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York station

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You’ve come from somewhere;

                       you’re going somewhere else.

 

On a wall in this minster of stations

is a map of the North Eastern Railway

around 1900. Lines criss-crossing

North Yorkshire: Coxwold, Ampleforth,

Helmsley, Hovingham, Slingsby,

Kirbymoorside. Amotherby,

Wetwang, Fangfoss.

 

Memorials to that railway chancer

George Hudson. Puffed-up hopes,

delusions of grandeur?

Or just a desire to make connections

with a wider world?  All gone, gone.

Casualties of economics, and Beeching,

the roads minister’s right-hand man.

 

Yet, still, from York you can reach

Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford,

Harrogate, Edinburgh, Aberdeen,

Selby, Middlesbrough,

Southampton, Penzance, Hull, Reading,

Preston, Newcastle, Sunderland

(via Hartlepool). And London King’s Cross.

 

◄ The oak tree

Brexit Boy ►

Comments

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Greg Freeman

Thu 18th Jan 2018 17:26

Never knew that about Wetwang, Stu. We didn't stray that far when we lived in York. But I certainly remember Richard Whiteley from watching Yorkshire TV's Calendar at the time. And reporter Edwina Tarpley, who was always very concerned about "Gwimsby's" fishing industry. Rightly so, as it turned out.

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Stu Buck

Wed 17th Jan 2018 20:57

i used to live in the adjacent village to wetwang. did you know the mayor was richard whiteley? amazing fish and chips too.

i enjoyed this, very romantic and took me back to the places i used to frequent.

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Greg Freeman

Wed 17th Jan 2018 16:30

Thanks so much for your comments, chaps. Glad you enjoyed. I've been fascinated by that map ever since I first saw it while commuting from York to Leeds back in the day. (There's a similar one at Scarborough, I've discovered). All the destinations listed in the final stanza were for individual trains that came up on the departure screen during the hour and 20 minutes I spent there on Monday.

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raypool

Wed 17th Jan 2018 14:08

Salut Greg for not only drawing attention to a vital issue but enshrouding iit n the best kind of nostalgia - not mawkish but tangible. Nobody does it like you - and this is from a fellow on the line!

See you soon. Ray

<Deleted User> (13762)

Wed 17th Jan 2018 09:04

an interesting mix of the waiting passenger musing and the station announcer announcing. As teenagers in the late 70's on our local railway station we would often imitate the distinctive voice of the announcer and his pronunciation of Littlehampton. Oh what fun we had.....I feel a song coming on! Cheers for the memories, Col.

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