Riding the Trains

Up it popped on a nostalgia site
South Australia way back when
Adelaide Station, I recall this sight
From when I was a boy, aged about ten.

Sharing a platform, all agleam
The Overland to Melbourne, great delight
And a Mt Lofty special getting up steam
SAR 522 -mountain engine of might.

As if to answer a young boy’s dream
I rode the Overland one fine spring
And the hills’ excursions with the idea of steam
to Belair picnics; hear the wheels sing.

When I was old enough to extend my range
The Red Hen became my frequent ride
From Albert Park to the beach at Grange
or Adelaide station with its platforms wide.

I remember the concourse with its clock in the centre
And climbing the ramp to busy city streets
And the staircase offering an extra place to enter
Topped by the pie cart with floaters for eats.

All is now changed as years have gone past
The station now houses a casino’s glory
While suburban trains still hold fast
And the platforms tell their story.