Hot. Damn Hot.
Jul. 15th, 2003 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
major_clangerGetting down to Swindon for a meeting today wasn't too bad. The WAGN train down to Kings Cross was early enough that it was still fairly cool, as was the Tube to Paddington, whilst the GWR inter-city was nicely air-conditioned. So were the offices our meeting was at, so I wasn't really subjected to today's 32C until we left to return home.
All seemed OK until we reached Didcot, where we stopped... and stayed stopped. Then the driver (sorry, 'Train Captain') announced that there was a points failure affecting our platform, and we would do better to move over to the other express waiting at Platform 4. Having moved to that train, we then got its driver telling us that all the points were acting up, and that we would be stuck indefinitely.
Well, 'indefinitely' turned out to be about ten minutes, and we soon trundled off at not-quite-express speed towards Reading. Where we were told that now Paddington had points problems, and with only five out of fourteen platforms available there might be more delays...
As it was, we only waited outside Paddington for about five minutes, although by the crowds thronging the platforms there were clearly much worse delays on the way out. The Tube back to Kings Cross was by now pretty warm, as was the station itself. Fortunately, the waiting room (no, 'Customer Lounge') was a little cooler.
Which was not what could be said for the WAGN train back towards Peterborough. No aircon on those! I got into what felt like a rolling blast furnace; oh well, it's only a fifty minute trip to Huntingdon. Unless there are scrotty oiks throwing things onto the line, which according to our driver (WAGN doesn't stretch to Train Captains) had been happening near Welwyn, hence a long, slow roll towards Stevenage as he checked the line.
We eventually reached Arlesey, and stopped. And stayed stopped, as the driver tried fruitlessly to get one set of doors to close well enough to disable the engine interlock. Eventually, after fifteen minutes, he succeeded and we were off north again. Finally, after one and a half sweltering hours, we got to Huntingdon. Where a bus had apparently broken down in the cramped confines of the forecourt, leading to a gridlock that meant it took my taxi ten minutes to escape.
Can we have some cold now please?
All seemed OK until we reached Didcot, where we stopped... and stayed stopped. Then the driver (sorry, 'Train Captain') announced that there was a points failure affecting our platform, and we would do better to move over to the other express waiting at Platform 4. Having moved to that train, we then got its driver telling us that all the points were acting up, and that we would be stuck indefinitely.
Well, 'indefinitely' turned out to be about ten minutes, and we soon trundled off at not-quite-express speed towards Reading. Where we were told that now Paddington had points problems, and with only five out of fourteen platforms available there might be more delays...
As it was, we only waited outside Paddington for about five minutes, although by the crowds thronging the platforms there were clearly much worse delays on the way out. The Tube back to Kings Cross was by now pretty warm, as was the station itself. Fortunately, the waiting room (no, 'Customer Lounge') was a little cooler.
Which was not what could be said for the WAGN train back towards Peterborough. No aircon on those! I got into what felt like a rolling blast furnace; oh well, it's only a fifty minute trip to Huntingdon. Unless there are scrotty oiks throwing things onto the line, which according to our driver (WAGN doesn't stretch to Train Captains) had been happening near Welwyn, hence a long, slow roll towards Stevenage as he checked the line.
We eventually reached Arlesey, and stopped. And stayed stopped, as the driver tried fruitlessly to get one set of doors to close well enough to disable the engine interlock. Eventually, after fifteen minutes, he succeeded and we were off north again. Finally, after one and a half sweltering hours, we got to Huntingdon. Where a bus had apparently broken down in the cramped confines of the forecourt, leading to a gridlock that meant it took my taxi ten minutes to escape.
Can we have some cold now please?
