Absolutely nothing of note happened Tuesday and Wednesday was threatening to be equally uninspiring until I reached BoS WB on my last trip to WeR. Just as I was about to close the doors I received a call from Wood Lane instructing me to “reverse” at MaA as there was an almighty signal failure at EaA. I made a PA to let the punters know the score and within seconds the empty platform was crowded. As I pulled into MaA I was relieved to see a CSA scurrying up the platform to close up my back 6 cars and we tipped out reasonably easily though predictably there was one woman on her I-pod who had no idea of what was going on despite everyone else getting off the train.

As I wasn’t due back at MaA for ages I was expecting to be left sitting in the siding for a while but I hadn’t got more than a few pages into the Evening Standard when I heard the unmistakeable clunk of the points going over and the signal cleared to let me out EB. MaA EB was fairly crowded and it was obvious that there hadn’t been a train through for a while due to the signal problem. Wood Lane called up and told me change the train number, make the destination Hai v NeP and to hold for an extra two minutes at BoS, so no train ahead and no train behind, lots of punters on the platform who can see from the dot matrix boards the time till the next train; this was going to be fun.

Sure enough BoS was rammed, as was Oxo and every other platform. At every station I watched as those trying to get off struggled against the mass of those trying to get on, waited until the melee had settled then closed up and moved on. Despite the obvious crowding there were still plenty of arseholes with rucksacks glued to their backs taking up the space of two people, really the time has come to authorise station staff to subject these morons to some cruel and unusual punishment. Rucksacks are the work of the Devil!

Anyhoo when Wood Lane had called me up they had also told me to hand the train over at Les and go see the DMT for further instructions. As I’d cut out the trip between MaA and WeR I arrived back about an hour early. Wood Lane’s brilliant idea was for me to pick up another train, go up to Epp and back and finish which was a fine idea except that the train they wanted me to pick up was at Hol. 20 minutes minimum from Hol to Les, 20 minimum to Epp and then 20 back again plus whatever waiting time at Epp with the additionl delay due to the platforms being packed equals a lot more than an hour. There is an agreement on overtime (LUL don’t like paying it and the Unions don’t want you working it unless you absolutely have to) so DMTs will not send anyone out if it is impossible for them to finish on time.

No more work for me that night.