A rather romantic view of spotting for trains at Oakham railway station in the 1950s. Does this still happen today or is it all ‘on line’?!
“Trains and railways have always held a fascination for boys of every generation – and what man will not admit to a boy-hood ambition of becoming an engine driver? – and the present generation is no exception.
A stroll round Oakham railway station will confirm this, for now, as in the past, boys wait patiently, notebook in hand, for the expresses, ordinary passenger trains, or slow-moving goods. As the great iron monsters clatter through, eyes eagerly scan the numbers on the engine, and pencils switfly jot them down.
Expert eyes, too, take another swift glance to ascertain whether it is a grimy little 0-6-0 goods engine or a smart-looking 4-6-2 monster, used for hauling the fast expresses.
With trains roaring or chugging through the station every few minutes, the Oakham ‘train-spotters’ have a wide choice. Who knows what the next puff of smoke may denote? Perhaps a London-to-the-North express or just a grimy coal train. Whatever it is, its number will be solemnly entered in the little books, and the boys will then settle down to wait the next arrival.”
The Stamford Mercury, 8th September, 1950.