A right kerfuffle this morning on the 7.13.
As usual, the train was packed owing to an earlier service being cancelled so once again I found myself hobnobbing it with a bunch of disgruntled passengers in the inter carriage area.
I noticed that the wc was engaged on boarding at Bath and didn't really think much of it until a succession of people had rattled the handle provoking muffled exclamations from within the cubicle. Anyway, just after departing Chippenham, the guard came around to check our tickets and one of the women who had tried to get into the wc pointed out that it had been occupied for rather a long time. The guard rapped on the door and let out the customary "Tickets Please" request to which the occupant retorted in an outraged tone that he was busy.
So, the guard returned to his van and came back with a skeleton key (I had no idea they could do this) and opened the door, unwittingly exposing us occupants of the inter carriage area to the sight of a middle aged man climbing into a pair of ladies' frillies.
I missed the ensuing altercation between the guard and said gentleman since we were just pulling into Swindon where I had to alight to join my connection to Oxford but raised voices were heard as foot hit platform and I wouldn't blame the bloke for feeling that his privacy had been violated.
So, next time you're in the wc of a train with Delhi Belly and need a little more time on the karzi than usual, bear in mind that you could be humiliated at any point.
As usual, the train was packed owing to an earlier service being cancelled so once again I found myself hobnobbing it with a bunch of disgruntled passengers in the inter carriage area.
I noticed that the wc was engaged on boarding at Bath and didn't really think much of it until a succession of people had rattled the handle provoking muffled exclamations from within the cubicle. Anyway, just after departing Chippenham, the guard came around to check our tickets and one of the women who had tried to get into the wc pointed out that it had been occupied for rather a long time. The guard rapped on the door and let out the customary "Tickets Please" request to which the occupant retorted in an outraged tone that he was busy.
So, the guard returned to his van and came back with a skeleton key (I had no idea they could do this) and opened the door, unwittingly exposing us occupants of the inter carriage area to the sight of a middle aged man climbing into a pair of ladies' frillies.
I missed the ensuing altercation between the guard and said gentleman since we were just pulling into Swindon where I had to alight to join my connection to Oxford but raised voices were heard as foot hit platform and I wouldn't blame the bloke for feeling that his privacy had been violated.
So, next time you're in the wc of a train with Delhi Belly and need a little more time on the karzi than usual, bear in mind that you could be humiliated at any point.
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