y now I was allowed to go virtually every Saturday to Newcastle Central station. I had two rail options to get there. By North Tyneside electric service from Benton station (on the lovely Metro-Cammell imits dating from 1937, with their ‘bucket seats’), or by the Alnwick stopper from Forest Hall station behind the last of the ‘D20’ 4-4-0s. Benton usually won, as the trains were eveiy 20 minutes, whereas there was only one morning Alnwick train at about 08.30am. I liked my bed on non-school days so this was too early for me, and anyway there was. only one option to come back in the afternoon. This was as the ‘D20s’, and even Forest Hall station, would be gone before many more months had passed. The cost for a ‘half return’ from Benton was 5d, or about 2p in modern parlance. (Even a Virgin super saver couldn’t match that for value!). Add on 1d for a platform ticket at the Central and
