Trainspotting is all about being an obsessive, hence it tends to be quite
appropriate in the context of IDM fans.
It comes from a pastime which I believe is probably uniquely British, though
I stand to be corrected on that. There is a thriving subculture in this
country involving boys and men (rarely women) who like to stand on railway
station platforms ticking off train numbers in a little book as they 'spot'
them.
They want to 'spot' as many different trains as possible, and of course,
they particularly value the numbers of those rare trains that don't make it
out too much. They're widely regarded as socially inadequate in many ways,
thus 'trainspotter' is not simply a description of someone who's obsessive -
it's also generally used as a term of abuse.
The term 'anorak' means precisely the same thing, and refers to the
terminally unfashionable yet functional raincoats typically worn by
trainspotters.
Therefore, if you are an IDM trainspotter, you are also an anorak.
I believe the nearest American equivalent would probably be a 'Trekkie'.
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