Renowned railway enthusiast Francis Bourgeois has filmed one of the new Tyne and Wear Metro being delivered for followers of his social media channels on TikTok and Instagram.

Francis, whose real name is Luke Nicholson, is the trainspotter who made the hobby respectable. In his latest video, he travelled to Willesden Junction in North London, where he recorded himself and filmed a new Metro Class 555 train as it was being delivered.

The results of his efforts can be viewed on TikTok, where it has been viewed almost half a million times, and on Instagram, where one million followers have viewed it.

Francis filmed the video in the middle of the night, soon after the new Class 555 Metro train emerged from the Channel Tunnel, and as the Metro train passed by. His interest was also sparked by one of the locomotives hauling the train, as it was the UK’s oldest registered diesel locomotive.

Since becoming known on social media, Francis’s reactions during his trainspotting reaction videos have become a sensation, with his uncontainable, wholesome excitement at the sight of locomotives passing by.

He posted his first TikTok clip in February 2021, since when he has become a social media superstar, being followed by millions on social media, with over 3.3 million fans following him on TikTok and 2.5 million on Instagram.

Metro operator Nexus expressed its delight that one of its new trains was now on social media. From being a social media star, last May, Francis attended a public transport summit at Wrexham University in Clwyd as one of the guests.

“There are the new Tyne and Wear Metro units, 555042 and 555044. I do not think I’ve had such an adrenaline rush past midnight.”

Francis Bourgeois