Rambling Writings (+ Shorts)

Enthusiasm and Passion

Really, unless you're a rail enthusiast, you'll never know the sheer joy of boarding a train after a good month off the rails. It feels like going to bed when you're truly tired after a productive 9-5 grind - constructive, and exhilarating. I can hardly contain my smile, and I'm glad of that. It's infectious. Before I know it, I'm conversing with other passengers who have seen my smile and decided to awkwardly engage in conversation as any British person does. You know, that kind of look that says "Can you start the conversation, please? I really want to talk to you."

We have such a beautiful network of railway tracks, also some world-class trains and locomotives, and it stuns me to think I've only touched the very tip of this elaborate system. If my legs go funny after feeling the force of a Class 220/221 Voyager/Super Voyager pass at speed underneath me, how on Earth will I cope with some of the true beasts of the rolling stock in this country? I'm talking the HSTs, the Class 68s, freight trains... phwoar. To speak the truth, I've already witnessed their sheer power, and each and every time it stops me in my tracks. They demand respect, and they'll always get it from me.

If I had to highlight one moment when I swear I physically felt my heart stop in awe of the sheer force of a train, it would be at Woking Railway Station. I was making a connecting journey onto Basingstoke for a day in which I would be living, breathing, eating and sleeping all things trains. I was ridiculously excited to be attending an Open Day at Basingstoke WICC. I was on my required platform, and I heard the distinct warning from the opposite platform: "Please stand clear from the edge of platform -. The next train is not scheduled to stop at this station."

A train passing at speed has always been a treat to see, in my eyes. For a mere unit - sometimes two - length of time, you're greeted by the immense speed of a passenger-carrying vehicle. Only, coupled with my immense excitement for the day ahead, this Class 444 Desiro EMU was a true masterpiece. She whipped past, taking the air with her, and in the next heartbeat she was gone, headed with great haste to the next station call. I swear in the moments that followed, the stupidest grin filled out my face, and I distinctly remember chuckling out loud. What a beauty! It was very special, because not only did I feel awe and excitement, but I felt admiration and respect for the amount of power she had. That all trains have. In those minutes I developed an almost fearing respect for the danger they pose if they are not treated with the respect their force deserves, and demands. It is to this day what fuels my drive and mission to act in such a way that encourages others to be safe around trains. I am a rail enthusiast, and my behaviour can influence others sharing my passion. If I as an enthusiast first, and an adult second, can get across that same respect for the power trains have to others, then I am doing myself proud. I am doing the enthusiasm proud.

From that moment followed a day that I can declare as one of the happiest days of my life. Truly, it was. Incredible. To be so deeply immersed in my passion pushed my happiness up to maximum and my heart sung a melody it very rarely sings.

I don't think I could ever feel sad in the presence of a train. They've got a place in my heart too sacred for sorrow.