Welcome to the fun, "irreverent & informative", award-winning London Underground - Tube Blog.
Click here for other London Underground guidance. Contact me here

Going Underground's Blog
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Annie Mole's, daily web log (blog) & “guide” to the London Underground
If you like this you'll LURVE One Stop Short of Barking, the fun and informative book about travelling
on the London Underground.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Pissed on / Pissed off

I was gutted... sooo gutted & pissed off that I did not have my camera with me (for once) when going home last night to take a photo of what I'm about to describe.

I went via Richmond, which I don't normally do and was changing from the tube to the train there. As I got off, I noticed a tramp on the platform that started harrassing a suited city gent type for money.

It was quite a hardcore down-and-out sort of guy, he had a long tangled messy beard, his clothes were all just filthy, he was carrying what once used to be a white duvet over his shoulder, and he smelt quite disgusting as I walked past even at quite a distance so as to avoid him.

Oh, and he was drunk and was clutching the almost obligatory can of super-tennants in one hand.

I walked past, ignored him, forgot about it, but was still up in the concourse area (checking out train times) a few minutes later when I heard a commotion back down on the District platforms.

The drunk/tramp in question was now merrily taking a piss, standing on the edge of platform and weeing merrily down onto the tracks.

My first thought was "He'd better be a good aim, or he's gonna get 400V shooting up through a senstive part of his body", my second thought was "That's going to annoy the driver of this train coming in now, isn't it?"

And indeed ... a train was attempting to pull into the platfrom where the chap was having his leak. So the driver edged the train up really slowly to where the guy was, leaned out of his window, and offered some suggestful advice that the guy might like to cease from peeing on the track, or he'd have him removed from the station.

But the tramp had other ideas, and so stuck two fingers up at the driver who had to sit and wait a few more seconds until he'd finished his business and went back and collapsed on the bench on the platform.

The driver brought the train in, and I watched him as he spoke to the station supervisor to go about getting security down to turf the guy out of the station. Whilst he's doing this, I notice the tramp pick up his grubby belongings and stagger onto the now empty train that the driver's just brought in.

The driver comes walking back throgh the concourse towards his train. "Er.. you might like to know he just got on the third carriage down mate", I say to him

"He's not staying on my bloody train!" he replied and walks down to the carriage in question to go and find him.

It takes a moment for the security people to wander down too, and I'm just pointing them in the right direction of where to go as they get to me when we all hear "Fight! fight! fight!" - and we all turn and look at a bunch of guys (passengers) on the platform, pointing and waving at the third carriage down.

We all run down, and catch the tail end of what I suspect was the drunk taking a swing at the driver, and in a blur, the security guys storm the train, ping the drunk down and drag him off the train as he's yelling and screaming at them. The driver chips in with a few more verbal suggestions of his own, dusts himself down and walks back to the front and gets in the cab.

"This would never happen back home!" offers up one of the three who'd seen it - a bunch of New Zealand guys, who I then got chatting to and who seemed quite amused by the whole episode.

"That's because you don't have super tennants" I said, and with the smell still lingering in the air of tramp who was now being carried through the barriers by the two brave security guys of Richmond station, I scurried off to catch my train home.

Who'd want to be a driver eh?

Cartoon by Ralf Zeigermann from One Stop Shrot of Barking


; Posted by Anonymous Saturday, February 05, 2005 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2005/02/pissed-on-pissed-off.html
NEWER POSTS ........ OLDER POSTS

"The magic, mystery & sometimes maddening shortcomings
of London's Tube are documented with love,
enthusiasm & sometimes despair by its unofficial social historian."
The Guardian

"On some mornings it can feel like the only reason to be grateful that the Tube exists"
Time Out

"a big hit on the Web...one of London's obsessives"
Metro

"an irreverent and informative
must-read for everybody, not just subterranean commuters"
The Times

"More trivia than hard corporate news, but often amusing."
The Times 50 Best Business Blogs

"Great stories, always well written with loads of fascinating trivia & tidbits.
One of the few London blogs I try to read on a daily basis."
Qype

One of Time Out's 50 Best London Websites

Finalist in 2007 Bloggies
Finalist - Best British or Irish
Blog - Weblog Awards 2007

Don't blame me, I didn't vote Boris Johnson - T shirts, pants & mugs

Annie Mole

Create your badge

Follow anniemole at http://twitter.com/anniemole

WINNER
Winner of World's Hottest Urban Blogger and 2nd place in World's Best Urban Blog

Best UK Blog - Finalist in Weblog Awards 2005
Finalist - Best UK Blog
Weblog Awards 2005

Finalist for Best British & Irish Blog AND Best Topical Blog - Better luck next year!
Finalist in 5th Annual weblog awards - Bloggies 2005
Best British or Irish Blog
& Best Topical Blog



Webby Award Honoree
as part of the
9th Annual Webby Awards


 
SEARCH THIS SITE




ARCHIVES

Latest Entries
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003

FAVOURITE LINKS
London Underground Blog's Fundraiser for the London Bombings

Londonbloggers - every
blog featured by its
proximity to tube stations!

London Reconnections - Public transport projects in London - trying to update the above

Tubechallenge

London TravelWatch

The Last Rounds Project

London Underground News

TripHunter - Travel & Hotel tips

One Stop Short of Barking - London Underground Book
Fun new London Underground book out in September 2004 - One Stop Short of Barking - London Underground Book
One Stop Short of Barking Reviews
Metro
London Tonight - video
What's On In London Magazine
Angel Magazine
e-motion Magazine
The Green Magazine
Foyles Xmas Catalogue
Richmond Magazine

Been there, Seen that, Buy the T shirt, Mind the Gap

A Yahoo Pick of Day - May 1st 2004

Highly Commended in
The Guardian British Blog Awards 2003

Highly Commended!

follow anniemole at http://twitter.com/anniemole

BLOGS THAT MENTION MINE OR
GOINGUNDERGROUND
Cold Spring Shops

The Cartoonist
Neil Gaiman's (author of Neverwhere) blog
Londonist
Augustine's Blog
Where Worlds Collide
The Aardvark Speaks
funjunkie
autoblography
Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind
moosifer jones' grouching
anglosaxy
Rat and Mouse
Joe in Vegas
Collin Kelley
Jon Choo's Blog
rabbitchick
Virginia Gal
Cowfish
Random Reflections
Richmond Transits
Underground Gal
London Daily Photo
Pigeon Blog
Seoul Man
Life with an accent
Petrona
The Londoneer
L J Rich - Geek Chic
London Review of Breakfasts
Tory Troll
Dave Hill's London Blog
Smaller than Life
The London Word
Ianvisits
Something to be said
Fake Plastic Noodles
Tikichris
Tired of London, Tired of Life
The Great Wen
Railway Eye
London Moving
ASLEF Shrugged
the antonine itineraries

OTHER BLOGS I LIKE
Writing Ourselves Well
Margaret Hamlin's Art Portfolio
Margaret Hamlin's blog
Peter Kenny: the daywork
CONTACT ME
Contact me
WEBRINGS
< # Blogging Brits ? >
<< ? Verbosity # >>
< ? blogs by women # >

MISC
A selection of UK Blogs
from UK Blogs Aggregator
Comments tool by
Haloscan

Been there, Seen that, Buy the T shirt, Mind the Gap

My top tube reads
Keith Lowe's novel Tunnel Vision

Novel 253

Fun new London Underground book out in September 2004 - One Stop Short of Barking - London Underground Book

My top tube DVD
Tube Tales, £4.99 a bargain!

This page is powered by Blogger. Is yours?

Get Firefox! - This blog opens like a dream with Firefox!

The British Bloggers Directory.

Blogwise - blog directory

Blog Flux Directory

Travel Blog Top Sites


follow anniemole at http://twitter.com/anniemole

Don't blame me, I didn't vote Boris Johnson - T shirts, pants & mugs

Sponsor my Circle Line hike for Cancer charity