It went thataway!

[Ponder]

A short story from about 10 years ago and learning to drive a train.

I was stood at the end of the platform at Cardiff and the London bound HST rolled in. As it stopped a bloke came up to me and my tutor driver and asked "Which end's the front mate?"

I was totally speechless! My colleague actually managed to keep a straight face and tell him, I've yet to find out how he managed it.

[yann]

That question can be rather amazing, but trains are tricky things. Depending on what he meant by the question, the correct answer could vary with how far he's going! For instance, the trains between Stockholm and Södertälje are this way. Despite Stockholm being north of Södertälje (söder=south), the front of the train as it arrives in either station is the north end. It reverses direction at the stop before Södertälje central station.