Trains Only with Dylan

In honour of our brand-new collection, Off the Tracks, we’re sitting down to talk about all things trains with the man who inspired the collection – Dylan. Our graphic designer here at Oaf, Dylan’s love for trains has been apparent from day dot and grows stronger every day. He’s here to give us the lowdown on all things locomotives.

Hey Dylan, tell us a bit about how your admiration for trains began?

From what I’ve heard, I’ve been like this from birth. My mom always said that when Thomas The Tank Engine would play on TV in the morning, I would get up and dance around to the theme song. I also had a pair of pyjamas with steam trains all over them, I was obsessed with them. When I grew out of them I was heartbroken, to be fair, I think they probably were falling apart at the seams. Here’s a picture of baby me in them…not sure why I’m wearing goggles though.

What’s your favourite train memory?

Ahh! This is so hard – the campaign shoot for Off The Tracks was kind of the best day ever, and being able to spend a whole day at the Lavender Line Isfield Station was so much fun.

When I went interrailing a few summers ago, we did the famous route through the Swiss Alps from Geneva to northern Italy, passing through Lausanne and Montreux – that was pretty stunning. Italians do the best train names, like the Frecciarossa and Circumvesuviana (a personal favourite). I’ve also taken the Shinkanesen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Kyoto, which was really cool but very disorienting. It’s quite hard to comprehend how fast you’re going!

Steam trains or electric trains?

You know, I’m not really a classic trainspotter and I’ve never gotten a rush from certain classes of trains. I grew up in New York City, which has one of the greatest subway systems, so train travel has been my primary mode of transportation beyond walking. By age 4, so the story goes, I could tell you how to get between any two stations in the city without needing the map. For me, my fascination lies more in how systems are designed – so I love any kind of metro. My dream is to see every city's metros, so far I’ve ticked off: London, Paris, Milan, Naples, Marseille, Tokyo, Glasgow.

Top three favourite stations you've ever visited?

Oooh, there are so many London Tube stations that I love – I think Westminster looks so futuristic. In Naples, there’s the Toledo metro station which features a pool-like skylight. Then in my hometown of New York, when you stay on the 6 train past City Hall you’ll get to see the old City Hall Terminus station, it’s stunning. If you ask the conductor nicely, usually they’ll let you stay on.

It was your idea that sparked the creation of the Off The Tracks collection – what’s your favourite piece?

Definitely the Train Driver Shirt. Not only do I love this shirt shape of ours, but this one comes with a matching tie – what could be better? Plus, I get to live out my fantasy train driver any day of the week. Beyond that, I am quite partial to our baby tees, so the Oaf Rail Baby T-Shirt is another one I’ve picked up. I get a few sizes bigger so they fit me more like a cropped t-shirt, perfect for summer days!

If you could hop on any train in the world, which would you choose?

Oh my gosh I have so many! At the top of the list is the Wuppertal Schewebebahn in Germany, one of the world’s oldest and only suspension railways. I also want to go on the Haeundae Sky Capsule in Busan, South Korea – not only are the cars so cute, but the views look incredible.

You’re an owner of some great train memorabilia, what’s your most prized piece?

It’s true that I probably have more train memorabilia than the average person, my collection is mainly focused on artefacts from the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) here in London. When it launched in 1987, it had the absolute cutest branding, full of colour and 80s whimsy.

I have a few pieces of print, like the official 1987 Guidebook and an issue of the DLR News, a newspaper they made during the construction to keep local residents updated. I also have an actual cardigan from the 2000s DLR uniform, which is pretty cool.

Thomas the Tank Engine or Percy the Small Engine?

The correct answer is Lady from Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000) – she is beauty and grace encapsulated. Who else creates golden sparkles when gliding along the track!

Lastly, tell us your biggest train nightmare…

How did you know about my train dreams?! Aha. I’ve been blessed with not having too many terrible train stories but on the NYC subway, you see some stuff. The worst could be one time when commuting to school, my mom and I came down into the station to get on the train. Suddenly, this woman shouted, ‘CAN I TAKE A SH*T?!’ Naturally, no one responded. Then she went, ‘WELL, ALRIGHT…’ I’ll let you imagine what happens next.