My first ever Train ride

I was about 4 years old, and every week we would visit my Grandma and Grandads for the evening. My Mum and i would get a bus from Crosby to Bootle, and then a 60 or 81 to Queens Drive/ Utting ave, then a short walk to Woodland Road off Cherry Lane.
One evening the buses weren't running very well so my Grandad took us to Liverpool Exchange to get a train home. As soon as i toddled into Exchange Station, i was awestruck by the size and atmosphere of the station. it was a cold winters night and the dimly lit station seemed lovely to me. We boarded a waiting class 502, and made the journey to Blundellsands. I don't remember much about the journey, but i wanted to travel by train everywhere from then on.
As i grew older i was fascinated by all the maps and systems of the railways in the Liverpool area, and Mum would take me into Town as often as she could by Train.
Before i reached the age of 10, i made a couple of memorable rail journeys, one being to Chester Zoo with my Auntie.This involved my first trip under the river from Liverpool central (now the Northern line, then the Wirral line), to Rock Ferry, where we had to change for a DMU , to take us to Upton -By-Chester, which was the station for the Zoo.
Another journey was a school trip to York, aboard a class 124 'Transpennine' unit, from Lime street. The 124's have remained my favourite 1st gen DMU's of all time...truly clagging, nice looking beasts !!
These are my first Memories of childhood train Travel, and i forgot to include the Southport Trips. Hope you enjoyed my early memories.

Ulysses

No outings today, but got myself a book that i've been promising myself to read....
Should keep me going for a long while.

Who are they calling 'Trainspotters' ?

We are a strange lot....according to the general populace, we are scruffy, wear anoraks, have bobble hats, our beer bottle lens ed spectacles are held together with adhesive tape, we live with our mothers, have asperger's syndrome, speak like John Major and we are probably on the sex offenders register!! Granted, a few years ago a small minority portrayed this image and it sticks in the mind of certain narrow minded people.
These days i prefer the label of Rail enthusiast...and we fall into a few categories. My category is filming and travelling on trains (bashing). Before i started filming i was just happy observing and bashing..i have never been interested in train numbers or times of trains. Why are we ridiculed ? Car and aircraft enthusiasts don't get this !!Why ?...Trains are fast and powerful machines...some people don't get the awesome thrill of rail action....it's just one thing i cannot answer....Facts..I am scruffy sometimes..but clean and don't wear an Anorak or bobble hat. I don't wear glasses, i am married of 22 years with 2 kids, so i don't live with my mother. I am also capable of socially interacting with people from any walk of life .And i definately don't talk like John Major !! (well i hope not )...and most of all i don't give a f**k what people think about my hobby !!

About me and my Blog

August 19th 2010.
I've been looking back at my life recently, and thought about my main hobby, which is Railways and Trains. I decided to make a blog a while ago, but never got round to it, so here is the start of my thoughts and experiences of this great hobby, which has served me well, delighted me, and kept me off the streets when i was younger.

Me a couple of years ago

I am 47 years of age, married, with 2 boys and live in Kingston, Surrey. I was born and raised in Liverpool (more later about this era), and i have been interested in railways for 42 years. I hope you enjoy following this blog, i will be working on it every couple of days as i have so much to share and catch up on.  This diary will start at the beginning when i was 5 years old....but first i will write an article about my thoughts on 'Trainspotting'.....yes that word, which sums very few of us up.