Ten minutes in a railway station .............. Piccadilly July 14 2015 ..... timetables and questions of destinations

Now I like railway stations which are only bettered by airports.

It is that mix of bustle and purposeful determination on the part of the passengers passing through and of course the promise of adventures yet to come.

Added to which you just know that there are a whole lot of stories unravelling in front of you.

They start with those sitting patiently on the seats, waiting for their connection, working out the train time or just catching up on the last chapter of the book bought at Euston the day before.

And then there are all those hellos and goodbyes.

Some do it in style in those special rooms given over to priority ticket holders while others just catch a quick coffee, snatching a hurried conversation and worrying about the train time, the connection at Birmingham or just sad at leaving after just a short stay.

And amongst all the travellers there will be the confident ones who planned ahead, know to the minute when the train will depart and will have reserved their seats.

Others will be less sure checking the overhead notices twice and may be seeking extra confirmation from the staff in the small office on the platform.

I always like to think I am one of the former and but all too often I leave it to the last moment and then of course it costs more.

Or having pre-booked I still get to the station an hour before I need to, constantly  check my ticket against the ever changing train information and get through all the papers I bought for the journey.

But at least I am secure in the knowledge that no traffic jam or tram delay will make miss the train.

And then long before I need to I make my way to the

platform, patiently wait as my train is cleaned, and  restocked and then happily board fully aware that there will still be acres of time before we leave.

Today there will also be free internet connection and a socket for any of the electrical appliances I might take with me and above all a table.

All of which is so different from that last age of steam travel, but that I think is for another time.

Location; Manchester

Pictures; Ten minutes in a railway station .............. Piccadilly July 14 2015 from the collection of Andrew Simpson