Escaping work to sit looking at the world passing, sun shining, happy quiet coach, provisions in front of you, and hours of enjoyment ahead was always a delight. In those days it was the 'Deltic' type '55's' which pulled the dark maroon British Rail coaches, the sun as we left meandering slowly into the Kings Cross tunnels a sharp comparison to the rather dark and somewhat dreary Kings Cross shed as I remember it. The station, built in 1852 on the edge of London, stood on what had been land used for a smallpox and fever hospital, where did they go after that I wonder? A wooden station had been erected at York Road in 1850 by the Great Northern Railway while the navvies built the gasworks tunnel under the Regents canal and allowed entrance to the new station. Kings Cross was never in my view an attractive station, functional yes, but not one to set the heart racing. It did its job and still does very well but then it appeared dull and as I waited for trains pretty crowded also. Trains to Leeds and Newcastle, local trains round the corner and smoky diesels heading for elsewhere polluted the air. So did the people I suppose. Once the 'ding dong' and the garbled announcements concerning what the train was and where we were going had passed we knew a new world was about to open for us.
During the late 70's the HST's took over. These 'High Speed Trains' regularly reaching 125 miles an hour on the long straight lines in the south. For the first month or two the guard, remember guards and not conductors, the guard would announce "We are not travelling at 125 Miles per hour." This would produce murmurs of appreciation as we sped through stations watching to see if anyone was daft enough to stand ahead of the bright yellow line on the platform. It was naturally difficult to know which station we were passing through, the only name board that could be read was 'Gentlemen!'
I find sitting in a railway carriage while the world passes by a terrific manner in which to see the real world. There is little to see or keep you awake driving down a motorway, what scenery exists is hidden behind embankments and if there is a view it soon leads into a city bypass which as you know are delightfully attractive places. The view from the train takes you past fields with crops or animals at various times of the year, the very colour of the ploughed ground speaks volumes re history, geography and life as it is lived. One noteable sight is the Black Earth seen around Peterborough. Once 'The Wash' came all the way up to here, now long drained and shrunk the black earth is a result of what was washed in many years ago. The land has to be monitored daily as the shrinking earth affects the height of the railway track. One day it might sink in!
Once passed the flat lands around York we see changes in the line itself. The further north we go the less straight the line as the land slowly begins to rise around us. While crops are still seen, sheep and cattle will appear, especially if you can see the far off hills from your seat.
Buildings appear different, the brick that abounds in London is changed to stone way up north. The design of houses built in the far past reflects local architects while more recent housing follows a general pattern of the day. One housing estate is much like another now.
The latest 'Scotch Express' is formed by a Hitachi class 800 Azuma. This will be somewhat faster than the aged diesels that once pulled the 20:00 hours to Aberdeen, not stopping at Edinburgh where it actually stopped at 3 am and where I left the train and the sleeping soldiers on their way to die of exposure in the Cairngorms. That aged train had aged compartment coaches and as it was quite empty I always had one to myself, lights dimmed, feet up and joy all the slow way home. As the Azuma does a non stop journey in 4 and a half hours Kings Cross to Waverley at least once a day I suspect it will also have a few more home comforts than the late night slow train.
