To think my son is going to be a bit of a trainspotter?????????

[harimo]

We went to the South East Show today.. There was a book stall and I told him he was allowed choose one book.

He chose THIS ONE

And then parked his backside on the grass to read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He isn't 2 yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GAH!!!!

Yes, but whydobirdssuddenlyappear, he will expect to be there for said arrival (and, therefore, I will be there too) SAD FACE!

Seriously, I couldn't much care less.. The fact that he has an interest in something which (i) means he concentrates for long periods of time and (ii) doesn't involve a TV for hours on end is totally fine by me.

My DS is almost 2 & a half and has been fascinated by trains forever. We've been to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway a couple of times, and he was beside himself with joy at having a ride on a proper steam train.

If we're at a loose end, we sometimes go to our local rail station for an hour to watch the trains. He loves to wave at the drivers and passengers. It keeps him happy, so it's fine by me.

We sometimes pop in the local charity shop to see if there are any children's books, and invariably come home with a book about steam trains instead. I live in dread of Loyd Grossman spying through my keyhole and looking at my bookshelves .

He is also fascinated by tractors, fire engines, cranes, diggers, ambulances etc. His obsession of the moment is road sweepers, though - if we spot one when we're out and about we have to trot alongside and inspect it. Great fun.

really glad to see that there is someone else you spends time on youtube watching train videos... arrrgh they are the bain (sp?) of my life! ds is 3.5 and it is his very favourite thing to do at the moment.. although its american diesels we are into at the moment.
never thought i would EVER know as much about trains as i do these day...it is a sweet obsession though i reckon

Sympathies. Ds idea of a treat after school is to be taken down to the local station to watch the trains.

He has also attended with fil a meeting of a model rail enthusiasts club and is the proud owner of a Z guage layout.

I'm rather glad I'm not alone!!!

Today was the first day in 40 years that I have ever considered learning how trains were numbered.

Maybe I was bad in a past life!!

poetry for all the baby trainspotters out there!

My dd LOVED Thomas the Tank Engine. When she was about 3 she would carry round the Brio trains in a little handbag, and go to sleep with them all over her chest.
I got very anal making train tracks with her- and would take photos of my best efforts (using every piece of track/tunnels etc) so I could reproduce them.
She now has no interest in trains.

Yes my DS (2.4) loves trains too and has done for ages!
DH has taken him on the North Yorks Railway, to Locomotion at Shildon, and the York Railway museum where he has a wonderful time looking at the "choo choos" (we've always called them trains, he decided himself they were "choo choos").
He gets it from his dad, Grandad and Great Uncle who are all trainspotters. DH is building a model railway (originally for DSS(9) who has long since lost interest), FIL has a large model railway and DH's Uncle volunteers on for these guys who rail tours

My DD loves diggers and earthmovers. We have to stop for a good ten minutes on our walk every morning so she can watch the one on the nearby building site.

I expect she will probably be into trains as well when she gets a bit bigger.

I'm looking forward to taking DS to diggerland!

Bouncingturtle - we've been to the York railway museum loads of times and to a few model railways too...

What is the North Yorks railway like? Is that the one at Bolton Abbey and what is the Locomotion at Shildon?

This thread made me - thanks!

No trainspotters here, but DD2 is unnaturally interested in electricity pylons

When ds was in his fire engine phase we had to inspect rather a lot of fire hydrants!

Harimo. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway goes from Grosmont to Pickering. It's very scenic.
If you Google NYMR you'll find more info.

You do realise that all trains have a name and a class and number. At two my son new them all.

When they are big boys they can do civil engineering at Uni and make the trains go. My DS is at Uni and wants to apply to train companys. He was crazy about Thomas and read only train books for years.....

Deste - I now know that all trains have a name, class and number. Up until recently, I had never given it a moment's thought. It was an innocent time!

Pippop - I read up on how steam trains work recently, so I could explain it to DS... It did cross my mind that if I'd done so much research when I was doing my own engineering course, I might have got a first!!

Eaglebird - been googling NYMR - very pretty! WIll def. check that out when we are in the area.

Does anyone have any feedback on the railway in Loughborough? (Great Central railway)... it looks good (OMG!! What is happening to me!!???!)

I have spent the last hour while feeding DD googling railways!!!!!

Trains are great. I like trains, too; what's wrong with trains?

As for freight, nagoo, has your little one seen a forklift in action? I find them quite fascinating, too. Try to have a look at a container terminal as well (YouTube, again!): they've got a selection of cunning manipulators, including reachstackers, straddle carriers (those are ace) and gantry cranes.

P.S. scroll down on the straddle carrier thing for some very amusing posturing about how the straddle driver was "not a very good operator", a "jackass" and a "pensioner"