Trainspotting on the BBC

[JASd17]

Well, I didn't think I would ever see anything as positive as that about train spotting, especially on tele.

It wasn't great, but it certainly didn't give the usual negative spin.

John

[Mr Bunt]

When I saw this programme in the TV Times listings I was a bit suspicious about its possible content. It was going to come from Didcot and I was concerned that it was going to concentrate to the exclusion of all others on a specific railway, which manufactured antique steam locomotives in an obscure Wiltshire market town and named one of its stations after a teddy bear.

Fortunately I was wrong, and will be tuning in again at the same time tomorrow.

[giner]

Sounds interesting. I'll have to wait until it shows up on You Tube, BBC Player tends to restrict this sort of thing for us 'provincials'.

[Mickey]

Spotting these days is pretty boring with mainly those boring class 66s to be seen here there & everywhere Z Z z z z...

Mickey

[Mr Bunt]

Sounds interesting. I'll have to wait until it shows up on You Tube, BBC Player tends to restrict this sort of thing for us 'provincials'.

The first two programmes are OK. Unfortunately the third one (broadcast this evening) turned out to be the "bullshit and Brunel" stuff I'd been worried the series might kick off with.

[giner]

Thanks, Mr. Bunt. I'll put up with the "b and b" quotient as long as there's enough LNER territory covered. In this part of the world beggars can't be choosers applies mightily. Cheers.

[65447]

I watched only part of the second programme, which concentrated on the HST. We have our own yellow measurement train on the GEML but only one person corrected that the 'flying banana' was not unique, but the only one based on an HST set.

Peter Snow acclaimed the siting of an HST in Cambridge, so he clearly does now know that the ECML does not pass that way, and the map behind him was clear that it was probably in the vicinity of Huntingdon.

No HSTs in East Anglia save for odd diversions via Cambridge and, with the majority working on the GW main line it was bound to be centred on there. Apart from the multifarious liveries, seen one HST you have in effect seen them all...

The only comment I whole-heartedly agreed with is that about the 125 stock having the most comfortable seating, much better than the Mk 4s.

And then there's the annoying programme trailer, in which the letter 't' has been obli'era'ed from the English language.

Nice try BBC, but failed again. Same with Dan Snow's abysmal series a couple of years ago.

[mick b]

30 mins of the first , ten on the next , last one no chance.

On the same evening as the first two "programmes" and following on were two programmes on Scotland The Royal Navy and their part in the First World War both parts were excellent and recommended viewing.

[giner]

We have a programme coming on here soon on one of the Public Television stations called "East Coast Trains". Any good?

I've got my PVR set to record the series. Fingers crossed.

[Mickey]

We have a programme coming on here soon on one of the Public Television stations called "East Coast Trains". Any good?.

The part of the world that your in giner thats probably a telly programme about the Canadian Railroads East Coast route?.

Mickey

[giner]

That's what I thought at first too, Mickey. But the bit of blurb on it mentions Kings Cross. I don't know if it's modern day or the good stuff, I'll have to wait and see. Cheers, Giner.

[Mickey]

I like your use of words giner "I don't know if it's modern day or the good stuff" totally agree with you.

Anything with HSTs & class 90s in it forget it!!.

Mickey

[Brown Jack]

Hi,
I think this programme did absolutely nothing for trainspotters.
From a guy on Doncaster station supposedly looking for 66s, one goes behind him without any notice. Then the same guy on Swindon station, this time looking for 125s, one pulls in behind him again and he has to be told its there and, then gets all excited as if no one has noticed it. John Snow should stick to elections because it is obvious he knows nothing about trains. A mathematician who can't even read the number of an engine when it passes by right next to her, 6203 or 6023. Finally, a guy on the Jacobite, tells us he can see the steam as the engine is working hard, unfortunately it was downhill and, what he could see was the steam valve on top of the boiler blowing off. Where does the BBC find these people, come on give us some credit.
TFT

[richard]

They probably had so many re-shoots, the Jacobite was going up-hill the first time

[Mickey]

'Trainspotting' in my humble opinion has become far to sophisticated these days with the 'gricers' texting or speaking on mobile phones to other gricer's around the country long gone are the days when I did my spotting circa 1969/70 armed only with a Ian Alan Combined Volume and a pen and at least back then there was still some variety to be seen such as Deltics, Brush type 2s, Brush type 4s, English Electrics type 4s & 350hp shunters (all pre TOPS numbered) and that was just around the Kings Cross area!!. Nowadays apart from the boring class 66s there isn't much else to be seen for the most part.

Where I work usually the first indication of a 'special' approaching is I notice 2, 3 or 4 guy's all in there 50s will show up on the station platform about 10 minutes before something of interest is due to run through and they will hang around until wot ever they've turned up to see has gone through then as soon as the train has gone through the station those guy's are gone!!.

Those gricer's seem to have better information on train movements around the railway system than some railway bloke's do??.

Mickey