Trainspotting TV Show

[Trevellan]

As a trainspotter I collected numbers and underlined them in my Ian Allan ABCs. We talked of "cops" which had nothing to do with the police and which ultimately allowed us (we hoped) to "clear" various classes. Simple, harmless fun which taught me a lot about our railway network.

 

As a railway enthusiast I photographed the contemporary railway scene (and still do whenever possible) while learning about the various systems and processes that made it all work. The latter aspect is ongoing and I'll never know it all.

 

As for the programme, there were moments when I couldn't work out if the presenters were serious or taking the p***.  An idea with lots of promise, but somewhat disappointing in its execution.

[Mallard60022]

The young chap, when at Carlisle, actually said "....cop the 37.......". He passes the test.

Phil 

[HillsideDepot]

".... and next week on BBC4, Pokémon Spotting Live. Watch people randomly wave their phones around, imagining they are seeing things...."

 

 

BTW - Phil, I copped G-XLEL on it's way back to Vancouver, so that's cleared the current British Airways fleet of Airbus A380s 

[darren01]

I liked the third one of the program more, talking about days of train spotting, I took a friend with me to Jacobs ladder foot bridge on the Western Region in the mid 70's.

I explained to him that you collected the numbers on the side of the loco and put it down on your big jotter note pad, OK, he said then headed over to the other side of the foot bridge, been there for a while, seeing 31, 47 and 50's going by when a HST came flying down the track.

I did not get the number so i shouted over to my mate and said did you get the last number?, Yes, OK what was it?, Inter City 125!. he never came again.

[Steven B]

I gave up interest in modern railways after locos arrived at Barry scrap, and it's been downhill to oblivion ever since, failed projects, foreign engines bought in, closed railway production in the UK, and trivial colurfull liveries, even the HST from Kent to London is Hitachi, modern rail in the Uk is terminally ill and boring, badly run, with no vision at all except the arrival of the subsidy cheques from the Government.

The HST to the north might be exciting if the various British firms and designers got up of their lazy A***S and and built the lot.

The Program even celebrated the designer of the HS, Where's his contribution to the new line if he was such a genius? ( nothing personal, just an example)

Stephen

Shock! Horror! None British locos in use on British rails! That would never happen in the good old days, well, apart from the USA Tank engines....

 

I'd hardly call carrying ever increasing numbers of passengers heading downhill to oblivion either.

 

Todays railways are still interesting, you just might have to look a little harder. After all, how exciting would the average steam era branch line have been with the same loco and coach or two providing all of the few trains per day. Hardly a train spotters paradise!

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B

[mezzoman253]

".... and next week on BBC4, Pokémon Spotting Live. Watch people randomly wave their phones around, imagining they are seeing things...."

 

 

BTW - Phil, I copped G-XLEL on it's way back to Vancouver, so that's cleared the current British Airways fleet of Airbus A380s 

Perhaps a programme on aircraft spotting is due?

 

With the advent on the web of Flightradar24 https://www.flightradar24.com   Planefinder https://planefinder.net/#   and ADS-B Excahange   http://www.adsbexchange.com/ the planes come to you, no need to go to the airport. Although it's still a place to go to see those planes that don't come your way very often.

 

I still need G-XLEL. It'll have to do the BAW25/26 for me to see it though.

 

Rob

[MJI]

AC/DC it's Australian 

 

Can I have Back in Black?

[brianusa]

Its odd considering that the BBC has produced a couple of the most popular films, "Metroland' and 'A Branch Line', on the S & D, could go so wrong with this series.  Both these featured an older chap with a trilby and a wrinkled mac; hardly the presenter image but he seemed to carry it off better.

 

Brian.

[coachmann]

Todays railways are still interesting, you just might have to look a little harder. After all, how exciting would the average steam era branch line have been with the same loco and coach or two providing all of the few trains per day. Hardly a train spotters paradise!

 As for the average steam branch train scenario that was mentioned, it was just one part of the overall scene. The station, yards and rolling stock were just as interesting in olden days. I might not see a steam train for over an hour while at Llangollen today but when it does arrive it is an event. Well to me anyway! I meet people off the train at our local "BR" station and the trains might as well be clockwork mice.

[melmerby]

Perhaps they are - for the NMT

 

And for spotting the HSTs, they got the 43xxx,

 

Cannot spot them and miss those.

43s? Them's Warships Me lad!

 

Or Ivatt's Ugly ducklings or...whatever.

 

Keith

[Coryton]

The Program even celebrated the designer of the HS, Where's his contribution to the new line if he was such a genius? ( nothing personal, just an example)

 

If you're referring to Kenneth Grange, I think he might have retired some time ago.

[muddys-blues]

Ok ..... I have just caught up with the 3rd programme on the iplayer ..... and I have changed my tune slightly here from watching the 1st instalment, I have to say the 3rd programme actually showed a bit of promise, it seems like the production seemed a bit more relaxed, and people where enjoying themselves in a more relaxed manor ..... shame it's over now really, I was hoping a 4th programme could be about 1st Generation DMUs 

 

Best regards

Craig.

[RJS1977]

One of my work colleagues was asking me if I'd seen it - he's not really raiway minded but put it on and quite enjoyed it.

 

So far I've only seen the first two episodes - I wasn't terribly impressed with the first one but the second one seemed better.

[Pacific231G]

Well should be thankful then that the railway companies did not number all the sleepers

There's one. There's another. and another.....

Don't catenary (OLE) supports all have numbers?  We could always collect them. 

[melmerby]

What struck me about the programmes was a complete lack, or so it seemed, of planning where a certain train might be in relation to the transmission time of the programmme.

Someone monitoring "Real Time Trains" and/or following a train on Railcam's diagrams would have enabled them to know precisely where a train was and pass the information to the presenters.

 

There was pre-recorded segment from one of the signalling centres where this information originates from so their existence was known before the programmes started.

 

e.g. Today, if you wished, you could have followed the NMT (Flying Banana) running between Derby, Crewe, Liverpool and Holyhead throught the day!

 

The third programmes was definitely the best but there was so much more they could have done to explain about the railways.

 

Keith

[melmerby]

Don't catenary (OLE) supports all have numbers?  We could always collect them. 

Don't forget bridges, equipment cabinets, etc.

 

Keith

[Pacific231G]

Once you've seen one, you've seen 'em all!!

Agreed. On the rare occasions when I travel in airliners I generally have to look at the safety leaflet to find out what I'm sitting in the back of. I do though find some plane spotters really odd as, while most are aviation enthusiasts, I've come across quite a few who only seem to be interested in the registration letters. That can be quite deflating when you've just landed the thing.  How true would that be of train spotters?

 

Don't forget bridges, equipment cabinets, etc.

 

Keith

If you look at the detailed route information for each stage of the Tour de France you may notice waypoints like "PN45" meaning passage à niveau 45. However, the number of level crossings on the route does seems to get fewer each year; some of that is due to a commendable programme of level crossing replacement but sadly it's far more to do with the number of minor lines that are gradually disappearing.

[F-UnitMad]

Plane spotting... how the hell do you get the number when they fly so high up...??!!??

 

Sorry, coat, hat etc...

[Cliff Williams]

Chatting with the team in rehearsals on Wednesday at Edinburgh Waverley it was clear that the show was aimed at hitting a wide spectrum, not just established members of the railway community.

I did suggest that dropping in some detail here and there would give the enthusiasts something while not making the new viewers turn off.

 

I recorded a chunk of footage at Waverley after rehearsal and before transmission of a variety of arrival and departures, the decent ones did not come in through the 20.00- 21.00 live window, there was an ex Kings X due in, but it was delayed.

 

This was the selection submitted with the detail I gave to describe the services, but it was not used, they went for an EMU recorded earlier in the day before I arrived.

 

Overall damn good fun and it made a change from presenting Ophthalmic Imaging for Carl Zeiss Meditec!

Hopefully they will get a second series, I have given them some great ideas to take it to the next level.

 

[tractionman]

And there's more...

 

http://www.ehattons.com/NewsDetail.aspx?id=96

 

WANTED: Model Railway Enthusiasts or TV Opportunity

We've recently been contacted by Love Productions who are intending to produce a TV show revolving around Model Railways and constructing a record-breaking model railway as part of the show.

If you're interested in this project then please find the full announcement from Love Productions below which include contact details for the Assistant Producer of the show.

 

MODEL RAILWAY ENTHUSIASTS WANTED FOR RECORD BREAKING CHALLENGE!

 

 

Love Productions London (makers of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’) are developing an exciting new adventure involving model railways.

 

The adventure will see the construction of the longest model railway track ever built, starting its journey in Liverpool and winding up in Goole.

 

Are you a model railway enthusiast and have a genuine love for all things trains? Do you know someone who is? Have you inspired others with your passion and knowledge for them?

 

We would like to hear from enthusiastic, lively, knowledgeable and chatty characters who would love to get involved in this very exciting new project! If this is you, we welcome your application. All ages and UK locations are invited to apply.

 

 

Please get in contact. We would like to know more about you.

 

Email: holly.newman@loveproductions.co.uk / rebecca.cray@loveproductions.co.uk

 

Telephone: 020 7067 4820

[mezzoman253]

Plane spotting... how the hell do you get the number when they fly so high up...??!!??

 

Sorry, coat, hat etc...

See post #482 and the web sites.

 

Rob

[talisman56]

 

If you look at the detailed route information for each stage of the Tour de France you may notice waypoints like "PN45" meaning passage à niveau 46. However, the number of level crossings on the route does seems to get fewer each year; some of that is due to a commendable programme of level crossing replacement but sadly it's far more to do with the number of minor lines that are gradually disappearing.

 

Typical of the French to say one thing and mean another...

[talisman56]

The adventure will see the construction of the longest model railway track ever built, starting its journey in Liverpool and winding up in Goole.

 

...via the central reservation of the M62?

[MJI]

If you're referring to Kenneth Grange, I think he might have retired some time ago.

 

And no mention of the chief engineer by name either

[luckymucklebackit]

And there's more...

 

http://www.ehattons.com/NewsDetail.aspx?id=96

 

WANTED: Model Railway Enthusiasts or TV Opportunity

We've recently been contacted by Love Productions who are intending to produce a TV show revolving around Model Railways and constructing a record-breaking model railway as part of the show.

If you're interested in this project then please find the full announcement from Love Productions below which include contact details for the Assistant Producer of the show.

 

MODEL RAILWAY ENTHUSIASTS WANTED FOR RECORD BREAKING CHALLENGE!

 

 

Love Productions London (makers of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’) are developing an exciting new adventure involving model railways.

 

The adventure will see the construction of the longest model railway track ever built, starting its journey in Liverpool and winding up in Goole.

 

Are you a model railway enthusiast and have a genuine love for all things trains? Do you know someone who is? Have you inspired others with your passion and knowledge for them?

 

We would like to hear from enthusiastic, lively, knowledgeable and chatty characters who would love to get involved in this very exciting new project! If this is you, we welcome your application. All ages and UK locations are invited to apply.

 

 

Please get in contact. We would like to know more about you.

 

Email: holly.newman@loveproductions.co.uk / rebecca.cray@loveproductions.co.uk

 

Telephone: 020 7067 4820

 

This advert appeared as a post on the New Railway Modellers Forum (surprised they didn't post on here), as you would expect it did not attract much positive comment, however shares in Peco have soared on the prospect of the TV company purchasing 300,000 lengths of streamline!

 

Jim