This summer“s train watching tour takes me to England. Having visited the island last time in 2004, a trip to the homeland of railroading was overdue indeed. For the seven days I will travel to mostly train related places near London as well as check out a museum further up north.

London

Like most capitals, London is a major hub for railways and a good place for rail enthusiast to be. My favorite spot is Clapham Junction– the busiest station in Britain as a sign claims. And given the steady stream of MUs that might be the case for sure. Although there have been made some improvements to the station infrastructure, it is still a charming location. Trains sets from several operators call at the numerous platforms. Typical British trainspotters can be spotted on the ends of the platforms, a small notebook on hand to write down unit numbers.

Interestingly one can not go directly to Clapham Junction by using the London Undergound. The Northern Line takes you to North Clapham and the Junction is a quick hop away on a London Overground Train. That’s not a big deal as in doing so we get more photo opportunities and utilizing an Oyster Card with pay as you go service makes hoping on an off trains easy.

After having watched trains for a while at Clapham Jkt., I moved on to Wimbledon. Sure, this is a place well known for tennis tournaments but I enjoyed the parade of more MUs from one of the platforms on this typical warm but overcast day.

Next stop was one of the very few remaining model train stores in the Greater London area. That one is another quick ride away from Wimbledon on the Thames Link service to Tooting.

Janes Trains, a typical British hobby shop, is just one minute away from Tooting station. Inside one can find a good selection of  00 (1:76- the British version of H0) and 9mm (N scale) trains. Of course I cannot leave such an establishment without a little treat or two. So with the help of the nice couple who runs the store, I picked two classic British Rail engines in 00 scale. Both units spot the stylish blue and yellow BR paint scheme. While the class 08 is an iconic switcher engine, the class 37/4 resembles the heavy and fast six-axle Deltic style mainline diesel of the 60s and 70s.

On I went on another Thames Link train towards St. Pancras station where a brisk walk brought me back to my hotel in Bloomsbury.  After an exciting day it was time for some food and a pint. Let“s see what the next days bring.