Pan Up
Before the last two HSTs in service on the Midland faded away, it was time for the advanced guard of the Superannuated Anoraks to emerge from lockdown and not look back in anger
As I wave goodbye to the grandkids you would have thought I was going off to the trenches in 1914. Tearful farewells behind me, I head for the cheap car park I normally use, only to find someone has built a school on it. Over on the Pride Park side there is plenty of room, the techies and students are keeping well away, so I can still avoid the £14.50 for a day at the station itself.
Acknowledging Steve Dentith from a safe distance on the near deserted platform, we catch the 11.35 Meridian, and how strange it feels to be back in line as the door scrapes open. The train is about 30% full; this one used to be busy thanks to cheap fares, but it will take more than that these days. We arrive at a rather quiet St Pancras, this being the fourth day after the reopening of many businesses in April. After a quick look at the King’s Cross work (‘News Front’), we find Steve Morris, hanging around Sir John Betjeman’s statue. Miss Joan Hunter Dunn had the speed of the swallow, according to the smitten Sir John, and today we celebrat…
