I was publishing my daily picture on the 365 project, and because I haven’t been out for a walk for the last three days, I’m really quite surprised at how rapidly the situation of the lack of very recent material arises. I had to dip back to 2019 to find a picture of a railway platform.
This is Ropley on the Watercress Line in Surrey. Every year (except for severe interference from Covid) my Amateur Radio Club Horndean & District ARC use either this, or the next station up the line, Four Marks and Medstead as an Event Station, for Railways on The Air. For this, several members of HDARC will role up with some radio equipment and set up a radio station usually in one of the waiting rooms, and then proceed to try and make as many contacts with other radio amateurs as they can. As passengers arrive on the platform, either waiting for trains, or being disgorged from an arrival they usually hear us operating and will come in to find out what we are doing and sometimes stay for a chat. Just occasionally, we find someone who is sufficiently interested in what we are doing that they go on to make further enquiries, and have in the past got their own amateur radio licence. It is a great one or two days out, and everyone usually enjoys themselves.
I have this thing about railway platforms, provided I have sufficient time, I like to walk the length of the platform looking at all the features, the signalling, that kind of thing. It’s usually a very slow casual stroll in the hope that at least one train will go past in either direction. It really is a very pleasant way of spending time, waiting for your train.
Bills Posts 