So, what got you interested in railways?

[Fearless]

So interesting to hear everyone's stories. I've loved trains as long as I can remember: for my brother's 3rd birthday our parents took us trainspotting at Didcot (I was just a baby!) but maybe that's where the bug bit me. I thrill at the 'big boys': noisy, powerful, fast, just so awesome to stand beside: Deltics, 50s, Pendolinos (OK they aren't noisy, but boy are they graceful). In America you can stand right beside the track, at wheel level, and watch the amazing freight trains: 6 locos, 140 trailers stacked two-high, take 6 minutes to go past - how can anyone not be thrilled by railways?!

[LAP72]

My interest in train travel started when I did my first train trip to Carmarthen when I was little with my Grandma (way back in the day), I found it so relaxing and love watching the world fly by.

Now I am older I love making a train journey the focus of a holiday and it allows you to see the sights, meet lots of people and feel more in touch with the planet rather than flying from A to B.

My daily commute into work via Manchester Piccadilly is a different kettle of fish!

[bramleyman]

I DO apologise friends, I seriously thought I had told you all how I became interested in railways.

I have and always will blame my now late Daddy for my interest, as I was born a few minutes from Laindon Station, on the then LT&SR, at the same time as the Late Joan Sims father Harry was the Station Master and where Joan was also born, a few years before me, yet I never got to meet her.

As I grew-up, so one weekend a month, Mum & Dad took us to London for the day. I must have been about 8 years at the time when, one week where we normally changed on to London Underground at Barking, this particular time, we stayed on until Fenchurch Street, where when we got off, Dad suggested we ask the Driver and Fireman if we could look up on the footplate and were allowed on condition we kept away from the firebox and I said: "We mustn't go near fire, because we could get burnt.' and as we got off minutes later, one of the crew said to me: "I suppose you will want to be a train-driver when you leave school now?" Obviously my answer was "Yes please." I soon pestered mum & dad for a train set and eventually got my first clockwork one.

When I left school, I still wanted to be a train-driver, but the steam was being taken off, as electrics were then being introduced. My Love of steam remained and I went to work in a factory alongside the railway for just over 2 years, with my interest remaining. Oh I had a model railway, but I so wanted to be train driver of steam, but it wasn't to be.

In 1971/2, so I joined a MRC, but due to the ignorance of the Chairman, the club sadly closed down in 1984. I still kept my Love of railways going and travelled on there as much as I could.

In 1989 I was working in a factory in King's Lynn and always made a point of visiting the station on every chance I had, then one day, one of the rail-men there asked if I had applied for one of the Guard jobs advertised? I hadn't, but did do very fast. I was unsuccessful on this application, then a few months later, some more vacancies came up and I was finally offered one, starting as a Guard on 12 March 1990. I know the date so well, as that was my sister's birthday.

I have got to work with some Wonderful colleagues, as well as a couple I tend to forget. My Most memorable passenger was when my then Favourite actress approached me on Cambridge asking for the next train to get her to Manchester. I told her, then placed a very heavy suitcase on the train for her. The lady then asked if I could be sure it will get taken odd at Ely and assured her it would, as I was to be the Guard for that train. As I put it down and turned round, so the lady stood close to me and I said how much she was like my favourite actress and her reply STUNNED me to say the least, because this WAS my favourite actress at the time and now deceased Ms Billie Whitelaw. I had been fond of Billie since seeing her in a regular tv programme. To this day I still have the autograph, but sadly only the memory of the day and getting a Cuddle and Kiss from her.

Now, I am founder and Chairman of Wisbech MRC, having started it 13 years ago, following a meeting of the then Wisbech - March Bramley Line, hence my name on here and Bramleyman. Sadly, I had to resign from the group a few years ago, when my now Late Wife became seriously ill and passed away not only 8 days after we were wed, but less than 36 hours after being diagnosed with Cancer by an 'EXPERT' who claimed she had months not years to live. I have since retired, while my Love of railways NEVER will.

[JSchooling]

Originally Posted by Trev

We've all been through it, the fascination with steel wheels on steel rails. The interest might fade a bit as girls and beer take their hold in our teens, but we all came back to the hobby. We must've done, or you wouldn't be reading this!

So, what was it that got you interested in railways?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kxl1hb4Tec

[JSchooling]

A great video about the abandoned and Scrapped Eurostar in France

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kxl1hb4Tec

[Rick A]

Hello,
I've always appreciated trains. I'm old enough to remember watching the occasional trains run along a track near my house and putting pennies on the track to get them flattened. And who doesn't love the sound of the whistle?
recently I have been researching an old family company that my great great grandfather started back in 1871. The Ashton Valve company. For over 100 years they were a major producer of all types of safety valves and pressure gauges used on locomotive engines and stationery and marine boilers. This research has brought me back to trains and peaked my interest in them as Ashton Valve really got it's start making locomotive related parts.
I'm always looking for people who might be familiar with the Ashton Valve Company and who might be able to "further my knowledge" of the steam era in general. I think this forum will be fun and interesting.

[Rick A]

Oh, and my great great grandfather came from East Deerham Norfolk.

[27vet]

Hello Rick, a very warm welcome and looking forward to your participation.

[luiszabalajr]

Every time I hear people say they're tired of riding a jampacked train.
But heres an actual way to change that mindset especially in Jakarta.
https://youtu.be/kOvqIs16Ukk

https://youtu.be/kOvqIs16Ukk

[DSY011]

My father work on C&W repairs on the Rhodesian Railways, and so we lived in a railway house at a suburb called Westgate, opposite the shunt yard in Bulawayo. At night I would watch the sparks from the shunting at the Westgate shunt. There were some very good displays of sparks from the older loco's, as the spark arresters were not very good, and they had a wheel slip when picking up a heavy load, or the track was a wet or a bit oiled from drips off the loco. I would spend a lot of time watching and get into trouble for not being in bed as it was a school day the next day. I was in trouble so often that Dad put a board up outside the window as I was still watching as late as 23:00 on school days. No wonder I did so badly in my first 2 years at school.