How Osama bin Laden killed trainspotting

[locojoe]

How Osama bin Laden killed trainspotting

An old Timesonline report but interesting, maybe some members have not read this before.

http://fyad.org/yrc3

[G6 UXU]

Very interesting Alan, many thanks and all the best.

[John H-T]

Thanks for the link Locojoe.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

[liliput]

An interesting but sad read, I grew up surrounded by railways and was indeed a trainspotter, I was never a station ender, more of a shed roamer and action watcher. I do admit to travelling to Wigan station to see the steam expresses fly through at what seemed like supersonic speeds, now that was thrilling.

[bramleyman]

In some respects, I am lucky to still hold 'Boxes' and so can very quickly enter the date and make out I am going to catch a train, or even catch one to the next station with a short turn round time and travel back again. I don't care if I 'waste' a box.

Let's face it, when a train crosses a level crossing, people are sitting in their vehicles, but what proof do the railway have that They are not Terrorists? Do they question them as to why they are waiting there? Seriously folks, we don't need just to be on a station for train spotting, we can go to a level crossing, an embankment, or even a bridge and do it unhindered like I did three weeks ago AND took photographs, so why not on a station, but for the media possibly making more of this than actually meets the eye.

[klordger1900]

I recently looked up the times for the Welsh Marches train out of Bristol Temple Meads Station because I happened to be in the area (Somerset) that day. Having dropped the Misses off near Bridgewater I toodled back to Bristol to find the park&ride for the start of my exploration of Bristol (first ever visit). I was clock watching the whole time, Princess Elizabeth due to depart at 1.35pm. I was only just going to make it at this rate.
Finally reached the station and gained access to the platform. Not a sign of a steam train anywhere. Spoke to friendly looking station man in uniform who told me that the steam train pulled out an hour before. There was a misprint on the website and some people with tickets missed the train - would I like to see the photos which he had taken earlier!!! So maybe its one rule for them and a different set for everyone else (sounds like I have heard that somewhere else recently - Oh yes that'll be MP's then)!!

[reflector]

I don't actually blame Isama bin Laden for this sorry state of affairs. It's far more to do with the incompetents who run our security services (MI5/6, Police etc) who want to be seen to be doing something when actually they are really doing very little that is effective at all.

As has been said many times, it is far more useful to have railway enthusiasts around our stations as they would instantly know if anything is amiss rather than many of those who are paid to protect our security, not to mention being able to provide photographic evidence if it were ever needed.

It's a bit like those responsible for removing letter bins from stations at the height of the threat from the IRA........when those in Northern Ireland where the threat from the terrorists was that much greater, remained in situ.

[bramleyman]

March station DOES have litter bins as such and they are emptied daily. I am yet to see them return to the likes of Cambridge and other big/bigger stations where passengers are having to 'dump' their rubbish under a seat, rather than ask for somewhere to dispose of it.

[richard thompson]

Interesting link with a lot of thought provoking comments.
Richard

[Northern_Line]

That's a shame. When I go gunzelling/train spotting round Melbourne I have very little hassle from people or staff, mind you half of Melbourne's stations don't have anyone there to tell you off anyway, but I've been pretty lucky in my times here.

I just hope that one day soon when I come to England again I can go out and about as I did in Melbourne and have no dramas.