Memory Lane 09

Another anonymous recollection.

A small group of pupils lived sufficiently far from the school that it was necessary to travel by train from Northwood Hills Station to Harrow-on-the-Hill, and some one or two stations beyond.

We all were issued with Train passes, but they were valid only to our relative stations.

One evening after school, one of the members of our party decided he wanted to go to Baker Street Station (much further down the line than our destinations) to visit the Lost Property Office of  London Transport, and he invited the rest of us to join him. "It'll be all right." he said "Just flash your passes at the Ticket Inspector. They don't check them."

So we all decided to go off to Baker Street.

The trains were of the old wooden construction, with manually opened doors, and sash operated windows fitted to the doors. This allowed one to lower the window, and sit, facing into the carriage, with one's rear sticking out through the hole formed in the door.

One member of our party decided it would be fun to do this. However, he forgot that part of the railway line runs underground.

We suddenly arrived at the beginnig of a tunnel, which startled the culprit, and he "jumped almost out of his skin"........ Attempting to propel himself back into the railway carriage, he caught his foot on the door handle. The effect caused the door to fly open.........Unfortunately, the door, which opened outwards, was wider than the gap between the train and the tunnel wall....... the nett result being that the door was very badly damaged.

The Guard on the train became aware that something was amiss, and stopped the train in the tunnel. 

He approached our carriage, made good the door, best he could, ushered us all into his Guards Wagon, and allowed the train to proceed to Baker Street Station. 

We alighted to the welcome of a Transport Police Officer, whom we assured the door opened by accident, and we assured him that no "Tomfoolery" of any kind had taken place.

He released us, having taken statements, and allowed us on our way.

This had allowed us to pass through the Ticket Barrier without having to produce our passes, but, having ascertained that none of us had passes to Baker Street we all had to pay a surcharge on our journey. This is cash we were going to use to buy tickets to get us back through the barrier and on to the train for our return journey.

So, having been to the Lost Property Office, we set off to return to our respective stations. 

However, there was a problem. Between us we, now, only had enough money to buy one ticket. What to do?........We decided to buy one ticket, for one pupil to go through the barrier and on to the station platform. The plan was that he would, then pass the ticket back over the fence to a second pupil, and so on until we were all on to the platform....How we were ever going to achieve this who knows? 

So, one pupil was elected to go to the Ticket Office and purchase one ticket.

At this point, the almighty must have seen the funny side to our prank. The ticket purchaser put down his duffel bag, on the floor, to get out of his pocket the remaining money he had, and, as he did so, he put it down on a ten shilling note, that was lying on the floor......Quick as a flash, he picked up the note, and bought a ticket for each of the party, thus allowing all of its members to pass through the ticket barrier with a ticket in their hand. 

The rest of the journey went off without any further hitch.

The sad sting in the tail, however was that the item that the pupil went to the Lost Property Office, in the hope of retrieving, had not been given in, and thus he came away from that Office EMPTY HANDED.

(Crikey!!!!! That's good enough for a novel. You could not make up a story half as good as that!!! Ed)