Railway Stations and Nostalgia

The Skipper and I are on our own today at the end of the Caldon Canal as Janis has taken ‘Roots and Wings’ out for an extra cruise with her friend Nigel on board, who has come to stay for the weekend.

So for a moment or two it’s been just like old times.

But no …. It wasn’t meant to be that way for very long, coz after cleaning my chimneys and other things this morning, the Skipper’s gone off exploring on his own. I heard him mention to Janis before she left that he was going for “afternoon tea and homemade Victoria Sponge at the Railway Station”. The two of them did go for a ride on the steam train when we were moored back at Cheddleton and enjoyed it very much.

I remember I had a job to pass under the overhanging station platform at Consall Forge as we went by, without it touching my roof. The railway line and the canal are within feet of each other at this point and almost at the same level.

I’ve just borrowed the two pictures below from his computer collection to show what I mean. He’ll never know I’ve done it so please, whatever you do, don’t tell him. He’d be so cross if he knew.

In fact I hope you’re not letting on to him that I’m writing this blog at all. I know he wouldn’t like it if he was to find out.

I’m only doing it now and again just to put a few things straight you know. ‘Coz he just makes it all up I think as he goes along and that’s not right is it?

 

The overhanging Platform at Consall Forge

 

The railway lines beneath the platform

 

But anyway; he’s got a thing about steam railway stations and afternoon tea and not necessarily in that order, or even together.

He enjoys them separately or together ….. It’s his age you know.

I’ve heard him say it so many times now, that it’s getting boring: “Nothing is like it used to be in the old days, when I was a lad.” he says. Cars aren’t the same; trains aren’t the same. Even people are different now to the nineteen fifties he reckons.

Well of course they are the stupid old dope. Thirty years have gone by since then.

Hang on that doesn’t sound quite right to me. Perhaps it’s fifty years is it? Yes fifty years have gone by.

But it’s nice that him and me are still together …… Coz I’m not perfect you know. I’ve taught him all I know by prompting ideas into his head and he’s not a bad boss really.

Could be far worse. Even though he does lots of things with Janis, I think he likes coming back to me the best.