I'm kind of curious about what stories people have about trains. I thought that this thread could be a fun way to see what other people's experiences are. I guess I'll start with mine. I was about 3 years old when this took place, but it's one of the very few things I remember from then. My dad and I went up town to see an Amtrak train pass an NS grain train waiting in the siding. My dad and I arrived to see two NS dash 9s on the front of the grain train. The train crew was familiar with us because we would frequently watch them switch the grain elevator in town. While we were waiting, the conductor got out of the cab and signaled for us to come up into the cab. The conductor explained that the Amtrak was delayed and they had some time before it comes through. Of course we accepted and I remember that my dad had to lift me up the steps to get onto the front porch of the engine. We entered the cab and I was looking around and then the engineer motioned to me to sit in the drivers seat. Being a three year old I was more than happy to. I sat in the seat and remember looking out down the tracks and thinking how different it was from watching the trains from the ground. Then the engineer told me to press a button. I did so not knowing what it was, then the sound of the horn blasted out. I jumped a little because at the time, I didn't like loud noises to well. We stayed in there for a little bit longer talking to the crew. Finally we got off and about 10 minutes later the Amtrak came thru. I know it seems so little to just go into a locomotive cab, but I'll cherish it forever.
I have many memorable moments with trains, from the first moment that my love of trains awoke by walking on to the platform at Gloucester as a kid and seeing GWR King Class No.6000 King George V living and breathing in front of me and feeling a strong connection in my soul, later finding out i was born on the same date as British railways steam died only 12 years later, another memorable moment was nearly being decapitated by a HST when i was around 15 or 16 train spotting and getting smashed in the back of the legs by a 5 year old going mental with a luggage trolley and then falling forward on to my hand and knees with my head less than 6 inches away from the non stop passing HST doing about 70 mph through the station, that's just a couple of my memories with trains.
Trains have always been part of my life. My Grandad was a great enthusiast of the GWR so started introducing me to trains at a very young age. Those are the happiest of memories. Still love anything to do with Steam. Now that I live in Switzerland and travel to Germany a lot (COVID permitting) I’ve become a lot more interested in modern trains. My most recent memories being of trips on the RhB.
One of mine has to be when I stayed with uncle who lives in Mansfield (UK) for a few nights for a family visit away from Bristol aged about 12.... He knew someone who worked at Shirebrook TMD, so in the middle of the night I got a tour of the depot, and loads of goodies, railfreight badges mainly. Got to go in the cabs of a 56 and 58.... Another interesting one was that the Avon and Somerset constabulary during the 80's ran a scheme called 'splash' during the summer holidays. Think it stood for: sport/leisure activities summer holidays (or something like that) and they ran a trainspotters day out.... So over 2 days I got tours of Crewe and Bescot, and Willesden and Stratford depots.... Cost £9 a day, mini bus and packed lunch included.... Makes you realise just how much police community and liaison duties towards youngsters has evaporated from UK society....
Where I used to go on yearly family holidays there was an old bridge over the railway to get to the beach and if a train was coming, my brothers and I would run to the bridge and stand over the track, wave at the driver, then get a face full of diesel soot as we felt the heat of the engine and the bridge shake and rattle under our feet as the train passed beneath. Also, near my primary school there was an industrial rail line and sidings and every couple of years we were marched down to the side of the line to watch a shunter drive over a boiler suit stuffed full of balloons as a grizzly and memorable demonstration by the company that owned the line of what would happen to us if we played on the railway. Pop. Pop. Pop.
There are 2 main ones. 1 to do with trains. Another to do with Oxenholme, a luggage trolley and my brother. When I was a kid my dad would take me and my brother out. This was when the family railcar costed £1 for children. We had been on a trip out and we just arrived at Preston, where our train to Blackburn was due out. It was dark and this woman shouted it's this train. For some reason my dad took her word and we got on. It was a class 108. The train setted off and we got to Farringdon Junction, where the train went right. Now normally the train then climbs a hill and turns towards the left to cross the line we just came off. Well, it didn't. It went right again and went down to Ormskirk, When the guard came down to check the tickets my dad explained, and we got a free ride to Ormskirk and back. We then got the next service to Blackburn, which was a class 105.
There's 3 that spring to mind. The first was being lucky enough to travel behind the last vacuum braked only Class 40- 40009 on a schools special in the last month of her service. It was a schools special from Blackpool to York and we got on at Accrington. It took the copy pit route to leeds which at the time was predominantly freight only. Not only is it a line similar to NTP in that it crosses the pennines but has a fair number of tunnels. The sound of the whistler reverberating through those tunnels is as clear today as it was then. The second was Preston, days after 87006 City of Glasgow had received its 'large logo in black' livery. She was sat in the bay platform as they often stabled a 'leccy' there. The Driver came to start her up and I was lucky enough to join him in the cab. Under his watchful eye, he allowed me to move the loco to the red signal at the end of the bay. To me at the time in shorts, the man was a god! He did make me climb down while he took her out and on to the front of a train from Blackpool but then allowed me back in while it was in the station. Drivers where very good at that sort of thing at Preston in the early 80's. Finally, and honestly the most proud thing I can say is my Father was a Director of Leyland Bus throughout their 'train' phase. It's the reason I know reside in the North Lakes having been prised away from Manchester as a youth so that Dad could be nearer to the plant. There wasn't a 142 I didn't cab (prior to bogie fitting) or later the 155 ( with bogies). The material I have from then is just unreal, much of it either BR or Leyland eyes only. Just a shame my Father is no longer with us.
When TSW2 released I bought it and that's really when my interest began, so my memories are quite recent and because of covid I've seen little train action. But my favourite occasion was recently when an LNER driver of a class 800 sounded the horn and waved at me, that same day a class 43 shot past unexpectedly and I rushed to the platform as I was just leaving the station. It shook the ground and the roar of the engine was immense. So that was the best day of my life obviously .
Oh I got 1 more. 1st April 2005. 10:45 Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston. I was on my way to Bognor Regis and I caught the train to get to London, Unit 390 015. Got sat down, headphones on and off we went. The train pulled into Stockport, and then left, as you would expect. Problem was we never made it to Cheadle Hulme. So just about a mile or so out and the train stopped. Now of course the date being April Fool's day. We all thought they was having a laugh. Well at around 15:15 we all got detrained and put on rail replacement coaches back to Stockport. Lo and behold, I knew the driver of the coach as I used to work for the same company. In the end I had to go the next day, but at least I was 1st class. Photo of 390015 shamed. A couple of years later I was going from Manchester to Glasgow on 221 117. We got just outside Lancaster and that broke down. We was lucky as they managed to limp that unit into the station, so we didn't have to wait that long. I got the next train up to Glasgow, which was a certain Pendolino. You can work out the number. It amused me.
Mine is when i took this picture when i was 11 It feels ages since i took this but it was only a decade ago that i saw 323243
I cannot remember when but myself and family went up to stay in Scotland, we went to visit the Keith and Duftown Railway (I recommend you visit, when we can travel properly again!). We pulled into Duftown station on a green class 108 and got off when I saw that was a thing going on where you could drive a small Andrew Barclay shunter. I had asked my Mum and she said that I could go and drive it and oh boy... 12 or 13yr old me lit up with excitement! Best of all, it was a fiver for a small trip from the station toward a bridge (if I recall correctly) around 500m away (I think)! And also: I was once filming some trains at Doncaster (before Covid) and I found a Pacer sat in the station. Now being a fan of Pacers, I approched it to film it when the driver sounded the horn and scared the bejesus out of me!
I took the Grand Canyon Railroad into the heart of the Grand Canyon maybe 15 years ago. It was amazing. https://www.thetrain.com/
Riding down the Spiral Tunnels in Canada on the observation deck at the back of our coach on the Rocky Mountaineer. The noise from the dynamic breaks and the smell of diesel were incredible. The stewardess could not understand why I wanted to stand outside but I told her we had come all the way from England to experience this and she left us alone. Getting a cabride on the WSR from Minehead to Watchet on the 47 (North Star). That was a day to remember.
I once went into the cab of a Paris metro. As I live near Paris, I take the metro often, and I used to look through the window of the cab door, aching to see the tunnel from the front. And then I used to knock on the window to try and attract the driver's attention so that he would notice me and hopefully bring me in the cabin, and this actually happened once, and I remember being soooo happy. Anyway that's my memory
My memorable moment was when I was 8 years old and my class went on a field trip to CN's branch line near our school. And we were given a inside tour of a switcher loco. That was a highlight for me.
Steam heat Mark One coach on the evening southbound from Wick to Inverness. The rasping sound and sweet, sweet diesel smell drifting back from the Class 26 as it thrashes up through the moorland hills to County March summit. Eating my tea of pork pie, Mr Kipling apple pie and Maxpax coffee, as the coach bounces rhythmically over the 100% jointed track.