"The 73962! That's it! That's it!"

October 25, 2021 10:31 PM

"I'm staying up extra late tonight to see a test train pull into Brighton Station." Francis Bourgeois is unapologetically joyful about trains.
posted by clawsoon (21 comments total)

I was just about to post this but I was still too busy cackling and gasping for breath. So good.
posted by loquacious at 10:55 PM on October 25, 2021 [2 favorites]

Ed Balls
posted by Going To Maine at 11:56 PM on October 25, 2021

a DickMabbutt tag would be appreciated
posted by Pronoiac at 12:08 AM on October 26, 2021 [6 favorites]

Trains!!!
posted by freethefeet at 2:25 AM on October 26, 2021

Not to mention dick jokes.
posted by acb at 2:28 AM on October 26, 2021

I am not sure there could be a more perfect eponym than Dick Mabbutt, but I believe Francis Bourgeois is in the running.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:17 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

Bourgeois: “It’s the sound of the engines, the honks, the wheels on the tracks, they’re therapeutic noises”

... me too (blush)

One of my favourite sounds is that of a freight train passing, and blowing horn for a road crossing, as heard across a small lake in Northern Ontario, in the middle of the night.

Sometimes I'm still 9, and trains are still cool. Francis gets it.
posted by Artful Codger at 5:37 AM on October 26, 2021 [14 favorites]

Drink a beverage while the "Dick Mabbutt" train pulls in without doing a spit take challenge.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:32 AM on October 26, 2021

One of the things I like most about this is the reaction I've seen to this guy in various places. 99% of it is positive. It feels like 10 or 20 years ago the laughter would've been scornful and he would've been ripped apart as an object of ridicule. Now most of the reaction seems to be happiness that he's so happy. And that just feels... nice.
posted by clawsoon at 6:45 AM on October 26, 2021 [7 favorites]

Wouldn't it be nice to be so happy about literally anything at all?
posted by aramaic at 7:29 AM on October 26, 2021 [4 favorites]

threads like this make me really miss pjern
posted by scruss at 7:32 AM on October 26, 2021 [6 favorites]

So I thought at first Dick Mabbutt was a made up name and this whole project was some sort of mean spirited attempt at humor mocking the idea of taking this much joy in trainspotting. But I'm glad to report it's a real train, named after a train engineer.
posted by Nelson at 9:05 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

I thought Francis was a joke when I first saw one of his videos when he fell out of his chair when a train went by but now I think he's just totally sincere. Or if he's not sincere, the humor at least isn't mean-spirited in the slightest.
posted by Cpt. The Mango at 9:28 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

There are great quotes from him touching on the sincerity question in the article:

For Bourgeois, trainspotting has been a lifelong pursuit. He grew up in Harlesden, North West London, where his parents would take him on road trips to Willesden Junction, one of the city’s busiest stations. They’d sit on the platform with him all day and Bourgeois later drew pictures of the tracks from memory. He moved to Frome in rural Somerset aged 7, and after starting secondary school, Bourgeois felt compelled to suppress his interest in trains in order to fit in.

“I didn’t really know what people would think,” he says, thoughtfully. ​“Coming to university, I’ve turned a new page and allowed my passions to [flourish] and not be held down. It’s made me a lot happier.” This sentiment has rubbed off on his audience, too. You don’t need to be an avid trainspotter to appreciate Bourgeois’ videos. His energy and lust for life alone are powerful enough to offer a slice of much-needed escapism.

“People have shared very personal feelings and emotions about how [my videos] have helped them overcome hard times,” he continues. ​“It’s very moving. The number of messages has been almost overwhelming. It really spurs me on.” Bourgeois has even become something of a local celebrity. Last night, a group of boys at the pub recognised him instantly. ​“Wheyyyy!” they shouted, before telling him how much they enjoyed his videos.

He hid his interest during high school before deciding "fuck it, imma blossom" in university.
posted by clawsoon at 9:33 AM on October 26, 2021 [6 favorites]

Oh wow the rare post I saw on fark as well. Trains are awesome. Ya gotta go t Horseshoe Curve if you're a fan.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 9:46 AM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

I've been wandering through life in a fog for 40+ years, trying to find a purpose. Well now I have one: To see the DICKMABUTT locomotive.

Thank you Francis, for finally giving me a direction.
posted by dry white toast at 2:40 PM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]

Are you stuck, in your life, in a rut?
Is self-actualisation closed shut?
Don't be frightened!
Just head down to Brighton
And cop a squiz at DICK MABUTT
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:12 PM on October 26, 2021 [3 favorites]

I have to say, I never thought much either way about trains as an adult until I went to Glacier National Park and stayed at the Izaak Walton Inn on the recommendation of some random MeFite or other. But for some reason when I was there every time a train went through the guy who worked at the front desk and I would run out to the bridge over the tracks, jumping up and down and yelling about the cars and the freight and whatever. It’s one of the best memories of the trip.

I felt similarly watching the giant container ships sailing into and out of Savannah. Again, not anything I have otherwise thought or cared about.
posted by Missense Mutation at 6:55 PM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]

Definitely part of it is that the video is a perfect 45 seconds of constantly confounded expectations - you get the setup of someone up late trainspotting, then the cut to the absolutely ridiculous head-mounted GoPro camera, and then getting the actual train, and then the reveal of DICK MABBUTT delivered as if it isn't even a punchline, and then you get some fawning over the equipment itself that makes you think, hang on, this guy's here for the train, not to see a bit of expensive machinery called "Dick Mabbutt", and then the video ends.

You get the lovely reveal of what is an all-timer of an unfortunate name, but you're left with the impression that this person who brought you this joy probably sincerely loves trains. Maybe you like them a bit more too, now that you know that one of them, somewhere out there, is called "Dick Mabbutt".
posted by Merus at 7:19 PM on October 26, 2021 [4 favorites]

I thought it wasn't real at first and then...

And a subsequent bit of googling turned up this:

One of the highlights was a locomotive naming ceremony.
It was performed by John Smith, managing director of GB Railfreight.
GB Railfreight kindly gave their permission to name locomotive 73962 after Dick Mabbutt, Brush Traction’s former group engineer who sadly passed away last year.
posted by paperpete at 12:24 PM on October 27, 2021 [2 favorites]

My favourite, I think.
posted by Artful Codger at 6:16 AM on October 28, 2021