Are You Free?

[Daft Bat]

If you take a peek at the 1881 census, living at “Fairfield” in Thurlow Park Road, near West Dulwich Station was Arthur Ashwell and his family. Living so close to the station was very convenient for travelling across south London and, it was on one of these journeys that Arthur was travelling between Herne Hill and London, when an idea struck him.

Although some of the trains had toilets on board, one never knew whether or not it was occupied. Arthur’s bright idea was to create a “vacant/engaged” toilet lock so as to avoid potentially embarrassing situations.

Therefore, it was today, 17th February, back in 1883, that Arthur patented his lock, which incorporated a rotating disk indicating whether or not the facilities were being used.

 

[Archie's Mum]

I wonder if there was a sign on the door ‘Please do not use toilet when train is stationary at the railway station’. Like ours did.

 

[Bay Horse]

I wonder if there was a sign on the door ‘Please do not use toilet when train is stationary at the railway station’. Like ours did.

I remember having a very enlightening conversation with my mother about this when I was little, on a train to Plymouth.

 

[AnnB]

I remember having a very enlightening conversation with my mother about this when I was little, on a train to Plymouth.

I seem to remember having the same conversation - with my mother, not yours, I hasten to add

 

[Archie's Mum]

I remember having a very enlightening conversation with my mother about this when I was little, on a train to Plymouth.

We used to travel by steam train when I was little from Sydney to Lismore NSW. The train would leave a bit after 7 pm, if I remember and not arrive in Lismore until around 12 the next day. It would stop at almost every station along the way to pick up or drop off. That’s a lot of stations where you had to ‘hold on’ as a kid.