GREAT BRITAIN: The Train That Went

Palace Gates is a spur-line railway station in the drab reaches of London's northern suburbs. Into Palace Gates one morning last week panted the little two-coach train which invariably leaves at 10:15 for Seven Sisters, where commuters invariably set down at 10:21 on the dot, transfer to the main line to London's financial district. With a few minutes to spare, Driver Percy Playle and his fireman left the cab for a quick cup of tea.

While they were gone, at exactly 10:14, the ancient steam engine began to huff & puff, and without a human soul aboard,...

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