Elaine had a good job working as a secretary for a legal firm in London. She travelled to and from work by train each day from her home in Luton, a journey of approximately forty minutes. The journey to work each day was usually made on a four car diesel train that had been built in the late nineteen fifties and were long overdue for retirement. They worked all the suburban services between London and Bedford and were dirty, noisy, smelly and very often late. They had a door to every seating bay on either side of the train which also made them draughty and the whole carriage would vibrate when stationary due to the engines slung underneath. The line was due to be electrified in 1982, but that was still two years hence.
Elaine always caught the same train to work each morning, the 7.54 from Luton due into St Pancras station at 8.32. From there it was just a five minute walk to her office in nearby Grays Inn Road. Coming home, it was a different matter. She could be catching a train anything between five and six o'clock in the evening, sometimes later.
Most evenings, she would catch the 5.36 service home. This was classed as an express service, for although it was formed by two of the elderly four car train sets coupled together, it had fewer stops than most of the other trains on the line and was due back into Luton at 6.15. Normally as she walked into the station she could hear it rattling away above all the other locomotives that were in the station at the same time which normally worked the longer distance services. She walked in one evening to find the train standing in its usual platform, but strangely silent. The gates to the platform had not been opened and people were milling around not quite knowing what to do. She joined the throng and stood for a few minutes. It was just gone half past five and there was still no sign of any movement. A man was in the driving cab nearest to the bufferstops. He appeared to be trying to start the engines, as every now and again they would splutter into life and then slowly die again.
Elaine knew there was another train at 5.45, but that stopped almost everywhere and would not get her home until nearly seven o'clock. There was also another train at 5.55 which could get her home by 6.45. That too had a few extra stops to the 5.36, but if they could get it going, she surmised, she would still be home by half past six. She didn't want to go and get on a different train and possibly watch her usual one go without her or pass her en route.
By twenty to six the decision had been made, not by her, but by the authorities and an announcement was made on the tannoy system.
"Calling Platform 2 and the booking hall, we are sorry to announce that the 17.36 service to Bedford Midland calling at St Albans City, Harpenden, Luton and Bedford Midland has tonight been cancelled due to an engine failure. Passengers for St Albans and Harpenden are advised to catch the 17.55 departure from Platform 4. Passengers for Luton and Bedford should catch the 17.49 departure from Platform 7. Please note that this train will call additionally at Luton this evening. Once again, the 17.36 for Bedford Midland is tonight cancelled due to an engine failure. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."
Platform 7 was on the opposite side of the station to where the original train was and Elaine made her way across the station concourse trying to dodge people that were rushing to catch the 5.45 train which was ready to depart, and also those arriving off another train at the next platform. The train she was heading for was one of the longer distance services and was formed of a locomotive hauling nine Inter City carriages. The locomotive which had brought the train in had been uncoupled and was standing with its engine idling waiting to follow it out of the platform. The first two coaches were first class with tables of two and four seats, and then came a first class compartment coach with four compartments, plus the guard's compartment and parcels area, next came the buffet car, followed by five open second class coaches with tables of four on each side of the aisle. The train was already full and there were no seats to be had anywhere and some people were already standing in the doorways. It was Friday night and people were heading home for the weekend. Elaine had reached the second coach behind the locomotive and she stepped in its forward door, excusing herself to people who were already standing there, and walked through the connecting doorway into the first coach.
The time for departure had almost come. The station announcer was still doing her thing.
"Platform 7 for the 17.49 departure to Derby, calling at Luton, Bedford Midland, Wellingborough, Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough and Derby. Please note this train will be calling additionally at Luton this evening. Platform 7 for the 17.49 to Derby."
A couple of doors slammed further down the platform, then a shrill whistle was blown, followed a few seconds later by a second one. The driver sounded the locomotive horn and the train eased gently away over the point work across the front of the station.
A few more people had joined the train after Elaine and she was now almost squashed against the interconnecting door. Slowly the train was picking up speed, lurching slightly as it passed over track joints and points, and Elaine had to adjust her feet to avoid overbalancing and falling. With a blast on its horn, the train plunged into a short tunnel. One of the door windows was open slightly and the noise was horrendous. She clutched her handbag tightly still trying to keep her balance as the train came out into daylight again and through Kentish Town station, over some more points and into the deep-walled cutting that led to Belsize Tunnel which, at just over a mile long, was the longest on her section of route. Elaine had been making the journey now for over four years and knew almost every inch of the route, the order in which the stations were located, certain landmarks and the tunnel names and their lengths from the name boards alongside. Another loud blast on the horn and the train was enveloped in the gloom of the long tunnel.
The noise was again horrendous, but that wasn't what was bothering her. She was sure that someone was touching her on her bottom. It felt as though someone was rustling her skirt. Elaine looked around as best she could trying to see who it might be. A small, balding man in his late fifties stood next to her. He was holding a copy of that day's London Evening Standard in his right hand, but where was his left one? Was it him? He gave her a sheepish smile and she was all set to slap his face and give him a mouthful when he brought his other hand up to his inside pocket and pulled out a ballpoint pen and started doing the crossword.
The train burst out into the daylight and rounded the curve through West Hampstead station. Still Elaine could feel her skirt being rustled. She tried looking over her other shoulder at a young man in a pin-striped suit, but he was clutching his briefcase handle with both hands. There was a man stood by the door and another lady and gentleman in front of her and people standing in the aisle down the carriage ahead so there was nowhere for her to go. Cricklewood station then followed and the train again lurched over the points leading into the train depot. The rustling briefly ceased, then restarted again. Down the long straight section under the North Circular Road towards Hendon Central sped the train. Elaine could feel the left hand side of her skirt slowly being hitched up, inch by inch. Her mouth went dry, her heart was pounding. By now the train was alongside the M1 motorway, effortlessly speeding past the cars, buses and lorries heading north. Somebody's hand was now rustling her underskirt from under her skirt. Mill Hill Broadway went by in a blur as did the motorway service station at Scratchwood before the train passed under the motorway and the horn again sounded a long blast heralding the entrance to Elstree Tunnel.
The tunnel was about two thirds of a mile long and within half a minute the train was once more in daylight and heading through Elstree and Borehamwood station. About half way through the tunnel, the wandering hand had found its way under her underskirt and was now rubbing against her nylon clad thigh. It was showing no signs of stopping however and was now foraging along the waistband of her tights. Elaine never saw Radlett station she was too concerned with what was happening to her. She was sweating nervously, she had her jacket fastened and her blouse underneath was clinging to her body.
The train driver had applied the brakes for the speed restriction through St Albans and Elaine knew now that barring any unexpected problems she would be back in Luton within ten minutes and free of her assailant. However, a lot can happen in that time. The train picked up speed again heading towards Harpenden and the hand also got bolder as it ventured inside the waistband of her tights and down the inside of her panties, feeling its way towards her most intimate and private area. She felt a couple of fingers brush through her pussy searching out the sacred entrance to her own deep tunnel. Once inside they started boring deeper and deeper, stimulating her juices.
Onwards past Harpenden the wandering fingers were doing their thing. Elaine could feel her whole body tensing, her juices building up inside her until they exploded and she came into her panties. She wanted to scream out in ecstasy but just managed to stifle it to a loud sigh. The small balding man heard her and smiled.
"Are you getting off here?" he asked quite innocently. Elaine felt like saying that she already had, but instead just nodded. The fingers had withdrawn rapidly when she had climaxed and she could now feel her juices saturating her panties and tights. She looked down to her skirt, worried that there might also be tell-tale signs on there. She had decided to wear a beige pleated knee length skirt that morning, but nothing was showing. She also wondered if her underskirt was damp but couldn't get to the toilet due to the number of people in front of her so she decided to wait until she got home as the train had now crossed the Lea Valley and the brakes were being applied for the Luton stop. The train manager's voice could be heard on the tannoy.
"Ladies and Gentleman, in a few minutes time, this train will arrive at Luton station. If you are travelling to Leagrave, Harlington or Flitwick please change here. Also alight here for the coach link to Luton Airport. If you are leaving the train here, please take a few moments to ensure that you have all your personal belongings with you. Thank you for travelling with us this evening and we apologise for the overcrowding on this service which was caused by the cancellation of an earlier service at St Pancras. On leaving Luton, the next stop on this service will be Bedford Midland. This is Luton."
