If my hangover was a town...

[venta]

When I began commuting to work by train last year, I was surprised at how frequently the train stopped in a station in such a way that a person sitting where I was couldn't see the station name board. After three months, I can recognise the ten or so stations on my line, and am much more attuned to the stoppings and startings of my train.

In the initial stages, though, I was frequently to be seen peering out of windows, trying to work out where I was - not that it usually mattered, since I could recognise both the stations at which I might want to alight. One station, however, was always simple: as you pull in, a strident recorded female voice trumpets Slough. This is Slough!

I've never worked out why she sounds so pleased about it.

Trivia fans may also be pleased to hear that Slough is also the only station on my route with a stuffed dog on the platform. He's called Jim.

Comments

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I have often thought that they ought to put the station name board up slightly diagonally, so you get a better view of them as you approach the station. Flat-facing ones go past too fast as the train pulls in, and then you have to rely on ending up next to one, which as you say is unlikely in some stations.

(They could also have some big horizontally-stretched-out ones for when the train goes through without stopping? And, of course, they ought to be lit, or they're useless after dark.)