History Main / RailEnthusiast

** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure'', there's a guy who can be found standing on Station Street just outside the train station pretty much all the time, gushing about trains whenever you talk with him. He is over the moon when the Chancellor Giliath Osborne's crimson train, the Eisengraf ("Iron Count"), pays a visit for the trade confrence in ''Azure''.

* Mike from ''Literature/HeIsYourBrother'' has a huge collection of old train and railway pieces, including nuts and bolts, tickets, uniform buttons, signal flags, and a coal shovel. During his free time, he wanders by the railways to collect more treasures and memorizes timetables. He is endlessly fascinated by railway history and is delighted when his father brings home a copy of History of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, which has been out of print for years. His little brother Orry loves riding the train with him and looking at his collection.

* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' did a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhc1hWXH5IM sketch,]] supposedly an excerpt from the latest West End hit ''It All Happened on the 11:20 from Hainault to Red Hill via Horsham and Reigate, calling at Carshalton Beeches, Malmesbury, Tooting Bec and Croydon West''. The characters all get involved in a murder mystery that gets solved by everyone having a nearly-encyclopedic knowledge of trains and train schedules. At the end of the sketch, we see the author, Mr. Neville Shunt, [[CloudCuckoolander making train noises with his mouth and ringing a large bell while typing on a typewriter]].

** There is some crossover between the furry fandom and rail enthusiasts though in general, perhaps due to both being niche hobbies that greatly benefited from the internet age; such as furry "Bolt the Railway Dog" whose enthusiasm for trains lead České dráhy a Czech Railway company to name a locomotive after him in 2023. [[https://railcolornews.com/2023/11/20/cz-finally-bolt-the-railway-dog-reveals-locomotive-name-after-himself/?fbclid=IwAR1-sXYxAs2Azz3RW3u-xWf_f4Vx94bDe6zfCpH8fTRYT552fTFEsuNWraM Appropriately Bolt attended the naming ceremony wearing his fursuit.]]

* The "I Like Trains" kid from the ''WebAnimation/{{asdfmovie}}'' series.
** [[DropTheCow Immediately followed up with a train crashing in from out of nowhere from any and all angles.]]

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* An episode of ''Series/NUMB3RS'' about recreated train crashes featured a couple of these guys as witnesses. Their footage of the train provides a vital clue to cracking the case.
* One clip on ''Series/WorldsDumbest'' was filmed by an enthusiast who was so excited that at least one commentator speculated about [[JizzedInMyPants what else he was doing]].
* ''Series/TheTunnel'': A young man who knows the sounds of different trains is called in to help them locate where an elderly kidnapping victim has been held from those recorded going past.
* Captain Holt and Terry of ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' are both privately model train fans, and the two compete to see who has the best train set up (Captain Holt favours strict accuracy whereas Terry prefers a more SugarBowl "everyone ride the fun train to the ice cream shop" approach). Unfortunately for the two, no one else really thinks model trains are cool, and the one person they ask to play judge to their bet is completely "meh" about the whole thing.
* Armin Maiwald, original host of Series/DieSendungMitDerMaus, who, in keeping with his status as a CoolOldGuy, possesses a driver's licence for steam trains and offers to casually man such a train during one of the Maus' summer tours. In addition to many of the show's signature ''Sachgeschichten'' voiced by him being about train construction, engineering or maintenance of Germany's biggest railstations.
* A spin off from Luke Nicholson's "Francis Bourgeois" character on Tik Tok (see below in New Media) titled ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaXOei3SG4A&list=PLBKfErliSueN46hO143zM_jgFgOg_S6Nj Trainspotting With Francis Bourgeois]]'' aired on Channel 4 Digital and You Tube in 2022, featuring Francis taking various British celebrities trainspotting.

* BBC Radio sometime in the 90s had a half-hour comic monologue called "Anorak of Fire." The narrator is a trainspotter who's so obsessed with trains that he misinterprets everything else he sees and hears. At one point in his narration he describes seeing a train carrying nuclear waste through the middle of town, but all he's excited about is the fact that it's hauled by a rare type of locomotive.

* Motochika from ''VideoGame/SenranKagura: New Wave'' is an absolute fangirl of trains. Most of the time she'll either be seen playing with toy trains or exploring different types of metro when she's got nothing better to do. This is especially driven home where her weapon of choice is a miniature train.
* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'', Booster Tower has model train tracks running throughout, and Booster himself rides on a miniature train that's about the size of a go-kart.
* There's a Lakitu in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' who loves the Excess Express, and hangs out at the platform. Not sure if the nearby Toadette is this, or is just about the romance of scenarios involving trains.
** Bub the Bob-omb is also an enthusiast, to the point where a necessary sidequest involves you getting him an autograph from the conductor of the Excess Express. Goldbob also wants to buy Bub a train of his own for his birthday. Not a train ''set'', mind you. An actual train.
** An unrelated Toad is encountered in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash'', who's constantly gushing about the Sunset Express, sometimes providing Mario with trivia about it, but also peppers his gushing with regrets about the patheticness of his life.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks'' features Ferrus, a rail hobbyist who can be found alongside the tracks at certain points in the game, shutter clicking away. The appearance of the Demon Trains is a boon for him, because it means that he gets to take pictures of them. He's also dying to meet Link's mentor Alfonzo, as he's heard that the man is a legendary engineer.

* In Lilly's route of ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'', she and Hanako express their preference for old trains when going to Hokkaido.

* Valve games very often feature trains - ''VideoGame/HalfLife'', ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'', and Episode 2 all begin on trains. ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' features train yards in multiple campaigns, and the player characters ride on one at the start of The Sacrifice.

* Kung Lao's Friendship in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11'' has him play with toy trains with a track going around his hat.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Reverend Lovejoy loves, and finds joy in, model trains (and his standard attitude being what it is, many scenes make it look like it's the only thing he still gives a crap about in the whole world). They have a tendency to get into terrible accidents.
-->'''Reverend Lovejoy''': God, why do you hate my trains?

* The WesternAnimation/{{Classic Disney Short|s}} ''Out of Scale'' has WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck building a very elaborate model train set in his backyard. HilarityEnsues when he removes Chip n' Dale's tree because it's out of scale with the rest of the set. [[spoiler:Donald and Chip n' Dale reached a compromise when the duo proposed their tree would be part of the set as a "giant redwood"]].
* Many of the Disney artists (including Walt himself) were {{Rail Enthusiast}}s, and had model trains in their own yards. Some even had full-scale locomotives! There's a reason there's a Disneyland Railroad.
* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'', a series about trains, probably has a few examples within the cast but might well have been the starting point for a lot of railfans. For that matter, its popularity with autistic and Asperger's children overlaps, with some social workers noting that a lot of rail enthusiasts are also autistic or have Asperger's. In fact, this has become something of a stereotype of people with autism as of late, and many fictional characters with autism are given an interest in trains for this reason.
* The kid in [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Play Safe]], leading to NightmareFuel [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUgyWhKlH78 when he gets a little to close to his beloved trains.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CodeNameKidsNextDoor'': When a rival pilot was discouraging Numbuh 2 from flying, he briefly considered toy trains a new hobby.
* All of the kids on ''WesternAnimation/DinosaurTrain'' are this. They even have a song about it-- "''I can't explain, but I won't complain! I only know that I love trains!''"
* On the AnimatedAdaptation of ''Literature/MaxAndRuby'', Grandma's purchase of a toy train for Max kicks off a four-story train arc.
* Carl Gould, a young male rabbit with UsefulNotes/AspergerSyndrome in ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', has books about trains, loves to put together train puzzles, and keeps a journal of train illustrations.

* A Wing Dings blackout on ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'' had Dick Dastardly regaling Zilly with his own private railroad and train car on top of which they're sitting.
-->'''Zilly:''' What about that bridge?\\
'''Dastardly:''' That's my own private...(''suddenly baffled'') Bridge?? ''What'' bridge?? (''they collide onto the bridge facade and plummet to the ground'') Oh...''that'' bridge! (''grins sheepishly'')
* The ''WesternAnimation/LetsGoLuna'' episode "D'Orsay Day" shows Andy Hopper trying to paint a picture of a train because he loves trains, especially steam locomotives.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes'': Stanley Chang, the GLART subway conductor. He loves trains to the point that when he heard a model train class at his daughter's school had shut down due to lack of interest, he stopped the subway and told the passengers: "Your conductor needs to walk this one off."

* ''Tetsuko no Tabi'' revolves around the adventures of two train buffs and the manga artist tasked with chronicling their adventures.

* John in the ''ComicStrip/ForBetterOrForWorse'' comic is the model train variant.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* Mr. Bernard in ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'' covers his behind by invoking this trope, when Ms. Bianca accuses him of being too cowardly to travel by air.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* Creator/AlfredHitchcock was a well known train enthusiast and would find reasons to add scenes with trains into his movies if not make them key elements of the plot. One of his best known movies is ''Film/StrangersOnATrain''.

* The main character in the movie ''Film/TheStationAgent'' is a train/model train enthusiast. He uses his hobby as an excuse not to socialize with others.

* Emmett Ray, protagonist of ''Film/SweetAndLowdown'', has this as one of his alienating personality quirks.
* Rex Rexroth (Creator/CatherineZetaJones' character's husband) in the film ''Film/IntolerableCruelty'' bursts out with "I JUST LIKE TRAINS!" in the middle of open court when a witness describes recommending him as a target for Zeta-Jones because he was "a silly man" who would not be able to stop himself from marital indiscretions. Later, he is shown in a hotel room with ''four'' blondes (scantily) dressed as conductors, jumping on the bed, with stock footage of old trains projected on the wall as he leads them in a round of "I've Been Working on the Railroad."
* In ''Film/AMightyWind'', Mickey's current husband is a model train enthusiast who is eager to show off his set. It helps characterize him as a bit lame and teases the possibility of Mickey getting back together with Mitch.
* ''Film/{{Flodder}}'': Grandpa is fond of railways, collects train models, and even wears a train conductor's uniform as his standard outfit. This proves fatal when he goes up to a railway for sightseeing by himself and his wheelchair gets stuck on the tracks. Then his relatives discover that he left a fortune of old coins inside his model trains.
* The "Joe [=McDoakes=]" short ''Film/SoYouWantAModelRailroad'' (1955) finds Joe becoming this to a comically extreme degree.
* ''Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare'': while never explicitly stated as being a railway enthusiast, John Doe is implied to be one, having both model trains and pictures of trains in his room.

* ''Literature/TheRailwaySeries'' was created by an [[TheVicar English Vicar]], the Rev. W. Awdry, showing that that stereotype can be TruthInTelevision. The character of the Fat Controller is sometimes attributed to another railway vicar, the Rev. Teddy Boston, a friend of Awdry's who had a narrow-gauge steam engine in his garden. And the occasional characters of the Fat Clergyman and the Thin Clergyman are [[WordOfGod confirmed]] as Boston and Awdry's {{Author Avatar}}s.

* The title of ''Literature/{{Trainspotting}}'' comes from a chapter in the novel called "Trainspotting at Leith Central Station". The joke is that the station is long-closed and derelict, so trainspotting there is an utterly pointless, dull, and squalid experience, like most things the characters do.
* Watson from the ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'' stories is occasionally noted to have a minor obsession with the rail system, including having memorized the London area schedules.
* ''Literature/TunnelVision'' by Keith Lowe has a RailEnthusiast protagonist, who accepts a bet about doing a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube_Challenge Tube Challenge]]...on the day before his wedding!

* In Sean [=McMullen=]'s ''Literature/GreatwinterTrilogy'', 40th-century Australian civilization relies on wind- and human-powered trains for long-distance freight and passenger transport. Accordingly, there is a social club of trainspotters, some of whom harbor greater loyalty to the rails than they do their ostensible rulers.
* In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': ''Literature/TheLastBattle'', Edmund is described as "the sort of person who knows about trains."
* ''Literature/DoubleStar'' by Creator/RobertAHeinlein includes a visit to the Emperor's palace, where the protagonist is taken to view his extensive model train collection. Seeing as the protagonist is currently impersonating a close acquaintance of the Emperor, the fact that he doesn't ritually deride the hobby reveals his subterfuge.
* Mina Harker describes herself as a "train fiend" in ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'', taking joy in studying trains and learning the schedules by heart. This becomes a ChekhovsSkill later, when she uses that knowledge to discern the most likely route Dracula will take to Transylvania.
* Dagny Taggart and Eddie Willers of ''Literature/AtlasShrugged''.

* A few of the bosses in ''Literature/BastardOperatorFromHell'' fit the trope, though given this is the BOFH, the conversations where it comes up portray said bosses as being pathetic for having such hobbies.

* Emmet from ''Literature/TheRoosevelt'' is delighted that his family's new home is near a train track, which runs between his and Jeremey's backyards. Every time a train goes by, he counts the cars and engines and tries to find patterns in the way they're arranged. When he and Jeremey move into the titular assisted living facility, he makes sure to get a room facing the train tracks.
* In ''Literature/MyBrotherIsASuperhero,'' the version of Zack from [[EvilTwin Stellar]]'s universe. This doesn't apply to Zack himself, which proves that they're not as identical as Stellar assumed.

* Mike from ''Literature/HeIsYourBrother'' has a huge collection of old train and railway pieces, including nuts and bolts, tickets, uniform buttons, signal flags, and a coal shovel. During his free time, he wanders by the railways to collect more treasures and memorizes timetables. He is endlessly fascinated by railway history and is delighted when his father brings home a copy of History of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, which has been out of print for years. His little brother Orry loves riding the train with him and looking at his collection.
* The ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' story "Model Train Set" by John Blum, in the original ''Short Trips'' collection, expands on the Fifth Doctor's claim he always wanted to be an engine driver by saying different Doctors manifested this desire differently: One of them (probably First or Third) would have been content as a station master on a quiet branch line; Seventh, [[TheChessmaster of course]], saw himself as the man at the main control board, making sure all the trains went where they were supposed to and all connections happened exactly to plan; and Sixth probably wanted to be an actual steam engine, all brightly coloured and sputtering violently. The story involves Eighth rediscovering Seventh's meticulous model railway and deciding he wants to be ''surprised'' by it.

* On ''Series/TheSopranos'', nice-guy mobster Bobby Baccalieri has a big interest in trains and can be seen building and playing with model trains in his garage (sometimes while dressed as a conductor). He gets made fun of for this hobby and [[spoiler:he is eventually killed while buying a model train at a hobby shop]].
* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' did a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhc1hWXH5IM sketch,]] supposedly an excerpt from the latest West End hit ''It All Happened on the 11:20 from Hainault to Red Hill via Horsham and Reigate, calling at Carshalton Beeches, Malmesbury, Tooting Bec and Croydon West''. The characters all get involved in a murder mystery that gets solved by everyone having a nearly-encyclopedic knowledge of trains and train schedules. At the end of the sketch, we see the author, Mr. Neville Shunt, [[CloudCuckoolander making train noises with his mouth and ringing a large bell while typing on a typewriter]].
** There's also the sketch about [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgF_jwjJwys camel-spotting.]]
** The presenter on ''It's The Arts'' interviewing composer Arthur "Two Sheds" Jackson veers off his interview to comment on Jackson's train-spotting interest.
* In one episode of ''Series/LastOfTheSummerWine'', TheVicar refuses to talk to the protagonists because he's too busy... playing with his model railway.
** In another episode, Foggy is revealed to be one of these.
* In the ''Series/YesMinister'' episode "The Bishop's Gambit", the candidate Hacker eventually appoints is said to be interested only in Islam and steam engines.

* ''Series/YoungSheldon'', which focuses on the early life of Sheldon Cooper, also shows that he was a rail enthusiast as a child. In fact, the first shot of the pilot is of Sheldon playing with his model train set.

* One episode of ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' had a Film/RainMan-type immortal whose fixation was on trains. He kept quoting train facts during the episode.
* Ernie Dell, the RedHerring of the Miniature Killer arc on ''Series/{{CSI}}'' (see the episode "Loco Motives"). Being a model train enthusiast who made his own dioramas, he was a viable suspect for a while and even confessed to the crimes at one point, but was TakingTheHeat for someone close to him.
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E5BlackOrchid Black Orchid]]", the Fifth Doctor (Creator/PeterDavison) says that he has always wanted to drive a steam engine and takes a while to explain railways to Adric.
* The BBC's children's strand Creator/{{CBBC}} used to have a character in the studio called the Anorak, an extremely annoying character who was a stereotype of this.

* Lawrence Bingham from the ''Series/DoctorInTheHouse'' franchise, as part of his overall portrayal as an uptight square, is a keen trainspotter, and often spends his days off at the railway station writing down train numbers (a hobby the other doctors deride).

** Jools Holland (presenter of ''Series/LaterWithJoolsHolland'' and former member of Music/{{Squeeze}}) has also graced the cover of ''MR''. He has a 100ft model railway in his attic in Kent, which actually appears in the intro for ''Later...''.