h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I travelled in a compartment once, when I went to my first h2g2 meet--it was a line going to Croydon, where Serephina lives.

Fortunately, I'm not claustrophobic, but I still hated the experience.

Love your entry, it's really fascinating.

I'm glad you enjoyed the entry! Was the compartment you were in crowded at the time, or was it empty?

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I think it was empty, but we were several people, so it was crowded then. IIrc, it seated only six people? It felt like sardines in a tin, really.

It's probably mainly a matter of what you're used to. I had never before been on a train like this (and I hope I never will again).

You don't normally see compartment carriages except on heritage railways, so you were (un)lucky to travel in one.

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I enjoyed the experience of a compartment carriage when I travelled to London in the early 1990s, but I think that was because of the novelty value. It did only seat six people, so it was crowded with my family in it (four people) plus an MP with his red briefcase.

It was more uncomfortable for the MP than for us, most likely The MP sat reading a newspaper for a while, but at one point he extricated himself and bought a cookie from the shop. We then watched him eating it. When he had finished, my dad squeezed out, went out to the shop and bought us all cookies too!

Ah – so it was a corridor compartment, not purely compartment where the only time you can go anywhere is when the train is at a station.

I take you hadn't planned to travel with an MP?

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Ah, yes a corridor compartment carriage. I think that might have been the trip we did where we planned to visit the Houses of Parliament, but we certainly didn't plan to travel with an MP (and the MP certainly didn't plan to travel with us ). Fair play to him, the train was quite busy so his was the only compartment with four seats free, but if it was that bad he could have moved to a compartment with three adults in, and he didn't.

Was it a journey from the Wirral down to London, then? That's quite a long way. So were you on your best behaviour that day? The MP may well have had children and not mind too much – you don't happen to know which MP it was?

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It was Liverpool to London, so it was a long way. Not sure what the MP for Ealing Acton was doing up there, but anyway. My sister and I were on our best behaviour indeed apart from our cookie envy I see Sir George does have four children, and his youngest is only five years older than me, so he wouldn't have minded two children in the compartment, no.

For a second I was picturing what life would be like if the MP for Sesame Street was the Cookie Monster and was represented in the House of Lords by Count von Count, known to his friends as 'The Count'.

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