Week 35: DIAAAAAAAAAACLONNNNNNNNE!

[Philip Ayres]

(Having changed their once at each end of the holiday though I can safely essay that Crewe railway station is one of the most depressing places I have ever been. I've sat around at a lot of railway stations in my time but there is something particularly desolate seeming about Crewe.)

I changed at Crewe once and it was awful. Naff all in the way of Passenger facilities.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

I third the motion that Crewe is a dreary place. Don't be a fool and think you'll find a town with shops to explore if you step outside - you won't.

When going from Cardiff to parts north I try whenever possible now to get a train that changes at Birmingham New Street rather than Crewe, since the latter always brings my spirits down.

They may however have discovered that they built the station on a rift in the fabric of human happiness, because they appear to want to move its location about a mile and a half so.

“It is not generally appreciated that 42 per cent of passengers use Crewe as an interchange and never leave the station,” said Mr Lumley.

That explains the air of sorrow about the place! 42 per cent of passengers become trapped and never manage to leave the station, their spirits haunting its platforms for all eternity. Demolish the place! Their souls must be freed!

Martin

[grahamthomson]

Crewe is a very dark and dismal place. But there is a comic shop in the town. Actually, that is also a very dark and dismal place.

[The Doctor]

Reports of Crewe station remind me of an old Radio 4 play called 'Terminus' which aired late at night over a few weeks. The first few episodes strongly hinted an old railway station was alive and was killing people, possibly using satanic-like powers from beyond. It was spooky as hell and put the absolute shits up me. Then in the last episode it was revealed that there was merely a loon who lived in the station who was bumping people off. Bah.

-Ralph

[Andy Turnbull]

I remember you talking about that around AA time. Sounded like a cracking play, at least until the last ep.

Andy

[The Doctor]

It may have been the play '1994 Julie Enfield:Terminus*. Serial thriller.' mentioned here:
web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/NF.HTML

That was round about the time the play I'm thinking of would have been broadcast.

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

Yep. I think that's the one. The mention of the murderer using the tannoy (implying the station may be alive IIRC) rings a bell and it was five episodes.

www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/terminus.html

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

New Street's a bit of a pit too, especially underground at Platform level, but there's some passenger facilities on the concourse and you can get out into the shopping center and on to the rest of Birmingham.

Liz and I were marooned there for hours once on a Sunday before we were married. We'd been to Stafford to visit a friend, and were coming back via New St and then onto Oxford and Reading. No trains through Milton Keynes - engineering - so the only way down to London was through Reading and then east via FGW/SWT. Should have been a direct train Stafford to Reading. We got to Stafford stn and discovered the power cables had gone down overnight. Bus to Birmingham New St and a massive wait. We got on the first train South for about 3 hours. I was knocked over getting on and hit the floor with a thump. Before I could do anything someone pulled the chord.....

[The Doctor]

Sept 3, 2008 21:44:41 GMT The Doctor said:

Yep. I think that's the one. The mention of the murderer using the tannoy (implying the station may be alive IIRC) rings a bell and it was five episodes.

www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/terminus.html

-Ralph

Hurrah! Found a copy online.

-Ralph