Francis Bourgeois (trainspotter)

Francis Bourgeois (born 1999 or 2000) is a British trainspotter and social media personality, most known for his videos posted on Instagram and TikTok in which he shows his enthusiasm about, and interest in, trains. He grew fascinated with trains when he was four years old and began trainspotting when he was in school.

Francis Bourgeois
Born1999 or 2000 (age 21–22)
Harlesden, London, England
NationalityBritish
EducationUniversity of Nottingham
Years active2020–present
Known forVideos about trains

He began making TikTok videos on trainspotting during the COVID-19 outbreak in England. He has over 1,500,000 TikTok followers as of November 2021. In October 2021, he was featured on the ITV daily magazine show This Morning. Bourgeois is presently a student at the University of Nottingham studying engineering. He quit his job in November 2021 to pursue trainspotting full-time.

Early life

Bourgeois is from Harlesden, West London.[1][2][3] He first became interested in trains at 4 years old and started trainspotting when he was in school.[4] He was mocked by his peers for doing so.[1][3] When he was younger, he used to watch trains at the Willesden Junction train station[5] and then go home and draw what trains he saw from memory.[2][3] He moved to Frome, Somerset when he was 7 years old.[2] When he began secondary school, he hid his love for trains in order to fit in with his peers.[2]

Social media career

During the COVID-19 pandemic in England, he started to make videos on TikTok about trainspotting.[1][3] As of November 2021, he has over 1,500,000 TikTok followers.[6][7] One of his videos, where he records the arrival of a British Rail Class 377 train traveling from Littlehampton to the Southampton Central railway station, while he waves at the train conductor and then proceeds to fall out of his chair, has 6.6 million views as of October 2021.[4][8] Bourgeois stated that people have started to recognize him in real life from his videos.[2][4] He appeared on the ITV daytime magazine programme This Morning in October 2021.[3][5][8]

Personal life

Bourgeois is autistic[9] and is currently studying engineering at the University of Nottingham.[2][4] Bourgeois said that attending university has made him a lot happier and has allowed his passions to flourish.[2] His favourite train is the Class 43 HST.[3] In November 2021, he quit his job to pursue trainspotting full-time.[6][10]

References
  1. Sanders, Laura (10 November 2021). "Who Is Train Enthusiast Francis Bourgeois And Are His Videos Genuine?". LADbible. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  2. Wickes, Jade (21 May 2021). "Francis Bourgeois is TikTok's trainspotting sensation". The Face. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  3. Finnan, Sarah (16 November 2021). "Meet Francis Bourgeois, the viral TikTok trainspotter sparking joy with his videos". IMAGE.ie. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  4. Allen-Mills, Tony (2 October 2021). "TikTok trend as users go loco for Francis the trainspotter". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 2 October 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  5. Swinscoe, Lydia (31 October 2021). "Tik Tok star Francis Bourgeois' legendary trainspotting videos are 100 percent the best thing to come out of 2021". Woman & Home. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  6. Wickes, Jade; Travers, Finn (24 November 2021). "What TikTok sensation Francis Bourgeois did next". The Face. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  7. Dickson, E. J. (24 November 2021). "Congratulations to 'Dick Mabbutt,' TikTok's Sexiest Locomotive". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  8. Leigh, Robert (4 October 2021). "TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois melts Phil and Holly's hearts on This Morning - 'Adorable!'". Entertainment Daily. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  9. "Trainspotting TikTok star Francis Bourgeois is latest victim of cancel culture". AU-TI. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  10. O'Dell, Liam (21 November 2021). "TikTok's favourite trainspotter has quit his job to pursue his hobby full-time". Indy100. The Independent. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
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