Weirdos on station platforms

[The Moose]

Am currently on the Chiltern line into London and there are beardy weirdys at each station we're calling at with camcorders on tripods. I've only seen one at each station, so I assume it's not some special locomotive passing through.

Any ideas?

[The Moose]

Eric Mc said:

If people find amusement and fun from a hobby - why denigrate them?

I really find it quite upsetting that people who don't participate in a particular past time see fit to insult those who do.

Each to their own, I say.

PS - I am not and never have been a "train spotter" although in my youth (many years ago) I could be found hanging around my local airport with binoculars and note book

I'm not denigrating anyone. I'm curious as to what is happening that's special as I've never seen them before.

[The Moose]

Eric Mc said:

Your use of the word "weirdos" in the thread title obviously misled me.

Maybe there IS something passing through today that has brought in a bigger crowd than normal?

I have seen posts right here on PH letting train enthusiasts know that something interesting is coming through a certain set of stations on a certain day.

I think it is completely understandable, if you like trains.

Not weird as in socks and sandals weird. Weird as I'm standing on a train platform with a camcorder mounted on a tripod. Not exactly normal behaviour regardless of who you are!

[The Moose]

Countdown said:

The Moose said:

I'm not denigrating anyone. I'm curious as to what is happening that's special as I've never seen them before.

The same could be said for any hobby. I'm sure there are people who wonder why F1 fans pay hundreds of pounds to watch cars going in a circle.

People do it for a variety of reasons, such as it being one hell of a spectacle - something you can't see every day.

That's what I'm trying to work out - what is going on today that's so special!

[The Moose]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

That is indeed also odd!!

So, there's nothing special happening this morning then. That's all I wanted to know!

Are you, you know, one of them?

[The Moose]

Eric Mc said:

The Moose said:

Not weird as in socks and sandals weird. Weird as I'm standing on a train platform with a camcorder mounted on a tripod. Not exactly normal behaviour regardless of who you are!

Are you so certain of what "normal" is?

Is "normal" defined by what YOU like, know and understand?

I would never be so judgmental or so sure of my own "normality" to assume that people who are not like me are somehow "abnormal".

As far as I am concerned, as long as people are engaging in an activity that does no harm to others, it is an OK activity.

get off your high horse (and don't break that hip on the way down old man ).

You're looking for an argument when there's not one there to be had. I'm not saying this is a bad thing for them to do. As I've asked on this thread several times, I'm genuinely interested as to what's happening on the Chiltern line this morning that's worthy of standing there with a camcorder. As you rightly said - in this very sub forum, people have been alerted to interesting locomotives passing through - there's a huge wealth of knowledge within these pages of PistonHeads spreading across almost all walks of life and hobbies/interests. Hence why I was asking.

I've travelled that line on a regular basis in the past, on hot days, cold days, weekend, weekdays, bank holidays etc etc etc. not once have I seen someone with a camcorder on a tripod, yet today I see 3 - one at each station the train stopped at.

Surely you can see why that might be considered unusual. That's why I was asking. To find out what unusual happening was going on in my area.

Which bit of that do you take offence by?

Isn't normal defined as 'conforming to a standard; usual, typical or expected'? In my experience, camcorders + tripods on a station platform with no special occasion is not normal (hence weird).

Or maybe they were all coming to see me?

[The Moose]

Eric Mc said:

Why the "weirdo" comment then?

Because the phrase abnormalo isn't generally used, and "People on the station platforms of the Chiltern Railway Line with camcorders on tripods - what are they filming" probably would be too long to fit.

On a completely unrelated topic, just passed under the M25 on the trip down to Brighton out of Victoria. It's an amazing contrast either side of the tunnel. Beautiful countryside now. On the downside, my 4G signal to my iPad has long gone and 3G is slowly declining....