With railways having been around for getting on for two hundred years it would be surprising if various hoary old clichés had not grown up over time, on things associated with the whole railway scene.
One which comes to mind Ive come across it time and time again over the decades, set in a great variety of different rail-served parts of the world. Have just encountered it once more, in a quite recently-published (and fascinating) book about railways in the remote but minerals-rich north-west of Tasmania.
The tale is always about a community close by a rail line; which lines traffic needs, make it necessary for a train or light engine, to run through or past said community, daily around 5 AM. Said working does so, being a bit noisy (as trains inevitably are) plus exuberant whistling or hooting, perhaps more than strictly necessary. It gets to be remarked on that the citizens of said community, produce an unusually large number of children. It comes to light that this is because the noisy 5 AM rail working wakes people up too early for them to get up, but making it too late for them easily to get back to sleep. Which leads heterosexual couples in bed together, to do the obvious hence lots of pregnancies / kids.
I have to wonder whether this phenomenon has ever actually and measurably occurred anywhere; or whether it is a tale which wags and wits worldwide, have found irresistible to make up given the basically somewhat comical and absurd workings of human reproduction. Perhaps -- loco crews on such small-hours workings, pee'd-off at their necessary very early rising and being at work while most people are a long way from having to get up, cheering themselves up by fantasising about revenge on their still-in-bed fellow-citizens?
Any other such past-their-sell-by-date, but seemingly evergreen, rail-related tales / routines, would be welcome.
One which comes to mind Ive come across it time and time again over the decades, set in a great variety of different rail-served parts of the world. Have just encountered it once more, in a quite recently-published (and fascinating) book about railways in the remote but minerals-rich north-west of Tasmania.
The tale is always about a community close by a rail line; which lines traffic needs, make it necessary for a train or light engine, to run through or past said community, daily around 5 AM. Said working does so, being a bit noisy (as trains inevitably are) plus exuberant whistling or hooting, perhaps more than strictly necessary. It gets to be remarked on that the citizens of said community, produce an unusually large number of children. It comes to light that this is because the noisy 5 AM rail working wakes people up too early for them to get up, but making it too late for them easily to get back to sleep. Which leads heterosexual couples in bed together, to do the obvious hence lots of pregnancies / kids.
I have to wonder whether this phenomenon has ever actually and measurably occurred anywhere; or whether it is a tale which wags and wits worldwide, have found irresistible to make up given the basically somewhat comical and absurd workings of human reproduction. Perhaps -- loco crews on such small-hours workings, pee'd-off at their necessary very early rising and being at work while most people are a long way from having to get up, cheering themselves up by fantasising about revenge on their still-in-bed fellow-citizens?
Any other such past-their-sell-by-date, but seemingly evergreen, rail-related tales / routines, would be welcome.
