London trainspotters bid fond farewell to this iconic red train

Those lucky enough to secure tickets were allowed to hop aboard the South Western Railway trains ahead of their retirement at the end of the year and travel around London and Surrey on a thrilling nine-hour journey.

SWR ran two charter train services from London Waterloo, with nearly 1,000 train lovers or ‘gricers’, as they’re known, on board. Tickets were priced at £45.50, with all profits going to Macmillan Cancer Support, The Alex Wardle Foundation, and Railway Children.

Train fans braved the cold to reach London Waterloo at 9:30am on Sunday, the shortest day of the year, for the special trips on some of Britain’s oldest trains, which entered service way back on March 28th 1983.

Back then the first mobile phone - which weighed over a kilogram and was 10 inches tall - had only been on the market for three weeks. By contrast, train-mad enthusiasts on Sunday used specialist apps on their smartphones to track the number of miles they travelled. Some were even competing to travel the most miles on a Class 455 – a hobby known as ‘track bashing’.

Francis Bourgeois, who has amassed nearly 80 million likes for his railway content on TikTok, was one of the well-known train lovers aboard. The influencer, who has even recorded a music video about his love for the Class 455s, which many know as “the red train” said:

“South Western Railway’s Class 455s mean an enormous amount to me and to so many people who’ve grown up with them, so being part of this farewell tour was incredibly special. These trains have been a constant presence on the network for more than four decades, and so the final, celebratory ride was an emotional one.

“Seeing so many passionate people come together, alongside the drivers, guards and colleagues who’ve dedicated decades of their lives to these trains, was incredibly powerful. The Class 455s aren’t just trains, they’re moving memories, and this was the perfect way to say thank you and goodbye.”

The farewell tour came as research reveals the UK’s love of trains - with almost one in ten Brits revealing themselves as trainspotters, part of a wider 49% of Brits with a unique hobby. For over a third (34%) of train enthusiasts, journeys and experiences are their favourite thing about trainspotting while an equal number say they regard the nostalgia and historic element as a big draw.

Other unique hobbies Brits enjoy include coin collecting (15%), ghost hunting (9%), and origami (7%). Of Brits with a unique hobby, one in five say they have become more open about it in the past 5 years, with over half (52%) saying they were inspired to take up a hobby by friends or family. Almost a quarter (23%) say social media has inspired them to be more open about their unique hobby, with a similar number (22%) saying meeting others with the same hobby makes them feel more comfortable with sharing it.

“Our Class 455 Farewell tour has proven just how big the railway enthusiast community is and shows how far the trainspotting hobby has come over the decades. It’s grown from writing down names and numbers to competing to be the top track basher!“: Lawrence Bowman, Managing Director of South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex Route.

“We were very pleased to see so many enthusiasts join us on Sunday, as each ticket sold means more money for our three chosen charities. While we know these enthusiasts will miss what are now ‘retro’ trains, we’re looking forward to rolling more of our Arterio trains, with all their modern features, to give our customers the quality of service they rightly expect.”

From 2026, South Western Railway customers will see more Arterio trains which will replace the Class 455s, aiming to transform every journey on the suburban network. With more space, comfort, and free WiFi, the roll out is part of the train operator’s commitment to improving customer experiences and increasing train capacity.