GranthamTech

Trainspotting: Let Them Be March 16, 2009

I am, unfortunately, much more familiar with the East Coast Main Line service than I would otherwise choose to be. Having spent many thousands of hours commuting between Grantham and London I have been granted ample time to study the on-board workings of the train operator National Express and of the previous incumbent, GNER.

So it is with only limited surprise that I receive the news from, of all places, The Register, that National Express has “banned” the recreational pastime of trainspotting from their stations. Of course this is the headline, the clue is in the quote marks around the word ‘ban’. National Express say, with some vehemence I note, that all they want to do is issue platform tickets to prevent fare evasion and that there is no “ban”.

Well I should hope not. Of all innocuous pastimes surely trainspotting is the most free of sin. Anti-social behaviour is, I believe, not a large part of their day out. Sneerers might jibe that a world inhabited only by trainspotters would be a dull place but they are welcome to the vibrant sounds of four-letter words and smashing beer bottles that too often represent other forms of amusement in our public spaces.

I don’t want to say that I am a fan of the pastime myself. Hanging about for hours on a cold platform simply to record the passing of electrics and the occasional diesel are not for me. Mind you I did get quite excited recently by the appearance of the steam engines ‘Tornado’ and ‘Oliver Cromwell’ as they powered majestically through Grantham station on separate weekends. A fantastic sight for those of us who turned out to see them. And whilst I won’t be reaching for my trainspotter’s notebook anytime soon I do hope that they can continue to enjoy their chosen entertainment without being prevented from doing so by the likes of National Express.