Craft Show at Doncaster!
DONCASTER SHOW 2018
Hottest day of the year – so, naturally, friend Tricia and I go to Doncaster show. Journey out we had booked seats and travelled LNER. Clean, comfortable, on time and good journey.
Had a lovely – but scorching hot - time at the show. Lots of new things to see; plenty of demonstrations going on; but, even though they had cool air blowers the size of wardrobes, the heat was excruciating. By 1:45pm we had had enough – seen everything we wanted to see – bought everything on our shopping lists – so we leapt … well, OK, … trudged onto the freebie bus back to the railway station. Looked at the boards – train heading for Edinburgh, stopping at York – due at 2:15pm. Good timing we thought.
Except, as the train pulled in, three separate hen parties – wearing next to nothing silly outfits and already quite drunk – elbowed their way onto the train and took just about every spare seat. Plus – it was a Virgin train – which means dirty and smelly. I suggested we wait for the next one – let’s face it almost every train through Doncaster stops at York – but I was over ruled and we strode on. Couldn’t find seats together but we did, at least, have seats. Lots of people had to stand.
We had just passed the Tadcaster Rd Tesco sign but not yet reached Holgate Rd Bridge – 5 mins away from the station - when we shuddered to a halt.
Bing Bong: This is your train manager. Sorry for the delay – there is a problem at York, we will continue shortly.
Much muttering from the passengers – then …
Bing Bong: Train Goer – please contact driver immediately! (Is ‘train goer’ a secret code for something?)
More muttering – and many puzzled expressions. Then, 10 mins later,
Bing Bong: This is your train manager. Sorry for the delay. This is due to congestion at York. Part of the track has buckled because of the heat and we are waiting for a platform allocation. We will keep you informed.
Bing Bong: Train Goer please contact the drive immediately – immediately. Karen – please go to the rear of the train immediately.
More - very dark - mutterings. One of the hen parties saying that they wanted to get out and walk as we were so close to the station. There was a bit of a rumpus but, fortunately, they were too drunk by this time to even find a door!
5 mins later
Bing Bong: The driver has encountered a technical fault and we are still waiting for a platform allocation at York.
Said ‘technical fault’ obviously involved switching off the air conditioning! Smell of gently frying passengers.
10 mins later
Bing Bong: This is your train manager. So sorry for the continued delay. We have now been allocated a platform but - the driver cannot fix the technical fault. We will continue, slowly, into York where this train will now terminate. We will do our utmost to find alternate trains for those passengers travelling on to Edinburgh.
A second of stunned silence – then mayhem as people rushed out of the bar and went to find their luggage. Mobile phones in use; text messages flying through the ether; general agitation.
Train limps into York 45 mins late and on a platform so far out we were almost in the Railway Museum! Outpouring of disgruntled, hot, sticky passengers - stampede for lifts and stairs. Tricia and I had a fit of the giggles. She took a taxi home – I staggered onto the nearest bus!
What a day!