2 for the price of 1, plus the man who talks burgers!

As someone who works in retail thought I'd do a special offer in terms of challenges to FGW tonight.

1) Why do FGW insist on having 3 first class carriages on their fast services when they don't ever have enough passengers utilising the service to fill 1? This results in many normal travellers stood in standard aisles and vestibules whilst plenty of seats remain empty. Surely from a safety point of view it would be better to re direct standing passengers to these seats. Even better have the right number of relevant coaches, after all standard tickets cost enough! Sort it out.

2) why let a train leave the station, travel 200 yards then stop and wait 5 minutes for freight train to rumble over some points, before then progressing at a snails pace to the next station. This made us 10 minutes late by the first stop in the final leg of the journey. Why not give the passenger train priority at rush hour as I'm reliably informed by a pal of mine who is a self confessed transport nut, rather than making everyone late home. Mind you we all used our phones to contact loved ones, so maybe FGW has a deal with various phone networks to increase usage...or am I over analysing things a tad.

Well that's the moans, now for one of those only seen on a train commute. As I got on the packed train from Paddington and found a little space in the vestibule I saw a man looking out the opposite door. He was talking, and I assumed he must be in his phone. I assumed wrong. "your looking good," he said, "good enough to eat." Given he was staring at the blacked out windows of the train opposite I had 2 thoughts at this stage. One was he was a true train spotter, the second was he was talking to me, in which case I should move. Each to their own and all that but all that is not of interest to me. Then he continued "where to start though....the lettuce, the tomato, the bun, or the meat..." which he said almost adoringly. There was a rustle of paper then I saw him raise a burger from that well known chain, Burger King, to his lips. Whilst this was going on a lady joined us in vestibule. She gave a start when the man said "Mmmm so good...I want more of you," as he continued in his private world of food ecstasy. I think she thought for a moment he was talking to her. He became more ecstatic as he ate..."oh yes, this is what I wanted," and the lady leant across to me asking very quietly "Is he talking to his food?" The man was in a state of almost orgasmic delight and didn't hear me say "Yes, he really is." As the line in the film goes, I'll have what he's having.