Train Journeys....

Having had some time off over the last few days I have had time to think about trains. In part this is due to the model railway that is on the top floor of the Vicarage. I have been able to while a way a few hours laying track and deciding on the layout of my Good's Yard - the station layout having been sorted.

I have always enjoyed travelling by train. Of course the critic might say that the real world passes you by, but take journey into London King's Cross or London Euston (or for that matter into any major city) and what do you see from the windows? Well, dear reader, I have always been struck by the very grubby and dilapidated state of these gateways into our capital. The traveller by train does not see the great sights and thereby come to some Utopian vision of wonder and awe at the prosperous nature of the city, no he sees the reality of appalling high-rises, of failing industry, of graffiti covered walls and evidence of poverty and crime. So perhaps, dear reader, the traveller by train is more than aware of human failings and the of the all too human tendency to put people into boxes with neat little labels. Journeying into the capital by chauffeur driven limousine through leafy suburbs while busy at the Laptop, Palmtop or Blackberry can indeed limit one's grasp on reality somewhat. Though here I must admit that trains are not the quiet havens they once were - why is it that people feel the need to declare all of their business (personal as well - often in graphic detail) to everyone in the carriage? And all too often the train is where business is conducted and the world does indeed pass one by.

So when (the observant train traveller having pondered what he has seen on his journey) he reaches his destination does the traveller find himself in the real world? Well, it depends on what his business or intention is. If it's going to a white, middle-class debating society - is that the real world? If it's going to his club then he could, no doubt, find his prejudices massaged. I could go on, but I am sure you get the picture.

So what would be a good reason to get off the train and not reach one's intended destination? For it must be admitted that sometimes there are very good reasons for not continuing with one's journey. One reason may be that the traveller has an important reason to return home or to his business. Another reason might be that an announcement or message makes either the continuance of the journey impossible or inadvisable due to major problems at the intended destination. Of course, sometimes the problem is not so much the journey, but the locomotive or track itself. As one wise person said: "when you have had 38 trains come down the line and crash, you need another like a hole in the head." Perhaps certain debating societies should be mindful of that before planning anymore journey's without considering the cost in terms of lost passengers, revenue and theological and ecclesial integrity.