Earliest memories of Railways

[Claude_Dreyfus]

My earliest vague memory was on a regular journey up to London to visit my grandparents, being stopped at the level crossing at Betchworth and watching the train cross over. It was a DEMU, and it was in about 1980/81 (probably the latter), I suspect it was the last remaining Tadpole set...but there is no way of knowing that for certain.

 

My earliest clear memory was on holiday in Cornwall. Dad and I travelled on an HST between Penzance and St Erth...just for the trip. I don't remember the journey too much, but I definitely remember that ear-splitting scream of the trailing power car as it passed us on the platform at St Erth. Somewhat of a shock to a kid of 3 or 4 years old.

 

It took me a long time to get to like that Valenta scream after that...

[kiltedsignaller]

It would have been around 1958 when I was aged three. My father was keen to give me my first close-up look at a train, so he took me onto the station platform at Dingwall. A Kyle train was about to depart and he took me right up to the engine (presumably a black 5). While I was standing beside it, the locomotive blew off a sudden and very loud continuous cloud of steam. It gave me a huge scare and I have loved railways ever since...