Trainspotting

I am back home in England right now, and yesterday I got a chance to re-live my youth when a steam engine passed through a station not far from home. As a youngster, I was an avid Trainspotter, spending many hours sitting by the side of a railway track noting down numbers and names of the steam engines passing by (I have not heard of a similar thing in the USA, even though their steam trains were much more impressive, but, it was a big thing in the UK among boys of my generation). Some of the most impressive of steam engines of the day were the A4 “streaks” (so-called for their streamlined profile). It was one of these A4s that came along on Sunday and stopped in nearby Retford to take on water.



What a beautiful thing these steam trains are. Hissing, creaking, groaning, and puffing – they are living pieces of machinery that can’t help but stir the imagination – regardless of your age – but perhaps it is more a guy thing.