Always heartening to see the old Tynesides on the up from Bromley North, dunno why I preferred them other than they sometimes had the first class section which meant a loo in the adjoining 2nd class for us proles. 10 years before I would be alighting here resplendent in me leading railman uniform riding the brake and off for a hard slog down the lamp arch or getting mugged off having to do distance stores drops for the stores next door to the lamps workshop which could have been anything from stuff to Salisbury or stuff to Tonbridge a call could come in just before knocking off that I had to rush down a packet to some far flung place and if I missed the last connection back it was tough luck and a kip in a waiting room. Luckily for me I discovered the joy of overnight mail trains, hot loco cabs, free tea and talking cobblers with the drivers. One driver let me take the controls of a 73 on the Tonbridge-Redhill overnight mail as he needed the loo... happy days :D
