cracked track

you can always tell when there is a problem you can taste it in the air. Sure enough as i reached for the metro newspaper i could see the crowds gathered outside the customer service office. There is always enjoyment in observing humans reacting to this mini-crisis, i overheard a two ladies talking one spoke of how she would 'faint' if forced to stand. I joined the banter and briefed them on the 'delay repay scheme' and in return was briefed about hitler not bombing our (east anglian) victorian tracks. An interesting start to the day and with this i affirmed my desire to go watch tom cruise at the cinema this evening. My friend and political comrade mr eaton is at the front of my train i am at the very back the train is currently static at kelvedon as they are 'investigating' a cracked track ahead. Fingers crossed they resolve this or we will be piled onto buses. Good job i havent any location shooting this morning. If we do have a cracked track it will no doubt be down to the frost outside. Dont underestimate the power of mother nature.

I could have slept in....

Today's assigned was with Karl McCartney of the Sir Keith Park campaign..... I landed (via a national Express delay) at Liverpool street by 07:00 pumped up with some very tasty Rwandan Arabica (unable to sleep on the train to London due to compulsive blackberry actions).

Hung around Tower 42 (Howard and I once got kicked out of the Champagne bar as I was wearing an Ipswich Town T shirt) and took some snaps. Karl was delayed from Lincoln (again National Express trains) so we were cutting it fine to make a 08:15 train from Waterloo to Andover (Hampshire). Karl dispatched his colleague to get breakfast while we boarded a train, sadly she missed it so we bailed out at Clapham Junction to wait for her train to pass through. And pass It did, only it wasn't scheduled to stop. The party divided Karl and I then faced the news that there were cancellations all over the show. My hands were colder than the time I woke up asleep on Bergholt road with Ross Dorwood (post high school drinking summer 1998) and the anticipation of a train arriving turned to frustration....

Eventually we landed and had a great day meeting the artist behind the Sir Keith Park campaign Bronze statue. Our mission completed we had lunch, sampled some local ales and then headed back to the big smoke. I managed to avoid multiple tube changes by sticking on the jubilee line to stratford, sadly it was 16:30 and the intense rush to get out of London had begun. Some idiot clipped my tripod as I walked on Waterloo's concourse and thought it was my fault he had walked into me and potentially damaged the head of my tool. He 'grunted' at me despite me moral high ground "oh I'm sorry" line. Oh well.

Everyone's got the Plague

Like a Contagious high school classroom coughing session never before have I felt so likely to catch multiple virus'. Everyone was coughing and splutering. It was the 07:18 from Clacton and people were having to stand down the isle it was so packed......

Never before have I been so grateful to stand on the train

It was pissing it down yesterday. So much so that I was worried about walking the three minute journey from my house to the station with my new digital slr. At the station the wooden roofs were leaking violently with water gushing (is that Onomatopoeia) everywhere.

With this in mind the train couldn't come any sooner and for the first time ever I was very grateful to be standing on the train in the warmth.

Staff 'Problems'

You could hear the tone in the tanoy announcers voice, even he wasn't convinced by delivering the lines concerning the late trains due to "staff problems".

I had arrived at 07:10 and the 06:48 to London (origin: Clacton) still hasn't arrived. Luckily the 07:15 was only 5 minutes late so I boarded that - as I did I heard another announcement about problems with overhead lines in the Clacton area. Again no seats on the train in standard class.

Its Freezing

I did wonder what effect the cold may have on the network. This morning trains to London were delayed by up to 28 minutes. My 07:15 was only 5 minutes late but there were no seats and reading a newspaper in the vestibule proved tough. I was also interested to see if the so called city jobs cull might make more seats available - no such luck.