Gifts for trainspotters: kit, books and days out

The best gifts for trainspotters make long days at the end of a platform easier and more fun: a weatherproof notebook and pencils, decent binoculars, warm layers, a flask, a railway atlas, and maybe a live departure board at home so they know what's coming before they've put their coat on. Spotters are practical people, and they'll use good kit until it falls apart.

What do trainspotters actually want?

It depends a little on how they spot. Some log numbers in a notebook, some photograph everything, and some just like to watch the trains go by with a flask of tea. Most share a few needs, though: staying warm and dry, seeing clearly, and knowing what's due.

A quick way to find out is to ask where they like to go. The answer tells you whether they need cold-weather kit, a camera bag or a better atlas.

For someone just getting into it (a teenager, say, or a newly retired relative with time on their hands), a guide book with clear photographs of the different classes of train helps them work out what they're looking at.

Kit for the platform end

Platform ends in winter are cold, windy places, so the practical stuff gets used most:

• A pocket notebook with a waterproof cover and a few pencils. Pencils still write in the cold and wet.
• Binoculars. Compact ones that fit a coat pocket are handiest for spotting at stations.
• Warm layers: thermal gloves (fingerless or with flip tops for writing), a good hat, thick socks.
• A flask that keeps tea hot for hours.
• Hand warmers, which are cheap and very welcome on a January morning.
• A camera strap, bag or lens cloth for photographers.

Books, fleet lists and maps

Spotters love reference material. A railway atlas showing every line in Britain is a classic present and gets pored over for years. Current fleet books (the pocket lists of locomotives and units that spotters tick off) are useful too, as long as you get the latest edition. For a bit of nostalgia, the old Ian Allan ABC books from the steam era turn up in second-hand shops and bring back plenty of memories for older spotters.

Books about specific lines, depots or classes of locomotive suit people with a favourite. Ask, or look at what's already on their shelf.

Know what's coming: a live board for their station

Very few spotters will already own one of these. TrainTicker Desktop is an amber LED board, 320 x 80 mm, that shows the next trains from any National Rail station in Great Britain, with live times from Darwin, National Rail's train information system, checked every 10 seconds.

For a spotter it's a window on their favourite station. Set it to a busy junction and they'll see the next train's time, destination and platform, whether it's on time, expected later or cancelled, and the calling points scrolling underneath. There's also a layout showing the next three trains at a glance, which suits a busy station well. At 320 x 80 mm it sits happily on a desk or a shelf in the spare room.

It shows passenger departures, the same trains you'd see on the station board, so freight won't appear. It costs £199.99 once, with no subscription, and the free live demo lets you try any station in a browser first.

Days out and tickets

Some of the best gifts for trainspotters are trips:

• Rover and Ranger tickets let you travel freely within an area or on set routes for a day or more, within the ticket rules. Great for a spotting tour of several stations.
• A day at a busy junction. Crewe, York and Clapham Junction are all well known among spotters for the variety of trains passing through.
• A railway museum. The National Railway Museum in York is free to visit, and Locomotion in Shildon is another good day out. Our railway museums in the UK guide lists more.
• A heritage railway gala. Many heritage lines hold galas with visiting locomotives and intensive timetables, which spotters love. Check the railway's website for dates.

Gifts for trainspotters at a glance

A word on etiquette and safety

Most spotters know the rules, but a gift that helps them stick to them is always sensible. Stay behind the yellow line, follow what station staff say, never trespass on the track, and don't use flash when photographing trains, because it can dazzle drivers. Our guide to trainspotting for beginners covers the basics for anyone just starting.

If they're more of an all-round train lover, try the best gifts for train enthusiasts for wider ideas.