99

i cant remember my EXACT age but i do remember traveling on the IC swallow HST!


i must have been about 4, i do remember it though

 

[90019]

but i do remember traveling on the IC swallow HST!

Doesn't necessarily mean it was pre-privatisation

 

[43021HST]

I have been a fan of trains since I can remember but I think my dad got me into them by taking me along to preserved railways. I owe my railway enthusiasm to Heritage Railways.

 

[Pumbaa]

No idea how, always taken to heritage railways by my foster family so I guess it comes from there. I have no idea if it was in my blood, my foster family certainly weren't enthusiasts, it was just an easy day out.

 

[berwickspotter]

IT was in 1989 during my school summer hols all my mates were away with there folks
on holiday and i was left by myself to find my own fun so my dad say's go trainspotting
like i used to when i was a lad so i did i dont think he knew then what he had let him self
in for because i'm still mad on trains today as the first day i got into them
and i would not change it or anything

 

[AC/DC Boy.]

Be nice........................

I became interested in railways ever since I can remember, that being maybe 18 months - 2yo or something along those lines. My dad used to work for BR at Ferryhill so I suppose the free travel helped to further my interest.

Yeah, I will be nice to us spotters!

 

[43106]

My interest in railways goes back to Summer 1962. I was living in Seascale on the West Cumberland coast when friends of my parents arrived from Worcestershire for a brief visit. Their son was a trainspotter and he wanted to hang around the local station. I can even remember a loco he spotted - 44447, a Fowler 4F I think. I kept an eye on trains, but my enthusiasm was seriously stepped up a gear when, in September 1965, I went to the local secondary school. It was cheaper to use a single train to shift 400-odd screaming schoolkids from Seascale to Egremont rather than 8 buses. It was always an Ivatt 4MT, tender first, in the morning (43006 and 43106 were regulars. The latter has been preserved on the SVR - it was at the Lakeside Railway, AND Bachmann have a model of it!) and a Stanier 5MT at night. From then on I was hooked!

 

[SuperVoyager]

I suppose i was about 6 when i started likeing the FGW fag packets

 

[VirginTrainFreak]

When I Was About 4-5 ish when i stated traveling on the valenta hst (VT) Livery

 

[37401]

Doesn't necessarily mean it was pre-privatisation

from what i recall (a few seconds at glasgow) it was
but you could be right!

 

[theblackwatch]

When I was still in a pram, my parents used to take me to Pilmoor on the ECML. Apparently when I Deltic went past I would try looking up out of the pram, presumably to see what the noise was! Twenty-odd years later I became a Director of the DPS....

My dad whas been into railways since his childhood too and we used to go out most weekends, in fact 3 or 4 years ago someone who I've known since I was a child said to me that he reckons I used to spend more time at York station than the station porters!

My first railtour memory goes back to age 7, though all I really remember was having to use steps to get off the tour at Toton as there was no platform (rather exciting at that age!) and a 24 being parked on its side at the depot (again, fascinating for a child). Last year I actually found a picture of this, at http://richardboyd.fotopic.net/p28701224.html - happy memories.

 

[class47]

When I was still in a pram, my parents used to take me to Pilmoor on the ECML. Apparently when I Deltic went past I would try looking up out of the pram, presumably to see what the noise was! Twenty-odd years later I became a Director of the DPS....

My dad whas been into railways since his childhood too and we used to go out most weekends, in fact 3 or 4 years ago someone who I've known since I was a child said to me that he reckons I used to spend more time at York station than the station porters!

My first railtour memory goes back to age 7, though all I really remember was having to use steps to get off the tour at Toton as there was no platform (rather exciting at that age!) and a 24 being parked on its side at the depot (again, fascinating for a child). Last year I actually found a picture of this, at http://richardboyd.fotopic.net/p28701224.html - happy memories.

If you used to spend all your time at York, then our paths must have crossed several times, I was always at York every Saturday. There was a large group of us at that time always went on platform 14.

 

[theblackwatch]

If you used to spend all your time at York, then our paths must have crossed several times, I was always at York every Saturday. There was a large group of us at that time always went on platform 14.

Yes we alway used to comandeer a barrow at the south end of 14. Probably didn't recognise you as you had more hair then (and mine was blond and curly!)!

 

[class47]

We were always sat under the signal gantry at the south end....happy days.

I'll have to dig out some of my old photo's, you might be on one of them

 

[theblackwatch]

I'll have to dig out some of my old photo's, you might be on one of them

That would be excellent! Bring them along next time we go out.

 

[33056]

How did you get interested in railways?

No idea really, I can't remember a time when I was not interested. Nobody else in our family was an enthusiast though my parents were quite willing (within reason) to take me to various places. Memories include bunking Severn Tunnel "shed", Cardiff Canton open day in 1971 and visits to the Severn Valley Railway (only running between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade in those days), Bulmers at Hereford and Ashchurch.

We also lived quite near Barry scrapyard so the parents were always being badgered to take me down there until I was old enough to catch the train there on my own or (a bit later on) cycle there.

 

[me123]

Mine's an unusual story; I don't have any family that share the interest.

As a young boy, I was always excited when I took the train into Glasgow; what 4 year old wouldn't be? This was a regular occurence. As I grew older, however, the need for my travel decreased dramatically, and I became a typical rail traveller; I turn up and get on the train and really don't care less. In fact, I don't think I travelled at all after I turned 10.

When I was 13, I had to commute into Glasgow every Saturday morning. At first, i approached this like a typical commuter; turn up, get on and go. After a while, I began to wonder why the trains were always the same whereas in the past we had much more variety (303s, 318s and 320s). I took a mental note of the number, and did a bit of research into my local line (North Clyde; now inundated with 320s). From there, my interest slowly grew. I started out as an "interested rail user", and slowly developed an interest in the railways.

I suppose this explains my main interests in the railways; why I'm more interested in passenger trains, why I like units and why I've never been (and don't really intend to go) trainspotting.

 

[Jordy]

I'm another non-inherited one, I think it stemmed from being taken to Great Coates crossing to watch the trains whilst still in a pram! It started properly when I was about 10 when a friend from school became interested, I also took an interest, only he gave up after a few months and I didn't!

 

[FusionRail]

I suppose i was about 6 when i started likeing the FGW fag packets

6 is a bit too young to smoke isnt it?

I'm not too sure myself, but it was quite a young age!

 

[Bittern]

My Grandpa used to take me Trainspotting. Mainly to Motherwell to watch trains on the Mainline. I have no idea if this was pre-privatization or not, but at first, there was definitely 125s and 225s in IC livery.

I stepped off the trainspotting level for a while and my interest slowly faded as I focused on other things. But in the last year, my passion has rekindled and I began to teach myself about the different classes (I got sick of naming 156s "that type" and 334s "that kind") and about what I've missed, which was National Express' reign with ScotRail. In the amount of time my interest was lowered, I did not travel on a train. I hardly travelled outside of my home town, and that was about five years.

 

[37401]

(I got sick of naming 156s "that type" and 334s "that kind")

And class 37`s Whoooo! Nice!!!