Monthly Archives: February 2012

Lovely weather first thing, wall to wall sunshine, cloud later tended to perhaps keep a few people away.

Here are three shots from Sue taken at the Staunch itself.

Managed to get to +12c as well.

A few people travelled but it was not as busy as I would have liked and the shop did not live up to expectations either.

But it’s early in the year and only a three train service so we will see how Easter and beyond goes.

New record set today with 11 people asking if we had a toilet, and 50% of those had read the no toilet sign first. It’s going to be a hard year!!!!!!!

Trains ran quite well to time after the first service so all in all not a bad day.

Now before I start I should point out that there is nothing incorrectly spelt in the subject line.

Down the station today to give the floor a good wash down, never let it be said that a stationmasters job is not all excitement.

The TASC machine passed through the station and I am pleased to say I had the camera handy, as it’s the first time I have seen the unit in use.

Here are a couple of pictures going each way so you can see the front and the rear of it.

It was all excitement!!!

Running a service tomorrow so hopefully will have time for a few more inspiring images.

Those of you who know me are aware that the wife and I moved to Peterborough from Solihull just over 25 years ago.

However, for more years than I care to remember I worked in the City Centre of Birmingham as did Sue, it’s where I met her. The other day I got sent the link for this video taken in 1964 of Birmingham City Centre (I was 9 when this was taken)

This is Birmingham as I remember from the 1970’s when I first worked there, I recognise all the streets, the buildings and the buses.

I must admit it has made me a bit homesick. I can’t to be honest imagine a video of Peterborough taken 25 years ago having the same effect on me.

Now where did I put the tissues?

A lovely day here today at +16.6c and almost wall to wall sunshine.

I did a quick search on Google earlier and apparently that big warm thing is the sky is called the Sun!! Amazing what you can find out on the Interweb these days.

Shame I have been too busy to get out and enjoy it, but looking on the bright side at least it made the view out of my window a little better, spoilt only by the view of a near neighbours knickers blowing on the line, I must admit I did think at first I thought it could have been a distress signal, but I was mistaken as they were neither upside down or at half mast!!

In an effort to relax a bit this afternoon whilst beavering away I put the headphones on and set the computer to play some nice soothing classical music, that was a bad mistake as at some stage shortly after I dozed off and woke up some ninety minutes later.

So I am now due to that further behind with what I want to get done this week than I thought I would be on a Thursday afternoon.

Ah well there is always tomorrow especially if I ignore the fact that I said exactly the same thing later yesterday afternoon about today.

If you are one of the poor souls that read this blog on a regular basis you will remember a posting last week where I said that I was going to rip out the office on Monday.

Well I am pleased to announce that I never got round to it and to top it off I am currently looking out at a rain soaked garden and it’s as dismal as hell.

So we are going to resort to plan B.

I am just going to put the blind down!! See I can be technical when I try.

Just sitting here listening to some loud country music and ruminating over todays events I have come to the conclusion that the question of the winter at the railway is “Are the trains running today?”

I mean do they honestly think I would be leaning against the rubbish bin watching the brass monkeys walking down the other platform carrying two round objects each if we were not running a service?

Some bright individual even asked the question today whilst looking at the board with the train times on.

The other classic today that’s just come to mind was the chap asking if we sold tickets whilst standing next to another chap as he bought tickets off me!!!

Right back to sanity with me hopefully having a productive week this coming week before returning to the funny farm next Sunday, I wonder if we are running trains then?

A tad cold first thing today but at least we had sunshine.

Here is a picture looking off the west end of my platform 1 before first service.

Really nice to see wall to wall blue sky, and it stayed like that for most of the day I am pleased to say.

Locomotive today was the J94 and her is a shot of it arriving at the station on it’s first service back to Wansford.

Bit on the cold side despite the sun and did not get above +6c all day.

Not rushed but none the less a decent day in ticket sales, but the shop still quiet.

Jason was with me today and between the spurts of customers we stayed in the warm in the kitchen.

No real customers of note except a slightly irritating group who wanted a single to Yarwell so they could walk back but on top wanted a return to Peterborough chucked in for nothing, they did not grasp the concept of the word “No” for some reason. In the end they did not travel from my station at all.

Few people about including a couple of hardy souls in t-shirts and the normal dog walkers waving round bags of dog crap like trophies.

No services  now until next Sunday so a week to defrost and get some work done. Never let it be said I don’t lead an exciting life.

It was a funny old day today, quiet in the shop but we did some tickets.

Nigel and Sally were with me today and it was really nice to see them back at the station.

A shower mid-afternoon put paid to any shop trade as it went quite cold afterwards.

Other than that not a lot to report, the swapping of Thomas on and off the main service to and from Yarwell caused all services to run about 20-30 minutes late.

We will see what Sunday brings.

Well here we are at the end of the week and I am sitting at the computer with a list of things to be done and to be honest very little will to do any of them!

That’s unusual for me, normally I like where possible to beaver away and get things done.

This being the case I have been sitting here leaning back in the reclining office chair, being careful not to go back too far and go base over apex so to speak.

Looking out of the window I decided what has made my get up and go to get up and be gone…. It’s looking out of the window.

The view is so damn depressing, houses at the back that look like a barrack block, some manky bare trees and a lawn with some deposits of cat crap on it. Not exactly they view that would have inspired the great authors.

So Monday the office is being gutted and I am moving the damn desk so I don’t need to see out of the window when I look up from the computer. No offence to my neighbours but their houses are not inspiring, when you have seen one sky dish you have seen them all.

It will be one small step for man but one big leap for me and looking on the bright side, unless I break anything of value it won’t cost me anything to do!!!

Well here we are blogging live from the station, never let it be said I don’t live on the wild side.

Open today but not exactly rushed, Have Jason with me today and he commented that he did not get a mention in last Saturdays blog so he can have a mention now.

Another cool day today and a few people about, if we sold timetables at 10p each we could make a fortune!!

First service was about 10 minutes late going into town which is not unusual when Thomas is pulling the service out to Yarwell.

Forgot my camera today so no pictures of the J94 that’s running today.

Undecided about opening the rest of the week, it will depend on how much we do today.

Right enough of this blogging on the fly the excitement is overwhelming, and at my age I have to take things slowly!!!