"Good Lord!" I said. "That was a red light, and you've gone on!"
Instead of kicking me out on the metals, as he should have done, he smiled and remarked:
"Wrong signal! That red light governs the loop line!"
Safe! On we thundered triumphantly Ealing-wards, with the green lights smiling a benediction on us, telling us that the next ahead was at least a minute ahead, telling the next behind that we, in our turn, were sixty seconds on the right side of safety.
"Do you ever get bored with driving the Ealing express?"
"No," replied the driver, "I like it! I wanted to do this ever since I became a conductor. Most conductors want to be drivers. The first time you take a train out alone is what you might call a bit of excitement, but it soon wears off."
"You don't feel as though you were flying?"
"No, you soon lose that feeling."
"You never get the wind up?"
"No, you can't go wrong if you keep your eyes open and your repair bag in good order!"