TRAINSPOTTING may be linked to men clutching notebooks on station platforms or cheeky schoolboys sneaking into engine sheds.

But artist Andrew Cross has turned to the National Railway Museum collection for inspiration to challenge popular perceptions of a hobby he regards as packed with the spirit adventure.

Delving into the mind of today’s trainspotter is a new direction for the York museum, which is more often associated with nostalgia for the golden age of steam.

Amy Banks, Interpretation Developer, said: “We wanted to explore the experience of trainspotting - not only collecting numbers, but adventure, travel and mischief, the sense of anticipation and the drama of the train arriving.

“Trainspotting was one of the most popular hobbies for boys in the 1950s and 60s, but we have asked artists to explore the subject from a fresh and contemporary perspective.”

Andrew was selected from over 120 artists who responded to the National Railway Museum’s open call for a new contemporary exploration of the subject.

He said: “It is a great opportunity for me to delve into some of the more obscure corners of what started as a hobby and became not so much a way of life but rather a way of seeing the world.”

Visitors will be able to see the results of the commission at the Museum this September in the newly refurbished Gallery space.