Off The Rails

Welcome to his first, but I hope not his last, column which takes a sideways view at the world of Holmes, with just a little bias to the railways in the Canon. I am often asked two questions, namely what first prompted me to become interested in Holmes and to write the series of ‘London Walks’ booklets; and second, why run a Holmesian railway society for surely there cannot be enough material to sustain the interest of members and keep such an enterprise alive and well? I will, as award ceremonies have often set as precedent, give my answers in reverse order.

Railways are used many times in the Canon, and mentioned even more frequently. Who could forget that Moriarty engaged a ‘special’ to pursue Holmes to the Continent in The Final Problem, or that one of Moriarty’s brothers was, himself, a railway employee (The Valley of Fear)? What about the body of the unfortunate Cadogan West which was placed on top of an underground carriage in The Bruce-Partington Plans, the travels of which have been the subject of so much speculation in our own publication, The Sherlock Holmes Railway Jounral?

Then there are the railway routes described in the Canon to consider. For example, exactly which route did Holmes and Watson take on that fateful journey to the Continent in The Final Problem, and would it still be possible to travel the same route today? The answer to the latter question is, sadly, ‘no’. Unfortunately the same answer would obtain for most of the routes cited in the Canon. Certainly the search for veiled places – such as Darley Dale – can be great fun and involve deductive reasoning worthy of the great man himself. Personally I have always wanted to conduct a survey of all the hostelries in Essex to find the real Railway Arms of The Retired Colourman fame. Others though, may prefer to study those wonderful railway illustrations by Paget et al, or to examine the timetables, or the history of the stations and their architecture, or to use (more normally to abuse) some of the preserved railways when shooting Sherlock Holmes for the silver screen or television. Certainly visiting these centres of Victorianess is a highlight for many, for there really is something for everyone.

While living as a student during the 1980s on the 13th floor of a hall of residence in central London I found, to my delight, that from my window not only could I see many of those great railway cathedrals used by Holmes, which in many ways have been left alone from the endless march of progress (as has most of the British Railways coaching stock I might add), but that I could also walk to most of them within a few minutes. I then started reading the various adventures of Sherlock Holmes and discovered that many of the cases took place only yards from my front door! I had always enjoyed pre- and post- prandial strolls through the City, especially at the weekends when it was free of people, so I took to exploring and mapping these various areas of London. From here it was but a small step to join all the dots together and write my findings into the four walks booklets which our society now publishes.

As for my own railway interest; I much prefer travelling by express train, preferably in the restaurant car, en route to some far flung exotic place visited by Holmes (Willesden Junction?) where it is really better to travel hopefully than to arrive. Indeed, this probably sums up most of the outings I have organised for the Irregular Special Railway Company over the years. Alternatively I enjoy travelling at a more sedate speed in preserved Pullman cars in which our society performs our Holmesian murder mystery evenings for dining passengers. These have now become most successful with two scripts (The Wealden Pullman Theft and The Wealden Pullman Mystery) and companion guides. As for how I very first became interested in the world of Sherlock Holmes, itself, I must confess that this was the result of a, or more appropriately at the time, THE woman. This, though, I fear is a story for which the world is not ready, or at least not until a future column.