Toot Toot I’m A Train Driver

Toot toot!! When I was a young boy, many years ago, nearly every lad wanted to be a train driver when they grew up. Except Roger and he wanted to be in sales and marketing! There’s always one.

Train Drivers

I don’t think one lad I knew ever became a train driver when they left school or a pilot. Come to think of it, the school I went to, most of the pupils probably grew up to be inmates of their local prison! I’m only joking, they probably all turned out to be very nice people indeed. Although I would have ennjoyed being a train driver, I never did make a career as one. Probably the nearest I came to being one was visiting the local railway museum at Tyseley in Birmingham.

Old Grandad Me

Fast forward nearly 60 years (gulp) and now like most of the population of this giant ant farm I suddenly have a lot of spare time on my hands. Roll back a couple of months to Christmas, before anyone had any idea of what was about to be unleashed on planet earth. My eldest daughter and her husband treated me to an X-Box. Yes, old grandad me and I have a new state of the art X-Box to play what seems almost an infinite number of realistic games. No wonder they call it virtual reality. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hide myself away in the bedroom for 38 hours everyday playing shoot em ups.

Football

One of the games that came with it is Fifa 19 which is a football game. Oh boy, I’ve had some fun on that, managing Brentford FC and taking them to the top and winning every possible cup there is to win. Mainly because I keep the settings on beginner/novice level. There’s a racing car game too which I was playing with the son in law when he visited before the lockdown put a block on it. I came last in every race, simply because I couldn’t cheat by keeping the settings on ‘simple’. Then I discovered the joys of Train Simulator 2020 and my life changed.

Casey Jones

I’m thinking of changing my name to Casey Jones, the famous train driver from the wild west. Well, I think that’s who he was. “All aboarrrrrrddd” although I’ve heard others say they’re all bored. I can now jump into the cab of the 9:15 am from Paddington to Reading, start her up, unlock the doors for the passengers, let them board, lock the doors and off we chug. Watch out for those red lights, toot toot, slow down when the signal man tells you and make a safe and gentle approach into Reading station. What great fun I’m having. Park up at Reading and take the 10:40 am back to Paddington using a different locomotive. Tomorrow, I’m off to the Pennines in one of those big, powerful HSR engines. I can hardly wait. Toot toot, the Chatanooga Choo Choo is on his way.

Here’s a link to Train Sim 2020.

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43 Comments
  • smzang
    April 17, 2020

    A dream realized… Bravo!!

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      Thank you, Sarah. In many ways, it is a dream realised.

      • librepaley
        April 17, 2020

        “When you hear the tooting of a whistle; it’s Casey at the throttle of the Cannonball Express!”

        • Trev
          April 17, 2020

          Hahaha, Libre, that’s the song, I knew someone would remember it. Thank you 🙂

  • SueW
    April 17, 2020

    Oh I love this and can really imagine you as a train driver!
    I’ve never played video games, used an X box and nor have I used the Playstation, but I do remember having hours of fun On the. ATARI, oh, how I loved that. Year’s later I became hooked on a very simple Google Plus game of tenpin bowling.

    I’d like a game that takes me deep into the Dales and Along winding lanes and villages. I suppose I could just get into the car and drive there… Oh, damn this lockdown! ????

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      I never thought I would ever be sat in front of the T.V. Playing games on a console, but I never expected to be locked down either. It has been a welcome distraction, Sue. Thank you as always, stay safe.

  • Jude
    April 17, 2020

    Trev, you are so wonderfully young at heart. Don’t ever change!

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      Thank you, Jude, I don’t intend to. ????

  • susiesopinions
    April 17, 2020

    They say we go back to our childhood. Have fun.

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      Thank you, Susie. Stay safe ????

  • Yetismith
    April 17, 2020

    Paddington was the station we used to go “down to Wiltshire” when I was a child. Those big steam engines scared me a bit when I was small. I can still hear the sound and smell the particular odor of British Railways. I don’t remember wanting to be anything in particular when I grew up but I know my older brother expressed an interest in becoming a “Rag and Bone” man. I think he liked the idea of riding around in the horse cart. I don’t think my parents were too impressed by his ambition.

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      Thank you, Yeti. Yes, I can believe it, them old steam engines were quite beasts when they were in the station, puffing and panting. 🙂

  • leegschrift
    April 17, 2020

    Let’s start the virtual economy again. haha

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      Indeed, it’s probably all there will be. 🙂

  • GP Cox
    April 17, 2020

    A kid that wants to be in sales and marketing? That’s hilarious in itself!
    https://pacificparatrooper.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/april-14th-7-e1587145564227.jpg

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      Yes, they were very well educated at my school. 🙂 Thank you

  • Peter's pondering
    April 17, 2020

    It’s a decent salary £44k to £65k. I wonder if they have an upper age limit?

    • Trev
      April 17, 2020

      That’s not bad is it? Mind you, it must be quite a stressful job. Thank you, Peter.

  • Abhishek pathania
    April 18, 2020

    I love playing video games????
    Enjoyed this post very much

    • Trev
      April 18, 2020

      Thank you, Abhishek, I’ve certainly enjoyed playing them during the lockdown. 🙂

  • Kathy Waller
    April 19, 2020

    A train goes through a town ten miles from where I grew up. When we had to stop for it, my mother tried to get me to wave at the caboose man, but I was too shy. Missed opportunity. No more caboose men to wave at.

    • Trev
      April 19, 2020

      Thank you, Kathy. I know what you are saying. ????

  • neseknows
    April 19, 2020

    Awesome post!

    • Trev
      April 19, 2020

      Thank you, neseknows, your kind words are appreciated. ????

  • Farida Hakim
    April 19, 2020

    Hi,
    Go check on my post Liebster Blogger Award. I nominated you for the award. Follow the steps.
    Farida Hakim

    • Trev
      April 19, 2020

      Thanks, but I don’t get involved in the awards. 🙂

  • stainless steel soap dispenser
    April 21, 2020

    that was your biggest dream 🙂

  • babymughal
    April 21, 2020

    You are always good Trev ????????

    • Trev
      April 21, 2020

      Thank you 🙂

  • KINDNESS
    April 23, 2020

    Take care ????

    • Trev
      April 23, 2020

      Thank you, KINDNESS 🙂

  • Vanessa Valeros Calapano
    April 24, 2020

    Hi there, just dropped by to say hello. I enjoyed reading again your blog.
    We’ll be waiting for your photo as a driver.

    • Trev
      April 24, 2020

      Thank you, Vanessa for your kind words which are very much appreciated. Not sure I’ll have any photos of me actually driving. ????

      • azurea20
        April 27, 2020

        A pesar de seguirte no me llagan tus post. Me resulta difícil entrar en tu blog.. Ya lo siento. Un saludo.

        • Trev
          April 27, 2020

          Sorry you have had trouble getting my posts, I don’t know why. I hope you can view them in the future. Thank you for letting me know.

  • Sunshiny SA, Kavitha
    April 29, 2020

    X box games make me feel almost invincible. ????????

  • Dave Kingsbury
    May 1, 2020

    Virtual reality beats the real thing right now. This got me back on the footplate … well, there for the first time … apart from my dreams. Cheers, Trev, take care!

    • Trev
      May 2, 2020

      Thank you, Dave, it’s kept me going through these strange times. Stay safe and we shall all be together out the other side.

  • miniworldto
    June 22, 2020

    Well said and written, loved the blog
    Hope we stay connected on my new site????❤
    https://lessonoflife.online/

    • Trev
      June 25, 2020

      Thank you 🙂