The Trainspotter's Notebook

by Francis Bourgeois

STRONG MARKET: Viral superstar with a huge social media platform and a highly engaged fanbase, like Dr Julie Smith (188k TCM), Daisy May Cooper (82k TCM) and Molly Mae (7k TCM) and seeking to do for trains what Clarkson and Caleb Cooper have done for farming.

Genres: Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

Published October 12, 2023

Reviews

[Simon Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Francis’ enthusiasm and personality shine through on his memoirs of his trainspotting life thus far. His use of a fish eye lens on a Go-Pro to capture his own reactions and emotions on his YouTube videos make him an intriguing personality even if it is not your subject matter.
I enjoyed his romp though some key enjoyable events and his description of the physiological excitement he experiences when things go to plan, or they are unexpectedly surprisingly good is really quite wonderful writing. I found myself using Google maps to track the locations and journeys he was describing and found them extremely accurate and wonderfully detailed and informative. The book is held at three stars as it’s a little simplistic after a while. Francis does, however, take his explanations of jargon and ‘train-spotting vernacular’ seriously with the use of fact boxes of explanation.

A good book if you’re interested or fascinated in this quirky young chap with a lot of entertainment to offer the world. What would I give for a chunk of his enthusiasm for his passion and his general joie de vivre?

[Ciara M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lighthearted and enjoyable read. The genuine happiness came through effortlessly, which meant that even at the points where I felt a bit out of my depth on all the technical knowledge, it was never a chore to read. I learnt a lot, but would have been interesting to hear a bit more about the “rise to popularity” and the impact of that.

[Dave Relph · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice bit of fun which very much captures the joy and passion that Francis shows in his videos and conveys it on the page. It was interesting to get a more full idea of what goes into a day of trainspotting; the early mornings, the planning, the highs and lows, and also to learn what a trainspotter really gets out of a hobby which so many could overlook as being a bit sad. This book is also naturally very informative about trains and has somewhat reinvigorated a love for them which I had as a child.

[Matthew Williamson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In much the same way that his videos are infectious, this book does a decent job of communicating the excitement and drama Bourgeois feels trainspotting. It won't be for everyone, but it was a quick, fun read with a clearly passionate author. I'll definitely be paying more attention to what's at the front of my trains in future.

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing and well written book!