Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight

As the scorching hot weather has amazingly lasted into a second day, I decided to roll leisurely through the countryside by steam train on a journey into the past. Old stations, plush carriages, porters and errand boys; it's all been a bit Brief Encounter. But among the hustle and bustle of the Great Western Railway's last outpost were a few reminders of what must have been a terrifying time to travel by train. Leaves on the line are all well and good, but what would you do if your train got blitzed?

The advice is, for the most part, pretty sensible:

1) Close all windows and ventilators and pull down the blinds as a protection against flying glass

2) If danger seems imminent, lie on the floor

3) Never leave the train between stations unless so requested by a railway official

4) Do not touch any outside part of a coach if a gas attack is suspected

And of course, a full blackout was expected. Train drivers presumably drove blind during night journeys; not so bad on a gentle steamer like mine today, but if Virgin Voyagers had been around back then, I doubt anyone would have dared set foot on one after sunset.