This Thanksgiving, we’re celebrating not by paying homage to the colonizers or taking an evening stroll with our cousins after dinner or even hooking up with our high school nemesis’s dad at our hometown bar. At Rolling Stone, we’re giving thanks to our favorite creators — namely, Francis Bourgeois, a young man who is introducing a new generation of zoomers to the old-school art of trainspotting.
On TikTok, Bourgeois has amassed about 1.5 million followers with his highly enthusiastic posts sharing his love of trains. With his trusty GoPro-style camera in tow, he celebrates the glory of “marvelous locos” all across Great Britain, taking followers behind the scenes of railway stations and depots. His high-pitched, gleeful laughter and unabashed merriment when he spots a train or hears a tone is absolutely infectious, as is his love of locomotives like Dick Mabutt (yes, that is its real name), which he recently filmed himself driving.
@francis.bourgeois Here is my cab ride with @GB Railfreight in 73962 “Dick Mabbutt” this was one of the best days of my life! #trains #trending #fyp
This week on Don’t Let This Flop, Rolling Stone‘s podcast about TikTok and internet culture, co-hosts Brittany Spanos and EJ Dickson celebrated Bourgeois’ enthusiasm for trains. Other topics discussed include lesbian Canadian ceramicists, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s breakup (RIP that cursed Instagram video of them sucking face), the chaotic energy of Hinge’s new audio feature (also, which celebrities Brittany has spotted on Raya), and the relative hygiene of deepthroating a 12-foot gummy snake.
@joyjefferson8 Day three sucking the worlds largest snake gummy
DLTF is released Wednesdays on all audio streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher and more. DLTF is released Wednesdays on all audio streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher and more.