It was a journey I've done numerous times before. It's a journey of about 100miles. On Saturday it went wrong.
The plan itself was simple enough, the long suffering wife, daughters one and two and myself go to Swindon by car on Friday, spend the day with family. On Saturday morning I get the £6 train, change once and then after walking across town, catch the slightly more expensive bus to work in time for 1400. Easy. Granted there was little margin for error in catching trains and buses, a little like Phileas Fogg and Passepatout!
I decided as I had no clean uniform, to take some to Swindon and once cleaned and ironed wear it to work, easier than carrying a bag I thought, I'll only be travelling for an couple hours...
I got to Swindon at 0945, ten minutes before my train to collect my prepaid reserved ticket. The station was HEAVING, I barely made it to the platform in time. Fortunately the train was three minutes late. Not a massive delay but enough that I actually caught it. The train was busier than the station and, fortunately no one had stolen my seat. On we went, all was going well until Box Tunnel. The train, on leaving the tunnel ground to a halt, then crawled all the way to Bath. Over the tannoy came the announcement "would the train manager please contact the driver".
Never a good sign in my experience. We were now about ten minutes late.
The train manager shortly announced that, due to a mechanical fault we would be holding at Bath for ten minute whilst it was fixed. I looked anxiously at my watch. ten minutes was cutting it fine, and would leave me about five minute to catch my connecting train.
Twenty minutes later we depart. Unfortunately my connection departed at the same time. Great.
Arriving at Temple Meads nearly 20 minutes late I started the hurried search for another train passing through to Taunton. Scanning the departure boards there was a Paignton bound train in ten minutes. Brilliant! That would give me just about enough time to get the bus. Its a Cross Country train. Damn. Checking my ticket, hoping it says "all routes". Nope. Great Western only.
"Ok, don't stress" I say to myself, "Just find someone in a Jacket and ask when the next one is, or if I can blag a ride on the XC train"
The helpful lady says to me that,trying to use a Great Western ticket on that train would incur a fine and we "wouldn't want that eh?!"
"Um, Nope..." I reply
cue awkward pause
"so when IS the next train I can use this on?"
"an hour, platform 7"
Now at this juncture three things simultaneously occur. One, I remember I'm in full uniform. Two, the Brother in Law and LS appear, like genies, by my side and Three, I realise that I'm going to be late for work.
I explain the saga and dilemma of my travels to TE and LS and joke that "oh well best make myself useful while I'm here".
I'm NEVER doing that again. A man in a HiVis jacket approaches out of the corner of my eye..
"Scuse me.."
"Yes?"
"Are you a Paramedic?"
"Yes."
"Oh Good, Your not working are you?"
"No, I'm trying to get to work.." I was about to lay a rant to him about being late but he cuts me off..
"Only someones collapsed on a train, would you mind coming over?"
"yes...I mean No...oh, wheres he too...?"
His face lit up a little. 3o seconds later I'm standing on yet another hot, full train, tending to a chap who had indeed collapsed and had a funny paleness about him. A rather bemused crew took my handover and my explanation as to why I was there etc well and wished me luck on my travels.
Fortunately this little escapade had used up most of my time to kill, so I had enough time to call control and explain the situation. Again.
I now boarded the next train. I had hatched a new plan, The bus was out. It wasn't going to get me in on time. So I decided to walk to the nearest ambulance station and hope there was something spare there I could borrow to complete my journey! Arriving at the final train stop at the same time as I should have been at work I power marched across town. It's further than it looks on a map!
Any way, there was a staff car unused for a couple days so on controls' authority I procured it like a secret agent. In Out Gone in less than five minutes. I made it to work with 10 minutes to spare, made a cup of tea and....Got sent straight out!
