Last Sunday I was deeply attracted by the classic train at the beginning of the film “Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”.Even without stream-line, the locomotive looked elegant with its long barrel, a larger chimney at the very front for exhaust smoke of burning coal and a smaller one behind for steam. Its wheels were driven by the few bars like strong arms attached to them from the engine. The steam engine was so powerful that it could pull a line of carriages behind it.
Please double-click the photo to see the train better.
The children, Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter sat in a small compartment of the train with long seats face to face. It provided privacy for them unlike our modern trains in Hong Kong.
The medium small station they passed along the way looked much better than ours in Hong Kong in the old days. I remember that the small stations (such as Ma Liu Shui and even Shatin in the 50’s or 60’s) along the railway line of the New Territories were too primitive with just a small booking office for selling tickets and a raised platform without cover for rain or strong sunlight.
To the children in the story, they did not enjoy the journey on the countryside because they were sent away by their parents for safety to a place far from London.
It must be enjoyable to travel on a train like this in the English countryside if it is not at time of war.
1 comment:
It is always a beautiful picture of a train running through the countryside filled with natural scenaries.
Thomas the train engine is always fascinating for children.
Near the Blue Mountain but further away there is this tourist attraction of the Zic Zac train. Periodically the train would be a real Thomas the train engine where parents and children could be taken to a special playground.
Post a Comment