Trainspotting: the basics & train classes

Class 218 and Ludmilla: Identifying and Finding Classic Diesel Locomotives

Four axles or six, box-body or TRAXX: here's how to tell the last classic diesel locomotives apart and find out where they're still running.

DB Class 101: Identify, Find and Photograph the Intercity Locomotive

Wedge-shaped front, three-phase drive, IC duty: the Class 101 in a spotter's profile – with identification features, the advertising-livery theme and tips for catching one.

Identifying Train Classes: How to Recognise Any Locomotive or Multiple Unit

A real identification key instead of a list: in four steps, from drive type and axle count through the number series to the right class.

Identifying bus models: Citaro, Lion's City, Urbino and co.

Four models cover most of German scheduled bus services. Here's how to identify them by front, window line and roof fittings – with an interactive ID tool.

DSO Live Sightings vs. App: Where Sightings Really End Up Today

The forum has depth and history, the app has speed and a map. This comparison shows which platform answers which question better – and how to combine both.

Identify Electric Buses: eCitaro, e-Lion's City and Hydrogen Buses

Roof fittings, rear end, sound: how to reliably identify electric and hydrogen buses – and why charging stops are the best spots for bus photos.

Using EXIF Data: How Time and Place Turn Photos into Sightings

Every photo carries a dataset with it: capture time, camera, often coordinates too. How to reconstruct sightings from it – and what to remove before uploading.

Complete Your Vehicle Collection: Systematically Chase Every Number

The first eighty per cent come easily, the rest is work. How to work through a vehicle list systematically and track down the last missing numbers.

Facts About Trainspotters: Numbers, Clichés and Reality

Between cliché and data: which facts about trainspotters can actually be proven, which figures can only ever be estimates, and how to tell the two apart.