John Morgan
Steam Traction
Hi every one,
Now this thread may not be for everyone that reads it. People of a certain age and I include myself in this have a problem in getting off to sleep at night. It is I am assured an age related thing. The older you get the less sleep you need so my grandmother used to say and now I am at the age she was when she told me, how right she was.
Following my previous thread regarding childhood steam locomotive memories there are members that may benefit from this. It works for me but you will have to put the situation and location to suit yourself. Now tuck yourself up in bed, snuggle down and get warm. For me its as follows......................................................
Its circa 1958 during the long seven week school summer holidays. Late July on a hot cloudless day. I have called at my grandfathers Pub, The Carpenters Arms, Harlington. He asks me what I am doing. Going train spotting I reply. Well take this bottle of Ginger Beer and Cheese Biscuits with you and stay off the tracks. Charged with drink and biscuits I walk the 1/4 mile to the station. I climb over the five bar gate to get onto the grass embankment. Oh no! the hot sun has melted the tar on the gate and its got onto my school trousers as I have climbed over. [ You see younger readers we didnt have many other clothes and you wore your school uniform most times out of school, it was the way it was then ]. Another thick ear when I get home, thats also the way it was then.
I settle down on the grass embankment making sure I havnt sat on an ants nest as I have in the past. You only do that once! No one else about it seems. I stare through the hot summer haze towards Bedford but cant see anything going up to London. To the south the view is obscured by the road over bridge. I lay back and soak up the sun. Shortly after the semaphore signal wires sing and the distant signal comes off. In the distance on the up main is the sight of a loco running fast. Hardly any smoke from the loco on this hot day and as the the loco gets nearer I can see its a Jubilee with nine on. It hurtles past, the ground shakes as does my chest cavity, it almost takes my breath away. The flat terrain south of Bedford was renown for the speeds at which the express locos ran at. Jubilees clocking speeds in the mid 90"s. It disappears from sight under the road bridge, next stop St Pancras. As I look back north I see half a dozen other little boys heads sticking up out of the long grass like mea cats. I thought I was alone! The distant signal bounces back to danger. The 4pm up goods pick up is on time. It shunts the yard for 30 minutes or so before the driver blows the loco whistle to alert the signalman he is ready for the slow up and then chuffs off south. A DMU unit pulls away from the station going north. It passes, no one takes any notice. The sun is getting to me now so I open the Ginger Beer and Cheese Biscuits, consume both lay back on the grass and drift off to sleep.
Well it works for me.
Night Night.
Now this thread may not be for everyone that reads it. People of a certain age and I include myself in this have a problem in getting off to sleep at night. It is I am assured an age related thing. The older you get the less sleep you need so my grandmother used to say and now I am at the age she was when she told me, how right she was.
Following my previous thread regarding childhood steam locomotive memories there are members that may benefit from this. It works for me but you will have to put the situation and location to suit yourself. Now tuck yourself up in bed, snuggle down and get warm. For me its as follows......................................................
Its circa 1958 during the long seven week school summer holidays. Late July on a hot cloudless day. I have called at my grandfathers Pub, The Carpenters Arms, Harlington. He asks me what I am doing. Going train spotting I reply. Well take this bottle of Ginger Beer and Cheese Biscuits with you and stay off the tracks. Charged with drink and biscuits I walk the 1/4 mile to the station. I climb over the five bar gate to get onto the grass embankment. Oh no! the hot sun has melted the tar on the gate and its got onto my school trousers as I have climbed over. [ You see younger readers we didnt have many other clothes and you wore your school uniform most times out of school, it was the way it was then ]. Another thick ear when I get home, thats also the way it was then.
I settle down on the grass embankment making sure I havnt sat on an ants nest as I have in the past. You only do that once! No one else about it seems. I stare through the hot summer haze towards Bedford but cant see anything going up to London. To the south the view is obscured by the road over bridge. I lay back and soak up the sun. Shortly after the semaphore signal wires sing and the distant signal comes off. In the distance on the up main is the sight of a loco running fast. Hardly any smoke from the loco on this hot day and as the the loco gets nearer I can see its a Jubilee with nine on. It hurtles past, the ground shakes as does my chest cavity, it almost takes my breath away. The flat terrain south of Bedford was renown for the speeds at which the express locos ran at. Jubilees clocking speeds in the mid 90"s. It disappears from sight under the road bridge, next stop St Pancras. As I look back north I see half a dozen other little boys heads sticking up out of the long grass like mea cats. I thought I was alone! The distant signal bounces back to danger. The 4pm up goods pick up is on time. It shunts the yard for 30 minutes or so before the driver blows the loco whistle to alert the signalman he is ready for the slow up and then chuffs off south. A DMU unit pulls away from the station going north. It passes, no one takes any notice. The sun is getting to me now so I open the Ginger Beer and Cheese Biscuits, consume both lay back on the grass and drift off to sleep.
Well it works for me.
Night Night.