ABSTRACT
As soon as these four simultaneous operations are concluded, directions are given by the station-master to remove the upcarriages from their position, that the rails may be clear for the arrival of the next train. At this word of command a pilotengine, darting from its lurking place like a spider from its hole, occasionally hisses up to the rear of the train, and drags it off bodily into a siding. The usual mode, however, of getting an in-train out of the way is by the assistance of various unnoticed turn-tables, upon which portions of it are standing. By these simple contrivances the carriages, after being unhooked from
each other, are rapidly carried off into the sidings, where they are arranged, according as they may afterwards be required, among the five sets of rails which lie between the opposite platforms of the arrival and departure trains. No sooner, however, do they reach this haven, than,jtf/!$/y, a large gang of strong hehousemaids, clattering towards them in wooden shoes and in leather leggings rising above their bony knees, are seen advancing ; some with mops in their hands, others with large chamois leathers, while others are carrying on their shoulders a yoke, from which are suspended in equilibrio two pails. From pipes on each side of these five sets of rails water is immediately drawn off, and the busy operation of washing then begins. Half a dozen dusty, dirty-faced, or rather dirty-bodied, carriages are simultaneously assailed on each of their sides by wet mops flying up, down, and around in all directions. The wielders of these, be it noticed, are so skilful in their vocation, that, while they are talking to their " pailers," they with great velocity continue to mop round the wood-work of the various-shaped plate-glass windows just as vigorously and as accurately as if they were looking at them ; indeed, it is evident that they know the position of railwaycarriage doors, windows of all forms, handles, steps, &c., so accurately, that they could mop a coach clean in the dark$—and probably they often go through these motions when they are asleep, just as King Richard III. in his dream called for his horse and for linen bandages-just as the sleeping orator ejaculates portions of his last speech-and just as an equally tired outstretched fox-hound during the night occasionally convulsively kicks with his uppermost hind leg and yelps aloud when he thinks of the view he got of Renard as he first gallantly broke away from gorse. It may possibly not be known to some of the most fashionable of our readers that among " moppers" there exist the same gradations which so distinctly separate other classes of society. A " first-class mopper" would on no account demean himself by mopping a second-class carriage, and in like manner a "second-class mopper" only attains that distinction after he has for a sufficient length of time been commissioned to mop horse-boxes and common luggage-trains.
