European Railroad Discussion > Trainspotting Live on BBC4

The first of three 60 minute programmes on consecutive nights anchored by veteran British broadcaster, Peter Snow and loosely based on the very British pastime of trainspotting; collecting the numbers of locomotives and MUs. It features correspondents at a variety of locations - Doncaster, Leicester and Fort William among others - sending in sightings of this that and the other, railfans being encouraged to send in pictures and movie footage.

At Didcot Peter Snow interviewed a railfan who had photographed every station in Britain, whilst King class 4-6-0 Edward II illustrated one of Newton's laws.

All rather strange, a compendium of all things railway, but it wasn't condescending and didn't treat trainspotting as a mental illness.

More tomorrow and Wednesday.

86235 Wrote:
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>

> All rather strange, a compendium of all things
> railway, but it wasn't condescending and didn't
> treat trainspotting as a mental illness.

Which, of course, it is!  (Only joking, but as a psychiatrist I am allowed to say such things!)

More seriously, I do think we have to recognise that it requires a distinctive and rather special personality to be concerned about things that most others are not. Fans of all kinds (football, Springsteen etc) suffer from the same problem, as of course do politicians. Peter Snow is well placed for this role.

Thanks for drawing attention to this programme, I recorded it last night but have't viewed yet.
.

Don't expect too much and you won't be disappointed, I found it rather dull.

Here's the Telegraph article about the show: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/07/11/trainspotting-live-review-a-sleepy-valentine-to-that-most-eccent/

I wonder if/how we'll be able to watch this show in the US?

As a relevant aside, a couple of us railfans were recently standing by a RR RoW that runs parallel to a road when a wiseguy drove by shouting out his window "Get a life!" We got a chuckle out of his insightful comment!

JPB Wrote:
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> As a relevant aside, a couple of us railfans were
> recently standing by a RR RoW that runs parallel
> to a road when a wiseguy drove by shouting out his
> window "Get a life!" We got a chuckle out of his
> insightful comment!

I wonder what stimulating and fulfilling pastime he engages in? One can guess :-)

86235 Wrote:
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> Don't expect too much and you won't be
> disappointed, I found it rather dull.

I agree, ok but a bit dull, most of the presenters not really having much of a clue...could have been better done i think. 

86235 Wrote:
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> Don't expect too much and you won't be
> disappointed, I found it rather dull.

Perhaps, but The Sun managed to stir up a storm. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/13/bbc-trainspotting-live-peter-snow
 

railsmith Wrote:
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> 86235 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Don't expect too much and you won't be
> > disappointed, I found it rather dull.
>
> Perhaps, but The Sun managed to stir up a storm.
> https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/13/bbc-
> trainspotting-live-peter-snow
>  

Who would have thought it - a newspaper making a 'story' out of sod all. Do people still buy newspapers....?! About time people realised there are better places to get information...

Was looking forward to Hannah Fry's explaination of diesel-electric, which was cut short last night for yet another "live" HST passing God-knows-where. Sadly they never returned to that segment.

Hannah Fry could blow my whistle any time....although i think i've come to the conclusion that Dick Strawbridge is very appropriately named...

Tried the BBC website and there is a download available to watch these episodes, BUT if your computer has a US internet address it will not work. The BBC site states you must be in the UK to watch, so for now, we can't see the episodes on normal downloads. 

UNLESS, of course, someone with more computer know how can direct us how to do this, or to a site that will allow such downloads.  Any help out there?

I really wouldn't bother, you would be seriously disappointed, cheap TV IMHO.

I cringed through the first 5 minutes of episode one, then deleted the whole lot. Life's too short. Chris uk.