Arnold Ridley

The Ghost Train was originally written for the stage by Arnold Ridley. People in the UK will remember him as the kindly, bumbling Private Godfrey in the classic Tv comedy series, Dad's Army, which for those beyond the shores of Britain was a long-running 1970s show about the antics of a Home Guard platoon in a fictitious southern England seaside town.

Before that he had a regular part in another iconic British series, this time a radio one, The Archers. He was the local baker, Doughie Hood.

People who remember Arnold as a shuffling, rather effete individual in his role as Pte Godfrey might be surprised to learn that in his youth he was a first class rugby player who played for Bath RFC.

The way Arnold came to write the play is unusual. He was waiting at a windswept railway station on the northeast edge of Bristol that rejoiced in the superbly bucolic-sounding name of Mangotsfield. In fact, remains of the station buildings still exist as Mangotsfield is now situated on the Bristol to Bath cycling/walking path along the path of the former trackbed.

The station was situated within a triangle of railway lines: the Midland main line from Bristol to Birmingham and a spur line to Bath Green Park. On that misty evening long ago Arnold heard the approach of what he thought was his train. The noise grew louder but there was no sign of the train. After a few moments the train noise began to fade and eventually solitude reigned again.

Arnold was puzzled at first but enquires revealed that he had heard (but not seen because of the mist) a train using the spur line on the other side of the triangle.

This gave him the idea for The Ghost Train.