'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABv/aAAgBAQAAAAA2n//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH/2gAIAQIQAAAAP//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/2gAIAQMQAAAAf//EAB0QAAEEAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwQFAAcREpL/2gAIAQEAAT8Aq9jFL2XBecpq1+dBEqyInDFkE8khLzD2/NE1RaSj+Xc//8QAFhEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAC/9oACAECAQE/ANKN/8QAFREBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQD/2gAIAQMBAT8AAS//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
TikTok's famous Francis Bourgeois is a locomotive enthusiast well-known for his trainspotting video reactions and interesting camera angles.
Media discovered that his real name is Luke Nicolson, which sent his 1.7 million following fanbase on TikTok into a frenzy.
Francis, a 21-year-old engineering student from Nottingham, started recording his train reaction videos during the pandemic lockdown.
In his video, he watches the passing locomotive and records his reaction while talking about the history and engineering of the train.
Francis Bourgeois uses two cameras, one that records the train and a GoPro facing him with a fisheye lens. The lens provides a quirky camera angle to his face and people instantly get attached to his geeky smile.
In an interview with ITV’s This morning, Francis revealed that he has had a passion for trains since an early age. As a child, he used to own various train sets and would sometimes dress up as a locomotive driver. He still owns a 1980 train worker uniform, which he wore in some of his videos. He hopes to work in railway engineering as a full-time career:
"I want to contribute my passion for trains and also engineering to make the railway network a better place for everyone."
Francis Bourgeois is a pseudonym
The Tiktoker recently incorporated his company “Francis Bourgeois Limited," but the name on the documents refers to him as Luke M Nicolson, the company's director.
This news sent the internet into a frenzy, questioning the creator's integrity. Some of his fans doubted Francis Bourgeois' enthusiasm for trains and questioned whether his reactions were faked for views. However, the vast majority of his fanbase stands with him in solidarity.
Luke had borrowed the name from a court painter for King George III. Records also show that he was also modeling for his older brother's modeling agency.
Netizens believe that Luke could have taken up the fake name to keep his personal life hidden from the internet. But this alone cannot discredit his love for locomotives.
