European Railroad Discussion > How to recognize different trains from quite a long way

The First Great Western 2P21
1) Flying into Heathrow yesterday I observed this First Great Western DMU heading eastbound.
2) I took a picture with the correct timestamp approaching an at the time unknown station, Maidenhead.
3) Then I took a picture of an easily recognizable landmark, this being the interchange with the A404, A308 and the M4.

First I looked at Google Maps and found the interchange. I then found that the station was Maidenhead. I checked out Realtime Trains http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/ matching an eastbound DMU to Paddington with the time of around 8:00 am. The 2P21 stopped at 8:02 am at Maidenhead.

Some of you expecting a picture of a Larch.

Jim

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Great, keep sending!

Paul Ramer
Cincinnati, OH

Thanks for bringing us pics of really far off trains as well as lots of local shrubberies! Ni Ni!

Gateway97 Wrote:
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> Thanks for bringing us pics of really far off
> trains as well as lots of local shrubberies! Ni
> Ni!

And a lovely shot of Junction 8/9 on the M4

Great detective work but I hate to tell you the middle picture is not Maidenhead station. Thyat's the west end of Maidenhead and the office park top(ish) left is Foundation Park. The playing fields belong to Cox Green School. I worked there many years ago



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/02/14 18:35 by Hartington.

Hartington Wrote:
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> Great detective work but I hate to tell you the
> middle picture is not Maidenhead station.
> Thyat's the west end of Maidenhead and the office
> park top(ish) left is Foundation Park. The
> playing fields belong to Cox Green School. I
> worked there many years ago


Quite right - you can see the Marlow branch curving in from the north in the top right of the picture.

Nice shots, Jim. That third one - now THAT is a traffic circle! Just remember to drive left, as if you're working on the C&NW...

timecruncher

Sorry, but that's not the Marlow branch in the top of the picture, it's the A404(M) - you can see a car. The Marlow branch arrives at Maidenhead station from the north on a sharp bend.

Maidenhead station is about a mile east of the photo.

Hartington Wrote:
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> Sorry, but that's not the Marlow branch in the top
> of the picture, it's the A404(M) - you can see a
> car. The Marlow branch arrives at Maidenhead
> station from the north on a sharp bend.
>
> Maidenhead station is about a mile east of the
> photo.


Grovelling apology! Of course you're right. It's just that I too was puzzled as to where Maidenhead station could be in the picture.

Don't worry, it's just that I used to live in Maidenhead, as well as work there, and I've flow into Heathrow a good many times over the years. I can also be rather pedantic!