(1) A quote from What We Talk About When We Talk About The Tube (The District Line) by John Lanechester
“When you start researching the Underground, you soon realize there’s a reason why trainspotters are generally regarded as setting the gold standard for nerdy knowledgeability about a subject. In America, train-spotters are known as ‘foamers’, because of their tendency to foam with excitement.”
“If you’ve even been curious about what it’s like to drive an Underground train, get hold of a copy [World of Subways Volume Three: London Underground] and knock yourself out. Maybe best not to mention it on a first date, though.”
(1a) The iconic London Underground typeface turns 100 (Wired)
(2) A quote from Straphanger by Taras Grescoe
“Make no mistake: the Japanese love their trains. On strategic curves in the tracks of major lines, I spotted hordes of trainspotters—here known as densha otaku, train geeks, though they prefer the term tetsudo fan, or rail fans—jostling with their telephoto lenses to get the money shot of a streaking shinkansen or a streamlined limited express.”