Strange Journeys

[Jeffrey Reid]

Just FYI, I had a roomate about 20 years ago who was an avid Northern
California trainspotter -- although he preferred the term "train freak";
so I guess it's been in the states for awhile.  I was also amused to note
that there were factions even within this group of "geeks with time on their
hands";  the "train freaks" looked down their noses at the "rail fans".
(I couldn't begin to tell you the difference.)
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
On Mon, 1 Jul 1996 LBernier at tribune.com wrote:
>      What is the deal with this "Trainspotting" thing?  I saw a book with
>
trainspotting is the uniquely British hobby where you get a little black
book and travel around the country trying to see as many different trains
as possible (usually kept track of by number) and writing them down in
your book.  It has also become general slang (especially in the music
scene in England) for rabid collectors (i.e. someone who must have
every single remix of every song by an artist or band).  I've noticed that
the term has become more derogatory in its slang usage, often used to
imply that the trainspotter is a lame geek who needs to get a life outside
of the particular hobby/fetish that consumes him or her.  It is quite
commonly used in England and it is slowly leaking (the entropy of slang?)
into our culture via the international nature of modern media.

Jeff

(who can't wait until someone asks the same question about Gordon Bennet)

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Jeffrey G Reid       			jgreid at u.washington.edu
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"O holy mathematics, may I for the rest of my days be consoled
 by perpetual intercourse with you, consoled for the wickedness
 of man and the injustice of the Almighty!"  -- Isidore Ducasse