Non Topsfield
I’d planned to go to the Topsfield Fair today.
I didn’t make it.
I missed the train.
It’s my own fault. I cut it too close. I got to the station, bought my ticket, and headed to the train. Or what I thought was the train. North Station is under construction and I counted the tracks the wrong direction. The tracks aren’t marked inside the station, they’re only marked once you’re out on the platform, but I was in such a hurry, thinking the train was about to leave, I didn’t look at the platform signs. The only door not close because of construction is the door to Track 5. So I went through and went the wrong direction. (Who marks from right to left?) I got on Track 4 instead of Track 6. The train was empty, so I kept going farther and farther towards the front of the train looking for a conductor. When I got to the engine, I looked back and saw it was Track 4, so I hot-footed (i.e. hopped on the bike) it all the way back to the station to cut over two tracks. Then I heard the train whistle and it was pulling out. I almost jumped onto the train, but thought better of it as I couldn’t quickly figure out how to wrestle my bike onto a moving train.
So I’m home.
Working.
October 4th, 2006 at 1:06 pm
Boo work!
October 4th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
It was such a stupid thing, too. The train on Track 4 was empty, but I’ve often been on empty trains after rush hour, so I didn’t think much of it. One of the carriage doors was even open.
The horn went off right as I was turning the corner onto the right platform. I think I could have made it onto the moving train, but I might have lost the bike. Or been arrested. One or the other.
October 5th, 2006 at 11:04 am
Neither option sounds all too beneficial.
Are you going to try and go again?
October 5th, 2006 at 11:07 am
I think I’m going to try to go tomorrow. It won’t be 80 degrees though. But it ends on Monday, so it’s either tomorrow or some time on the weekend. Sunday looks possible, but the weekend Newburyport train schedule sucks.