I reek. I mean it. I smelled my shirt and it was tangy mix of the smell of matches and sweat. Who knew that steam engines emit all sorts of noxious gasses? If I had been smarter, I would have realized that the smoke from the coal doesn’t just drift straight upward into space. No, it travels directly over the train cars that follow the engine. Consider as well that for full effect we are riding in older cars. That’s right, no air conditioning. I sat down and could only think about how hot I was- in Scotland at 10am. I thought we would be having cooler weather and rain, but as it turns out I happen to be visiting during a heat wave with 25° C temperatures during the day. Go figure. So I opened the window, which was about a foot square box at the top of each window. Add in the fact that a third of the windows just would not open no matter how hard I pushed. Having opened a few windows in the compartment, I sat down thinking to myself that the problem was solved and the cool, refreshing air would be on its way. Instead once we start moving there comes the smell of freshly struck matches drifting into the train car.
The train ride was round trip, and on the way to the small fishing town named Mallaig, our compartment was near the back of the train. For the return journey; however, they moved the engine to the opposite end of the train, which of course makes more sense than turning the whole train around. I get on the train, my mind occupied with what side I am going to sit on so that I can take an amazing picture of the Glenfinnan Viaduct (no such luck by the way). I take my seat. It’s 2pm, the heat of the day has reached its most oppressive point, and I can feel my face beginning to shine with many beads of sweat. Slowly the train pulls out of the station. And slowly the smell of matches seems to permeate the compartment. The smell hits my nose and I instinctively want to hold in that last breath of breathable air. I realize I can’t hold my breath forever, and feeling like I can ignore the smell, I relax, until the tunnel. Dark, no ventilation, and the smoke pours into the open windows because it has no other place to go. It fills your nostrils; you shut your eyes in pain and you realize that riding a steam train isn’t all the Harry Potter movies make it out to be.
Glenfinnan Viaduct- I "borrowed" this from google images so that you all can see what I am writing about.
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