'Going on all right, ladies?' he called out, and he began smoothing back his hair. Never wore a cap, Clive; liked to give his locks an airing. I knew that he used Bancroft's Hair Restorer, but whether it was to stop going grey or bald I couldn't have said. Even though he was only thirty-five – which made him fourteen years older than me – both were happening to Clive, but in such a way that a fellow looking at him would almost wish to be a little on the grey and bald side himself.

Today he had on a blue suit that was different from the common run of suiting for some reason I hadn't been able to put a finger on, until he'd explained by saying, 'Poacher's pockets', which was no explanation at all, really. Clive wore a white shirt to drive in, where most settled for grey, and leather gloves, which were very nearly kid gloves, and also out of the common. He was a handsome fellow, I supposed, but it was more a question of dash – that and the natty togs.

'Care for a turn on the engine?' he called to the doxies, and pointed up at the footplate. They laughed but voted not to, climbing up with their bathtub into one of the rattlers instead. They both had very fetching hats, with one flower apiece, but the prettiness of their faces made you think it was more. For some reason they both wore white rosettes pinned to their dresses.

I looked again at the clock: eight-eleven.

I ducked back inside and reached across to the locker for my tea bottle… but I was vexed by the tin tub. They would be tied together all day carrying it. And what was it'or? I took a go on the tea bottle, then threw open the fire doors and looked at the rolling white madness. Nothing wanted doing there. The Highflyers had Belpaire boxes – practically fired themselves.

I fell to wondering about the man who'd built these beasts. The Railway Magazine would always tell you that Aspinall had 'studied at Crewe under Ramsbottom', but would never say who Ramsbottom was, and I imagined him as being left behind, sulking like a camel at Crewe while Aspinall rose to his present heights as Professor of Railway Engineering at Liverpool University, and General Manager of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.