Thursday night, more rain, more Auto failure, more driving Coded. Tonight I didn’t have to wait till EPP to find casualties from the night’s excesses, a very sweet couple both sound asleep at WER, him sat up with head on one side and her curled up on his lap. Tried to wake them both to no avail, thankfully the track out of WER EB is fairly bumpy and they staggered off at RUG. At EPP only one besuited man stood on the platform staring in confusion at his surroundings, seemed quite young, I did wonder if this was his first “overshoot” to EPP. I can remember the first time I ended up in Upminster after a night on the town, not nearly as painful as the first time I woke up in Shoeburyness. He travelled back to LOU and then presumably trudged off to the minicabs to complete his weary journey back to WOO.

Friday I was spare but I didn’t spend much time sitting around as despite the reduction in rostered positions with the new timetable we still don’t seem to have enough drivers. A HAI duty had gone sick or something, their dead late spare duty was uncovered and the train stabled after the next last spare was due to finish. I met the train at LES, rode down to HAI and then relieved the driver once we’d arrived. The train was booked in the timetable to arrive on Plat. 3 but the train in front was still there so we were diverted to Plat. 2.

The driver gratefully legged it leaving me and the station staff to close up the train. One man, awake but with I-Pod on full blast, took ages to comprehend that this was the end of the line. It would seem that the change of platform confused Wood Lane Control as they let two trains into the depot off Plat. 3 before they realised that I was still out there. I wasn’t in any rush as by the time I’d stabled the train and then walked out of the depot I still had ten minutes before the taxi to take me back to LES was due to arrive; even then it was late.