Nottingham trainspotter remembers the golden age of steam

Few people collect train numbers these days. The magic and romance of a hobby enjoyed by thousands of schoolchildren was lost with the age of steam. Andy Smart looks back to happy days It seems a bit sad to admit such a thing these days — no one wants to be accused of being an anorak — but some of my best childhood memories come from trainspotting. Nothing to do with that seedy view of Scottish life portrayed by Ewan McGregor — no, I am talking about the glorious days of steam. Mighty engines in gleaming livery — greens and blues, crimson and brown — hauling Pullman coaches and mixed goods, express trains like the Golden Arrow and Master Cutler. 'Often we would combine a spotting expedition with a Nottingham Forest away game' Armed with my Ian Allan compendium, the ABC of British Railways locomotives, I spent hours of my young life at the side of railway tracks from Retford to Rolleston, jotting down numbers and names. Often we would combine a spotting expedition with a Nottingham Fore...