trainspotting

Recording passing engines

Trainspotting is the British hobby of watching trains and recording their identification numbers, typically at railway stations or along tracks.

Enthusiasts note locomotive types, liveries, and serial numbers in notebooks.

The hobby is often mocked as the epitome of harmless but pointless obsession: He spent his weekend trainspotting at Crewe.

By extension, trainspotting describes any obsessive cataloguing of trivial details: His knowledge of craft beers borders on trainspotting. (Capitalized Trainspotting is the novel and film.)

hobby

enthusiast

Ardent admirer of something

spotterSafety backup person
anorakWeatherproof hooded outerwear
buffAvid fan; also burnish

pastime · leisure · notebook · logbook · sighting · photography · platform · timetable · schedules · guidebook

observation

binoculars

Handheld dual-lens magnifier

cameraImage capturing device
notepadBound sheets for writing
journalRecord of daily events

sighting · watching · photography · platform · schedule · timetable · fieldwork · monitoring · tracking · recording

locomotive

engine

Machine producing motion

steamHeated water's gaseous form
dieselCompression-ignition fuel
electricPowered by current

class · livery · nameplate · number · heritage · preservation · whistle · cab · bogie · pantograph

railway

station

Fixed stopping point

platformRaised flat structure
depotVehicle storage facility
junctionPoint where things meet

signal · signalbox · siding · track · gauge · terminal · mainline · branchline · corridor · marshalling

trainspotting

enthusiast

binoculars

engine

station

trainspotting

Opposites

Categories

Family