Odd Dreams?

[STEVIEBOY1]

Does anyone else have really odd dreams, I do frequently, often related to my not so great school days or about my various workplaces past and present, also often railway related as well.

Last night for example, I dreamt that I was on a railtour to the Folkestone Harbour Branch and before we went there we had some spare time in Folkestone, where there were local shuttles running from the main line to the Harbour Station, these were operated by a 3 car class 110 DMU in BR Green? but oddly hauled at one end by a small diesel local in the same livery! At the same time an electric blue express train was due through enroute to Bournemouth, but again also hauled by a diesel or electric loco built in the style of LNER Steam locos, Mallard, Union of South Africa.

I don't know what a dream specialist would make of these? Perhaps it had something to do with the cheese sandwich I had in the evening.

 

[deltic1989]

I once dreamed I was driving for the Force India F1 team in the Monaco Grand Prix.
The steering wheel came off in my hands approaching Rascasse..... and then I woke up.
That may have something to do with me having played F1 on the xbox for a few hours that day.

 

[Temple Meads]

I'd better not post the content of a lot of my dreams - I don't really want to get banned!

I do often have train related dreams though (some are still unpublishable ), they usually involve rare sights, but try as I might to run to catch them, I just can't run fast enough!

 

[Thumper Bill]

Does anyone else have really odd dreams, I do frequently, often related to my not so great school days or about my various workplaces past and present, also often railway related as well.

Last night for example, I dreamt that I was on a railtour to the Folkestone Harbour Branch and before we went there we had some spare time in Folkestone, where there were local shuttles running from the main line to the Harbour Station, these were operated by a 3 car class 110 DMU in BR Green? but oddly hauled at one end by a small diesel local in the same livery! At the same time an electric blue express train was due through enroute to Bournemouth, but again also hauled by a diesel or electric loco built in the style of LNER Steam locos, Mallard, Union of South Africa.

I don't know what a dream specialist would make of these? Perhaps it had something to do with the cheese sandwich I had in the evening.

Once during a dream I was surrounded by armed chimpanzies in Norwich but was rescued by a bobby on a bike.
That may be due to cheese or the stress of work.

 

[Oswyntail]

A large number of my (very vivid) dreams are set in a large station, but not one I recognise. In feel and architecture it is akin to the unredeveloped Manchester Victoria, but much larger. Very busy, with a mixture of Steam and Diesel. Sometimes I am changing trains there, sometimes starting my journey. The atmosphere is always one of having to do something and life being a bit too much, but it seldom reverts to classic anxiety (such as fear i am about to miss the train). Sometimes I do have part of the journey, which takes me past an engine shed, and a works, all in the same grimy, industrial style, and through stone cuttings - but they always seem to end up at "The" station.
For proper anxiety dreams, for me nothing beats a hotel/office block with lots of rooms and lifts that go sideways as well as up and down

 

[Kernowfem]

I have two reocurring dreams. One is where im trapped in a car on a level crossing and as the train hits i wake up. A few times ive fallen out of bed i wake up so violently. The other one is where im sat in this beautiful field surrounded by corn, just looking up at the blue sky. When i have this dream i wake up feeling so at peace and relaxed.

 

[12CSVT]

Some of my railway related dreams tend to be of types of train at locations where they are almost certain never to visit in real life.

Examples -
Metropolitan Line A stock (still in origional 'unpainted' livery) travelling at speed on the West Coast Main Line north of Preston.
HST on the London Underground network, possibly at Farringdon or Barbican.
Tyne & Wear Metro train at Northallerton displaying 'Thirk' on its destination blind.

Another bizarre one was watching a railtour travelling along a road, hauled by two class 20s with an RHTT water cannon set between the two locos. Before I could get my camera out the class 20s morphed into class 33s.
(BTW, I had been watching footage of a railtour on the Weymouth Quay branch the previous day).

 

[Temple Meads]

A large number of my (very vivid) dreams are set in a large station, but not one I recognise. In feel and architecture it is akin to the unredeveloped Manchester Victoria, but much larger. Very busy, with a mixture of Steam and Diesel. Sometimes I am changing trains there, sometimes starting my journey. The atmosphere is always one of having to do something and life being a bit too much, but it seldom reverts to classic anxiety (such as fear i am about to miss the train). Sometimes I do have part of the journey, which takes me past an engine shed, and a works, all in the same grimy, industrial style, and through stone cuttings - but they always seem to end up at "The" station.
For proper anxiety dreams, for me nothing beats a hotel/office block with lots of rooms and lifts that go sideways as well as up and down

I've had a couple of "large station" dreams, it's always been called Exeter St Davids, but doesn't resemble the real St Davids in any way!

 

[starrymarkb]

Being trapped on Big Brother with Pete Burns and his surgeon...

 

[deltic1989]

Being trapped on Big Brother with Pete Burns and his surgeon...

God that would have me waking up in a cold sweat.
I have had some railway related dreams in the past. One really weird one was me standing in Lincoln High Street near the LC and a class 47 came along the High St hauling a rake of oo guage coaches (i shoud mention the 47 was full sized) .
And another was a real nightmare. I got lost in B'ham New Street and couldn 't get out. And there were all sorts of vile creatures (zombies, vampires and the like) chasing me. Luckily a Pendo pulled up which i promptly piled onto only to find as the train pulled out that it was crewed by warewolves. That was the last time i watched a horror movie after returning home from Birmingham.

 

[AlexS]

I once had a very lucid dream that I was trainspotting (I don't do this in my waking life at all!) at Nottingham Victoria, at the Mansfield Road end of the station. As with most dreams though it was a bit different to any semblance of reality - the station was 'Network SouthEast-ised' (a bit like Marylebone) with red metal benches etc, but the trains were all still steam with semaphore signals etc. As a huge enthusiast of the Great Central Railway as a whole it had an even more strange effect on me when I woke up with a start - I was hugely disoriented and promptly burst into tears when I realised it had been a dream and I was in my own bed in the year 20something - most embarrassing!! I may have had a few beers the night before though :P It is something that I would give pretty much anything to be able to do though, just for a day - go spotting at the Vic.

It was even more strange in that it was one of those rare dreams where I can remember every detail, even years later.

 

[user15681]

You might be interested to realise what Sigmund Freud thought of dreams. His belief was that people's unconscious mind, such as dreams, were focused around sex, only sex. If you dreamed of pencils, or long thin things... you can guess what he thought you were really thinking of. Things entering tunnels (maybe trains?)... Freud believed you were thinking of...

Generally, it's believed that dreams have no real definitive meaning. If you dreamt of train spotting it could be because you've been watching videos before you sleep or because you have a deep rooted fascination in trains. Alternatively, you could have just seen a cue before you slept, such as a 5 second clip on TV or something could have cued a memory you are fond of.

Judging by the OP's commens, I would say that something has triggered you to remember your childhood memories and fantasies before you sleep. Maybe a photo in your house, something you were talking about before bed, etc triggered you to think about something you've always wanted to see. Always love analysis of this type of thing.

 

[Welshman]

I used to have "anxiety" dreams quite often - someone/something was awaiting my attention and I couldn't get the buttons of my clothes fastened properly, or I was rushing to get somewhere and my feet wouldn't move, like they were stuck in treacle.

Now I've retired, those dreams have ceased.

 

[user15681]

Amazing what the brain can do.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

.
And another was a real nightmare. I got lost in B'ham New Street and couldn't get out. And there were all sorts of vile creatures (zombies, vampires and the like) chasing me.

You hadn't forgotten to sign in to do photos had you...?!


Back on topic... I cannot recall the last time I had a railway related dream. I know I have had a few in the past, but not for many years now. Not sure why not!

 

[scotsman]

The brain just works off cues - I watched a TV show about a police station before I went to bed, I then had a dream about being lifted!

 

[user15681]

Back on topic... I cannot recall the last time I had a railway related dream. I know I have had a few in the past, but not for many years now. Not sure why not!

It's worthwhile to point out that you have many dreams a night, but the vast majority of them you forget or don't give enough attention to after waking. It could just be that you no long pay attention to them and so forget them a few minutes after waking - most people do.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Oh I'm aware of a few dreams, yes - just that there don't seem to have been any railway related ones for years!

 

[Ivo]

We had a thread along these lines 18 months ago (link) which came about just days before Heart-of-Wessex and I met in real life for the first time, and to this day we still talk about dreams sometimes!

I get strange dreams on a frequent basis. Mine tend to be extremely vivid compared to the average person's dreams, and sometimes - perhaps once a fortnight - I get a "lucid dream", which is a dream in which the person is aware they are dreaming. My most embarrassing example of such a dream happened literally the night before said thread was started, and can be read in Post #4 I've also noticed that a lot of my dreams have "matured" over the last few months, so I do have some dreams of a more adult nature these days, and before anyone asks I mean in every sense imaginable and not just something relating to being dirty.

Railway-related? Not for a long time unfortunately, but bus dreams are still common (more often than not involving at least one Arriva Southend Trident ). I used to when I was younger, which used to amuse me more than anything.

I'm just waiting for a dream in which I am PM. I'd like to think I could do a better job in a 20-minute dream than Gordon Brown did in three years

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Bamber Bridge becoming a major national hub, me getting a 151 (yep, it doesn't exist but this is dreamland) to Preston just as a Northern HST pulls up on Platform 4, to some major city.

 

[user15681]

Oh I'm aware of a few dreams, yes - just that there don't seem to have been any railway related ones for years!

No, I'm trying to say that you may well still have railway related dreams, you just might not realise it. Every night we have loads of dreams, we just don't remember them.

I'm just waiting for a dream in which I am PM. I'd like to think I could do a better job in a 20-minute dream than Gordon Brown did in three years

Anyone could do better than Gordon Brown in their sleep... get it? *bad joke*
On a side note, dreams feel a lot longer than they actually are. Reality is, one dream lasts about 20 seconds, but will feel like a whole night or day whilst you're in the dream.

UPDATE: Sorry, looking back this seems a little pedantic. I assure you I didn't mean to be picky, I was just very bored as my train was delayed due to a fatality.

 

[12CSVT]

I get strange dreams on a frequent basis. Mine tend to be extremely vivid compared to the average person's dreams, and sometimes - perhaps once a fortnight - I get a "lucid dream", which is a dream in which the person is aware they are dreaming. :

Must admit I hadn't even heard of 'lucid dreams' until a couple of days ago, and certainly don't think I've ever experienced them. Then again I'm usually totally sparked out when I'm asleep.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

You hadn't forgotten to sign in to do photos had you...?!!

ROFL!!! !!!

Also, they always say dreams have a meaning of some form, can someone explain why I had a dream before about DRS 37s hauling C stock on the underground!?! Wouldn't mind the thrash!
Also had one where we went to go for some heritage 101 of some descript on an underground preserved line. The 101 was in NR yellow and not in use, and then a Devon & Cornwall 153 appeared!!
Also had one where I was changing the colours of a HST in Bath as it came in, and also changed a few things before it woke me up. Something to do with me watching 'Inception' and for my one and only time, knowing I was in a dream and had the power to change what I liked!!!

Also had other dreams like jumping into a car and driving off (in reality I don't get very far when I've tried to, yet in my dreams I can use the clutch fine!) and also had one years ago driving a Routemaster in Melksham, and I couldn't be bothered going to the junction to go up the road I wanted, so I took a shortcut through peoples gardens!! hock:!

 

[Ivo]

Last night I had four different dreams about the same girl! hock: All of them were completely different as well; in one she was about eight months pregnant, whereas in another we had a rather anxious discussion about nothing in particular, and in a third my cousins knew more about her than I did.

The fourth? Don't go there.

What I will say is that the girl in question holds quite a strong significance in my life.

 

[Drsatan]

Had loads of weird dreams over the years, some of them railway related. Funnily enough I can remember a few dreams which happened five to ten years ago but not any dreams which happened in the past fortnight!

After getting very drunk one evening a couple of years ago I had a strange dream which involved a new class 47 subclass nicknamed 'Gladiator' with an example of one (classmark 47/9) hauling a rake of GUVs up an embankment.

A lot of my dreams, in common with what others have posted here, revolve around trains operating in unlikely locations or around places which have undergone unusual changes. For instance, I once had a dream about visiting the Isle of Wight, only to discover that there was a light rail system on the Island similar to the DLR, and at Newport station there was an enormous station comparable in size to Clapham Junction, with numerous EMUs in NSE livery passing through.

Although not related to railways, I once dreamt that I had been kidnapped to a priest who had suspended me from a wall and had inserted tubes into my groin, in which I could see blood passing through! (funnily enough I didn't go to catholic school!)

 

[Tomonthetrain]

I had this dream last night that I was with a ex and that everything that is in this world hadn't happened and I was up to my eyeballs in student debt and that she was pregnant. She kept blaming me for it and tried to kill me on a VIP contracts dart.

 

[LE Greys]

We've had threads on this before. I seem to recall (just from mine):

• Giant man-eating Turkeys that could swallow an old woman whole, yet I was still compelled to approach them
• The strange inability to run, owing to a strange lack of gravity (this happened a lot)
• Enormous, cackling bats (just after visiting Jersey Zoo)

There were also quite a few unrepeatable ones.

Yes, there were some railway-related one. It involved some of the slow-motion running after my first view of a Royal Scot in steam. Someone (who might have been C.E. Fairbairn) was just boasting about its magnesium boiler, when it detonated in a Hollywood-style slow-motion fireball. My last memory is reaching the station doors and ducking round behind a wall.

And the variation on my recurring nightmares of going under an HST at Reading, one where I was looking from the outside and my severed head jumped up, shoved itself in my face and called me a 'Stupid b****y p*****k!'

 

[trentside]

I have weird dreams on a regular basis, and usually remember the ones from just before I wake up. It's unusual I have railway related dreams, I've had more recently but they're related to my job - but I've had a few over the years. The more common dreams I have are related to family, friends and ex-girlfriends.

Just to take last night for example, it started off at a large country manor house and involved walking along a very overgrown old track covered in brambles and nettles while being followed by a group of people and a pick up truck (I think they were up to something sinister, but don't quite remember). The people were some of the cast of Community (which I've been watching on TV) and it all ended at a village quite similar to one I drove through recently. If I think about it, my life is heading down a new path with obstacles in the way but I'll get through - some of them might sting a little though. I think that's probably a little too literal, but I don't usually think about dreams at all - but I do when it upsets me or causes me to wake with a start.