Monday 17 December 2012

Christmas can begin!

 
My local train station - a typical small station, dating to the mid 1800s.  Not much has changed here over the years - the main change that I have seen is the closure of the coal siding which would have been behind me when I took this pic.

 
The good old "moving staircases" that to to the London Underground system.  These were always one of the highlights of a trip to London when I was a child.

 
Waiting for the train.

 
Here it is!

 
Euston - much newer and bigger than my local station....

 
Trying to work out which of the 16 platforms I need to be at...

 
THE TRAIN APPROACHING PLATFORM 16 IS BRINGING YOUR SON HOME FROM UNIVERSITY.

14 comments:

wigsf3 said...

It kind of sickens me but the only thing I can think of when I see an English train station is that stupid Harry Potter series.
Then I look at the subway or Underground and all I can know think of is Call of Duty.

I miss the photos of medieval armies marching.

Rock Chef said...

Wigsf - Hopefully I will have some new army photos to post soon - how about Ancient Egyptians and Hittites?

agg79 said...

Great shots of the journey to meet your son. That was one of my favorite experiences when I was briefly over there last year - train stations and traveling the tube. Great way to explore the country.

Rock Chef said...

Agg79 - We all complain about our transport system, but I don't think it is really that bad. Glad you have good memories of it!

wigsf3 said...

Hittites. Awesome!

ShadowRun300 said...

I was in London, oh 30 years ago, and remember how complicated the train system seemed. I noticed how you have monitors now to determine which line to take, but when I was there, it was a huge map with what seemed like thousands of colored lines, and we had to figure out which color(s) we needed. AT 14, I felt very grown up traveling that way.
I LOVE your little train station! So quaint!
Enjoy the holidays with your now complete family!

Abby said...

I've only heard stories of English train stations and the tube. Someday...
The Euston station tree is quite nice, in a relatively kind of way, just noticing.

Merry Christmas to you and the family!

Riot Kitty said...

Aww! Have a great time!

Riot Kitty said...

I have to ask - the first one looks just like one featured in Keeping Up Appearances. Or are they all just quaint like that?

Rock Chef said...

ShadowRun300 - I assume that you are talking about the famous London Underground map! Yes, it really does take some getting used to!

Abby - London is certainly worth a visit, and when you do come over I would love to meet up with you.

Riot Kitty - The old stations follow the same basic design with variations in size, how you get from one platform to another (bridge or tunnel) etc. Some stations have been modernised and have lost the quaintness to steel and glass. We still get the occasional steam train going along this line which is great to see.

lotta joy said...

WOW. Where's the graphiti (however it's spelled) and the homeless and the winos?? Everything looks so CLEAN.

Rock Chef said...

Lotta Joy - Oh, they were there, I just didn't take pics of them :-(

terri said...

Your public transportation is WAY better than ours!

Your son is coming home! Enjoy your time together!

Rock Chef said...

Terri - Don't say that - I am relying on it for my trip! :-)