Afternoon tea on a steam train. It all sounds frightfully middle class.
It's not really. Although I'm happy that that's the connotation. Because it's what I bought for Pamela's birthday. If it sounds middle class, it sounds expensive, you see.
It's actually one of those things that I would never have heard about had I not been sitting at my computer at the exact time someone at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Heritage Railway had decided to stick a link in a Tweet. Pamela has mentioned in the past that she likes train journeys so I thought it'd make a nice present for her upcoming birthday.
I quickly got it booked and paid for and we had about a month to wait before heading out. I guessed it wouldn't be a long journey. The railway that they use isn't connected to any other main line so there's only so far you can go.
Oddly enough, I've travelled along the line before from the station in Bo'ness. I was an extra in a TV show called, "Not Safe For Work" a few years ago.. They had a set piece on a train that performs an emergency stop and someone bursts their nose. In the scene, I'm sitting at the back of the carriage reading the British Journal of Photography, trying to angle myself enough to be on camera. I've checked out the show and you can just about tell it was me. It was actually quite a painful shoot, to be honest. I got stuck with another guy (if it's still up by the time you read this, his photograph is somewhere in the portrait section of the site) in a different carriage from everyone else and sat there while the train trundled back and forth for hours until we were needed. On top of that the crew were obviously tired and being very short with each other and of all my experiences while working as an extra, it was the only shoot that wasn't in any way enjoyable.
I had higher hopes for my return to the railway.
We arrived with half an hour to spare so went to pick up the tickets before having a look about. We were given several things in a pack. Tickets, souvenir tickets, Afternoon tea booking and an information booklet. I think. I don't really remember and I just stuffed them away in various pockets anyway. We were told that our booking was on table two.
Before boarding, we had a quick look about the gift shop. The usual things you'd expect were there. Train sets, toys for the kids and various fridge magnet stuff etc. If you've ever been in a gift shop for a niche tourist attraction you could probably name 50 things that you'd think would be in there and be right with them all.
I have to mention the one thing that caught my attention, though. You can buy train journeys on DVD. They film the train journey from the point of view of the train driver and sell it on digital versatile disc. I can hardly remember a time where I've been so torn on buying something. As much as I would imagine that it probably wasn't exactly riveting entertainment, I've got to say I was desperate to find out what was happening on those train journeys that was worth recording. The 'torn' part comes in because the DVDs cost £15. I enjoy a flight of fancy as much as the next idiot but I'm afraid at £15, my curiosity would need to wait for another time. Note- I've since looked these up online and found some on Youtube. "Each to their own" is a favourite saying of mine so I'm all for these videos if some people enjoy them. But I'm glad I kept my hands in my pockets.
We boarded the train about 10 mins before departure. '2' was written on a small bit of paper tucked into the cellophane covering our sandwiches and cakes. The lack of clear table numbers led to a fair bit of confusion with the passengers but we muddled on and worked it out in the end. We would have our own booth and table. I think it'd be a bit of a tight squeeze if there was a group of you but with only the two of us, we were quite comfortable. An official showed up to give us some information on the train and the area. He mentioned that while would be getting the steam train today, it's not always possible due to technical problems and that some people felt a bit short changed when they got he diesel instead. I have to admit that it did cross my mind. The attraction is the steam train, isn't it? Anyway that wasn't going to be an issue today as the steam train was up and running.
We settled in and took the wrapping off the food as the train started moving. Now despite being totally middle class (honestly, dahling), I have to admit that I have never had afternoon tea before so didn't know what to expect. But it was nice. Sandwiches and cakes is the long and short of it, really. The Australian couple in the booth across from us didn't want their tuna sandwiches which worked out well for me. I didn't want them either but Pamela did so I could have more of the ones I liked without feeling bad about eating all the food.
We had only been going for a few minutes when the conductor arrived looking for the tickets. I had completely forgotten about all that. The whole thing was so far removed from a typical train journey that I didn't give it a second thought. The next 2 minutes of the trip were taken up by my awkward fumbling as I searched every pocket in my trousers and bag before eventually finding them in the pocket of my hoodie that I had taken off and stored out of the road. I thought he might've come back to me after checking everyone else's tickets rather than stand over me but I suppose this was an old school train and that gets an old school approach haha!
We scoffed most of the food before we reached the end of the line, where we would stop for a short time while the train engine moved to the other end of the carriages to pull us back the other way. This break let us all stretch our legs and there was a rush to get down to the far end to see the train in action. I left it alone. I don't work well when I have to fight with crowds. It limits what you can do and where you can go. On my own I have freedom. I'd rather photograph something considered less interesting my own way than fight my way into a line to photograph the same thing everyone else is trying to shoot.
It was a pleasant journey. The sound of the train and the feel of it even being very different to modern trains. There's not a whole lot to see on the route, to be honest. It's not like the Glenfinnan Viaduct train journey. There are a few nice spots though and one in particular sees you cross the Avon River which gives a nice view down into the gorge. It passes by very quickly, though. So quickly in fact that we nearly missed it on the way out as we were talking and I only just managed to grab a shot on the way back.
It wasn't a long trip. Half an hour either way with a short break in between. Enough time to finish our food and chat about how it would have been great to be alive in the golden age of steam and discuss travelling on trains that we'll likely never visit.
And also to wonder where we were. I tend to think in terms of where the roads are. I picture journeys from one place to another via the roads I use to get there. It's not always obvious when in a car where the nearest train track is and vice versa. So I find train journeys quite disorientating at times. Especially as it's you don't really feel trains turning so it's hard to get a sense of direction. Not that it matters in a train of course as someone else is dealing with the directions. So we guessed at where we might have been. After looking at a map once we got home, it became clear that we weren't very good at that game.
When we arrived back at the station, we messed about for a bit. We also had a walk about to get a look at things we'd missed in the short time we had between arriving onsite and taking our seats. There's a museum at the station that I've never been into. There was the option to add entry to that when I first bought the tickets but I decided against it. Pamela enjoys train journeys but she doesn't cares too much about looking at them in museums. I also think that if I do visit the museum, I'd do it when the train was away on a trip. That way, I'd avoid the schoolkids who regularly visit the station. Nothing against school children but they can and will ruin any activity haha!
All that was left was to go have a look at the steam train being decoupled and stored in the shed. I was pleasantly surprised when the driver appeared out of the cabin and was covered in coal dust. I'm not sure what else I expected mind you.
By this point, most of the other visitors had left so I was able to get my position and angles where I wanted them. It's just a small train as well so the driver is only a few feet away which help greatly. I didn't disturb him and just let him get on with his job while I got a few shots. I'd like to do more of this kind of thing in the future I think.
So we had fun on our little steam train adventure. It's not for everyone. We were the youngest folk on the afternoon tea carriage by about 20 years. If you prefer your days with a bit more adrenaline, you could skip this. But if you want something a bit different and maybe a bit more serene, go for it. It's a pleasant way to spend an hour or two.
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