What a journey

Yesterday I had to go to Grantham for my annual eye test. I always go there because I have the same optician testing my eyes.
 My appointment was for 9.10.am. I expected there would be a little delay because of what is commonly called the School Run.
 I didn't expect the amount of traffic I encountered. I hit trouble about 4 miles out of Grantham and from then it was nose to tail with the traffic moving at a snails pace. Needless to say I was a little late for my appointment but to be honest I was seen to almost immediately. When I saw the optician I told him that the traffic had been the worst I have ever seen it, he then informed me that there had been an accident on the main A1 and it has caused havoc. Some of the young ladies working there had not arrived and were still stuck in traffic on the A1.
 Anyway the examination went well ans surprisingly  enough he told me that for this time nothing was needed and that things would be left for another year but if I had any problems contact him immediately.
 We shook hands and off I went to the Supermarket. I was disappointed because there was no skimmed milk, on asking a supervisor about the milk situation I was informed that they were waiting for a delivery. I bought a few other things then went to fill up with fuel and off to see my Sisters.
 It was there that I got the information that the A1 was closed in both directions and that there had been an accident at Claypole. I didn't say anything about it but Claypole bought back memories.
I eventually left and made my way home, it was not until Look North came on at 6.30pm. that the news came on and it was that 2 people had died in the crash at Claypole. I then thought of the time I was on the Railway and this accident happened.
 We had a job that entailed travelling in the compartment to York, relieving a crew from Newcastle and taking a train of empty coaching stock to Grantham where we would get relieved and a London crew would take the stock to it's final destination.
As we waited on York Station I notice a Driver who was hanging around, I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was learning the road form York to Grantham. That is learning where the signals and signal boxes are. I asked him if he would like to travel with us back to Grantham. He looked at me and told me he was not prepared to stand all the way . I told him he could have my seat and I would stand, it was only about 2 hours maximum anyway.
 He said that he would accept my offer so when the train arrived we all got on.
 Everything went smoothly until we came to Claypole, I was standing directly behind my Driver and we noticed some flame suddenly appear from nowhere. We both thought that someone had lit a coal fire to boil a kettle of water. How wrong we were.
 We arrived at Grantham and was shunted to the slow road and then thought we would be waiting for our relief.
 To my surprise I heard a voice, it was the Loco Foreman and his words were. "Do you know you've killed somebody at Claypole?" We then realised that the flame was not a fire for boiling a kettle but it had been a motor cycle that had obviously ignited.
 What had apparently happened is that a man with a motor bike had decided to go through a crossing, there were many of these. They were not level crossings but a crossing for people and cycles. The gates were sprung so that you could open them but if you let them go they would immediately shut.
It was obvious that he didn't notice us at all.
What happened then was the steam engine was unhooked from the train, taken to the loco where I had to empty the firebox and get it ready for a place of safety. There it would be left until the Board of Trade examiner had inspected the engine.
 Needless to say there was a Coroners Inquest which we both attended but no blame whatsoever was attached to us at all.
 It is funny how it bought it all back to me and this happened well over 50 years ago. More soon.