The euphemism

is that 'the train has been involved in an incident, and the emergency services will be attending'. It wasn't this one, but the 0731 from New Street . 

I now know more than I wanted to about the procedure to be followed when somebody jumps in front of a train at full speed, what it sounds like, and how tragically often it seems to happen. There are the track issues, the forensic photography, the removal, discreetly; the train inspection, and finally the Fire Brigade arrive, and wait for the high-voltage overhead cable to be isolated so that they can wash down the cab. 

In the three hours all this took, I also learned nice things from the other three round the table. The lady who helps big companies behave nicely and ethically; the young Computer Science graduate (and OU Business student) from Hong Kong, via Stoke, who analyses traffic systems; and the quiet guy trying to get to Toronto. There'll be another  flight, tomorrow, from London. He grinned. 

I think we arranged to meet up again: seats 24&25, Coach C, 16 Feb 2017. We'll see. 

The journey home, on this smooth train for part of the way, was uneventful and fuelled with tea.