The scream of a Landore 'Castle' whistling as it dipped and rolled over the Westbury Line Junction at Reading as it passed at the speed of light on the Up evening 'South Wales Pullman'.
And the thud and crash as the Up Main Home was returned to Danger after it had passed.
The clank of a 61XX pulling in with a down 'residential' from Paddington.
The exciting twist and roll as an Up express at Slough as it passed over the two ends of the triangular junctions on the Mains leading to Windsor.
The hoards of porters descending on an Up arrival at Paddington and the taxis conveniently situated between Platforms 8 and 9.
The sliding ventilators that didn't because of years of grime in the grooves.
Smuts flying in through the open ventilator.
Not being able to see out of windows because they were only cleaned when the coach had its annual overhaul.
The dim compartment lights which slowly got brighter as the train accelerated.
The notice at the entrance to the platforms which stated that 'All tickets must be shewn'.
The carriage roof boards which listed faraway places with strange sounding names, like 'Paddington - Swansea - Carmarthen - Pembroke Dock'
Flickering oil lamps and the smell of paraffin. Little yellow pools of light under the platform canopies of a cold winter's evening. Cups of tea being filled at the station buffet by a lady with an enormous two handled tea pot - the cups, about a couple of dozen of them, sat in a rack over a sort of sink so excess tea that slopped over was simply washed away. The tea cups and saucers were green and looked indestructible...except for the chipped ones. My father told me it was just like the NAAFI...
The 'Speak Your Weight' machines on the platforms.
Massive wooden sack barrows with cast iron wheels. One at Reading had 'Islip' carefully painted on it, and its Tare Weight, in curlicue script.
It was a different world. I don't think anybody under the age of 60 or so realises how different it was. The Second World War had finished only five or six years earlier - shortages, grime and hardship of one form or another were normal. Pizzas, takeaways, supermarkets and canned beers were unknown. But outside the railways the world was changing, slowly at first but the pace then quickened - but once on the station or in the train the world was again as it should be.
This is the real reason why Dr. Beeching has such a bad press - he pulled the railways into the modern world and all these known, safe, comforting things were ripped away.
