Wednesday, November 14, 2007

To hell with global warming, give me a patio heater!


The weather's taken a bit of a turn for the chilly, as I'm sure you've noticed.
Whilst actually on the train, this is not an issue, as we are warmed in the same way as people stuck up mountains. No, we don't get naked and climb into each other's sleeping bags, but we do huddle close together, whether we like it or not.
No, the part of the day that really pains me is the bit where I stand on the platform with the wind somehow managing to bypass the gloves, the scarf and the extra pair of socks, in its mission to climb into my bones and stay there all day long.
At these times I crave the warmth of a patio heater. Just imagine how happy we'd be clustered around these planet-killing wonder-inventions, all toasty and warm and slightly less annoyed about the delays.
But we couldn't have those, as they're too bad for the environment. So, what else can we do to beat the freeze? I suppose the second-best option is the waiting room, but all too often these are locked, especially in the evenings when we need them the most.
My least favourite place to be when it's cold is the Hammersmith and City platform at Paddington Station. I'm convinced this platform exists in a separate weather system to the rest of the city, as it always seems to be at least three degrees colder there than anywhere else along the journey. And it appears to be something of a wind tunnel. I'm shivering just thinking about it.
So, what are your top tips for keeping warm on the platform? Maybe we could sing protest songs and someone could bring a guitar.
Or perhaps we could just huddle like we do on the train. Next time you feel someone invading your personal space, don't worry, I'm not getting over-friendly, I'm just trying to stave off an attack of hypothermia.

6 comments:

CJ Harrison said...

I once read in a reputable newspaper about a man who had died from standing on a cold platform. Apparently, a blood clot formed in his foot and later in the day travelled to his lungs and formed an emboli which killed him.

My top tip for keeping warm on a cold platform is to take your duvet with you. It would also come in handy on the train as you could hide under it to ‘get away’ from the crowds of people. You’d look like a complete nutter, or a homeless person, of course – but it would keep you warm!

johnmcga said...

Platform temperature hasn't bothered me so far, usually because I'm late and have run to get to the station on time. But I did get on a train from Reading to Hayes the other morning to find the carriage had no internal lighting, no heating and only one working set of doors. Brrr! It hasn't happened since (and I use the service every day), but what's that all about?

Anonymous said...

John, shush! If there was no internal lighting, then the carriage should have been locked out of use if it was dark or tunnels involved. Which would have meant everyone crammed into one carriage, but think of all the body-heat there would have been!

Anonymous said...

hi this is just a hint of somthing a lot of you will find shocking as it seems to be a secret but if some of the comuters go to coach "A" you will find empty seats on a lot of but not all of ower so called full trains i know its a long way from the entrance at reading but if you realy want a seat........

Anonymous said...

as a member of staff and a member of the human race dont you think we should move on from words like hate i hate to be pc but ever heard of hate crime we do have feelings you know. and one other thing dont you think it would be nice if we the staff could have a day once a year where we could realy tell you all where to go when your having a go about the delay i mean what you like, on application forms where it says ethnic background there should be an extra box for reading/didcot commuter.......

Anonymous said...

Its been a month since your last post. Is everything OK with your new commute ?