Why Trains?
I've been asked many times over the years, the same question....Why do you like Trains? My answer is always the same and as honest as I can be......I'm not exactly sure, I just do!
This always draws the same blank look on the face of the interested party, as I cannot give a definitive answer. I suppose its like asking someone why they love football, or cars, or animals. It's just something I enjoy at the end of the day. I like Football, I like Movies, I even like Driving, I like to socialize (don't do it enough now!) which are tasks that could be found on most persons hobbies and interests section on a job CV perhaps. Many people like the same popular hobbies and interests, but I can add Rail Enthusiast to my list.
Many people raise an eyebrow as being 'into trains' is not as socially acceptable as say popular music for instance. I put this down to the fact that people feel uncomfortable with what they don't know or understand. It's just that non-rail-fans cannot grasp why a grown man likes these engineering marvels.
I'm too easily labelled as a 'Trainspotter' which although I have no problems with Trainspotters, I personally don't get any enjoyment from collecting numbers of locomotives or/and rolling stock. I have nothing against the people who obviously take pride in scribbling down the numbers of a passing train, I just like seeing them in general. Just a Railway Enthusiast.
I've been asked many times over the years, the same question....Why do you like Trains? My answer is always the same and as honest as I can be......I'm not exactly sure, I just do!
This always draws the same blank look on the face of the interested party, as I cannot give a definitive answer. I suppose its like asking someone why they love football, or cars, or animals. It's just something I enjoy at the end of the day. I like Football, I like Movies, I even like Driving, I like to socialize (don't do it enough now!) which are tasks that could be found on most persons hobbies and interests section on a job CV perhaps. Many people like the same popular hobbies and interests, but I can add Rail Enthusiast to my list.
Many people raise an eyebrow as being 'into trains' is not as socially acceptable as say popular music for instance. I put this down to the fact that people feel uncomfortable with what they don't know or understand. It's just that non-rail-fans cannot grasp why a grown man likes these engineering marvels.
I'm too easily labelled as a 'Trainspotter' which although I have no problems with Trainspotters, I personally don't get any enjoyment from collecting numbers of locomotives or/and rolling stock. I have nothing against the people who obviously take pride in scribbling down the numbers of a passing train, I just like seeing them in general. Just a Railway Enthusiast.
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| 'Mallard' & Me, Locomotion at Shildon |
What is it about Trains?
The excitement I get, if that is the correct phase could be seeing a famous locomotive, running on a line or as a static exhibit. It could be enjoying the sight of a working, living steam loco with it's billowing chimney pulling a railtour on a heritage line, or more recently on the mainline. It could be a the noise of a diesel loco chugging past with the heavy freight train, or the scream of a Valenta powered HST pulling out of the station. It's the sight of a high speed electric express at full tilt whizzing by on its daily intercity duties. It also the grandeur of the railways, the ornate stations and the wonderful infrastructure. All added to by the smells, sounds and sights of a railway station, a visit to my local working depot. It's learning about the history, the heritage of the railways....I just love the whole collective brilliance of it all!
It evokes old feelings and happy memories. I have very fond memories of watching the trains go by with both my Grandad and Great-Grandad standing on a small embankment in all weathers to catch a glimpse (and very often a toot of a horn if I waved hard enough) of a passing train on the stretch of East Coast Main Line just south of the Tyne Yard at Birtley Co.Durham. I dreamt of one day being able to drive one of those wonderful engines. I'd also spend hours in Newcastle Central Station watching daily services come and go. Most of the time I was lucky enough to catch the drivers happy at the end of a shift who'd invite me to take a look inside the cab of an HST or my favourite class, the Intercity 225 91's, of which I can claim to have rode shotgun from Newcastle to Edinburgh in 1997.
I wrote to the franchise company who owned the fleet of 31 Class 91's at the time, GNER with my offer of a young lad looking for a career in the railways. Unfortunately, because of my age at the time (14) they could not offer me a training scheme as I had requested, but instead offered me my own cab ride to up to Edinburgh with a return in 1st Class and free merchandise. It was like winning the lottery and still one of the greatest days of my life!
I suppose it is a mixture of all of the above that made me the enthusiast I am today. But I couldn't leave out the fact that I was obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine as a toddler (and yes I still watch it when I can now) a hugely popular childrens TV show of the 80's. I wanted to live on the Isle of Sodor!
The excitement I get, if that is the correct phase could be seeing a famous locomotive, running on a line or as a static exhibit. It could be enjoying the sight of a working, living steam loco with it's billowing chimney pulling a railtour on a heritage line, or more recently on the mainline. It could be a the noise of a diesel loco chugging past with the heavy freight train, or the scream of a Valenta powered HST pulling out of the station. It's the sight of a high speed electric express at full tilt whizzing by on its daily intercity duties. It also the grandeur of the railways, the ornate stations and the wonderful infrastructure. All added to by the smells, sounds and sights of a railway station, a visit to my local working depot. It's learning about the history, the heritage of the railways....I just love the whole collective brilliance of it all!
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| The 'ones I grew up on' Two Class 43 'HST' sets captured at Platforms 2 & 3 respectively, Newcastle Central Station. |
It evokes old feelings and happy memories. I have very fond memories of watching the trains go by with both my Grandad and Great-Grandad standing on a small embankment in all weathers to catch a glimpse (and very often a toot of a horn if I waved hard enough) of a passing train on the stretch of East Coast Main Line just south of the Tyne Yard at Birtley Co.Durham. I dreamt of one day being able to drive one of those wonderful engines. I'd also spend hours in Newcastle Central Station watching daily services come and go. Most of the time I was lucky enough to catch the drivers happy at the end of a shift who'd invite me to take a look inside the cab of an HST or my favourite class, the Intercity 225 91's, of which I can claim to have rode shotgun from Newcastle to Edinburgh in 1997.
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| A familiar sight in the late 80's and early 90's, 'Saint Nicholas' Class 91 stands facing northward on platform 2 of Newcastle Central Station awaiting a green signal continuing to Edinburgh Waverley. |
I wrote to the franchise company who owned the fleet of 31 Class 91's at the time, GNER with my offer of a young lad looking for a career in the railways. Unfortunately, because of my age at the time (14) they could not offer me a training scheme as I had requested, but instead offered me my own cab ride to up to Edinburgh with a return in 1st Class and free merchandise. It was like winning the lottery and still one of the greatest days of my life!
I suppose it is a mixture of all of the above that made me the enthusiast I am today. But I couldn't leave out the fact that I was obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine as a toddler (and yes I still watch it when I can now) a hugely popular childrens TV show of the 80's. I wanted to live on the Isle of Sodor!
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| Is it Rev. W. Audry's fault? |
Over the course of the last 10 years my enthusiasm has waned a little, mostly due to other commitments taking up huge chunks of my time. Work, football, relationships and also coaching youth football, my time was used to other effects. But in 2011 I decided to free up my time for other activities and recent trips taken by train has re-ignited my passion not just for the railways but for my railway modelling too.
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| Myself standing at the head of my favourite Loco of all time, you might have heard of it? LNER Class A3 No. 4472 'Flying Scotsman'. This photo was taken at the VIP unvieling of the famous loco after a 5 year overhaul at the National Railway Museum, York. |
Model Railways
From memory, I think I've always owned model trains. Starting with the ERTL 'Thomas the Tank Engine' and supporting engine cast models (I had them all) I moved onto Hornby and Lima at quite a young age. My first proper train set consisted of a 'hand me down' Class 29 in BR Blue which came with three Blue and Grey BR Mk1's + Sleeper car, a Royal Mail van with working parcel pick up 'flaps' and three extra Mk1 Blood and Custard's. I must admit I was one of those kids I could throttle now.....a 'pusher and puller' I call it.
No power to the train, just a boys hand yarking the train up and around the small oval with not a care in the world for the poor motor. It makes me cringe now! However, I must have been somewhat softer than I recall with it as it still works now! I have since swapped or sold the above coaches as a few spare wagons I aquired over the years too. But I'm far too sentimental to let that Class 29 go. See it on my Loco's page. Now, I have quite a nice collection which is being slowly added to, whilst plans are on-going to create my dream layout, based on the very stretch of line I visited as a youngster. You can follow my progress on my layout page.
From memory, I think I've always owned model trains. Starting with the ERTL 'Thomas the Tank Engine' and supporting engine cast models (I had them all) I moved onto Hornby and Lima at quite a young age. My first proper train set consisted of a 'hand me down' Class 29 in BR Blue which came with three Blue and Grey BR Mk1's + Sleeper car, a Royal Mail van with working parcel pick up 'flaps' and three extra Mk1 Blood and Custard's. I must admit I was one of those kids I could throttle now.....a 'pusher and puller' I call it.
No power to the train, just a boys hand yarking the train up and around the small oval with not a care in the world for the poor motor. It makes me cringe now! However, I must have been somewhat softer than I recall with it as it still works now! I have since swapped or sold the above coaches as a few spare wagons I aquired over the years too. But I'm far too sentimental to let that Class 29 go. See it on my Loco's page. Now, I have quite a nice collection which is being slowly added to, whilst plans are on-going to create my dream layout, based on the very stretch of line I visited as a youngster. You can follow my progress on my layout page.
I'm also planning on spending more time on visiting model railway exhibitions for more inspiration as well as many of the UK's heritage lines, museums and stretches of line that remain foreign to me. To go on a Railway Adventure hence the name of this blog.
Well, thats basically me, I hope you take something away from my ramblings here, and if you like what you see please add yourself to my followers list for updates. I'd love to hear from similarly minded people, so please leave your comments underneath the posts I make and I'll get back to you!
Thanks for visiting,
For Now,
Craig
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| 60163 A1 Class 'Tornado' with the Author proudly posing alongside. |
Well, thats basically me, I hope you take something away from my ramblings here, and if you like what you see please add yourself to my followers list for updates. I'd love to hear from similarly minded people, so please leave your comments underneath the posts I make and I'll get back to you!
Thanks for visiting,
For Now,
Craig
