Photo © Jim Kable (Used with permission)
My mother would pack my lunch into my globite school bag and shoo me out the door, so I would catch the train to school.
The train station was a short walk from home, and I’d usually arrive in plenty of time to catch the 8.20. It was just one stop before getting off to walk up High Street to my school. There was always a bunch of us kids who came on the train, so there was always someone to walk with.
As I waited on the platform, it was rare that there would be any other kid waiting with me. I used to walk to the far end of the platform and look down the rails as they curved in towards the next station and watch the skyline above the bridge over the tracks for the tell tale signs of the approaching train.
Sure enough, around 8.18 I’d see the puff of smoke as the old steam engine pulled the carriages towards my stop.
With smoke billowing from the chimney and steam kissing from the wheels it made its majestic entry into the station each morning.
Once you were on and in your seat, it was important to make sure the windows were closed for when the engine pulled out, an open window could result in a mouth full of smoke and more than likely a fine dusting of soot.
You didn’t much time for a lot of things before it arrived at the High Street stop and off we got to trudge the distance to school.
Each afternoon I did the repeat, but we never cared about the smoke and soot on the way home especially so in summer when it was hot and sticky and how could some smoke and soot make you feel any worse?
Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2018/06/21/tale-weaver-176-june-21st-trains/
Morpethroad 
Love the smell of a steam engine. Happy memories Michael.
Thanks Di they were good days
How indeed 💜
Quaint memories! My college life was full of train planning – 8.16 am, the last train in safe/curfew hours, less crowded, more crowded trains and the glimpses into lives of a cross-section of people.
Yes trains can expose you to all sorts of society.
It’s great going down memory lane. Your poor mum and all that washing!😂
Well as you’d know when you’re a kid your mother’s washing load was never anything you thought about….but I’m sure we drove her crazy often enough.
I used to take the PATH – mostly underground to school, but that was the first leg. Second was a walk of ten long city blocks, or splurging for a cab that at the time with a tip was maybe $1.50.
But then that was about 50 years ago… Always out before sun up and home after dark. That wasn’t much fun. But we just did as we were told back then… Well most of the time 😉
Yes I remember doing a lot of walking to school too. Not quite as long a day as you though
We lived in one city and our folks didn’t like the schools there – so we used a different address to attend ‘better’ schools. Then we moved and rather than switch schools we ended up having to get up early to catch the school bus in a different neighborhood – which had an hour route… long day indeed.
And they call them the good old days…
Yep… our parents walked five miles to school, even in winter, up hill both ways… 😉