Exchange Street station, 1970s
Great memories of that place. My great Grandfather used to live right behind Exchange, Leeds St. He was ancient, well into his hundreds when he died. Always had a roaring fire going even in summer, used to make us kids sit next to it to keep warm in the middle of July. Then he'd pick out he's bets and send us the bookies to put them on for him. He used to write in that dead old squiggly way that the aul ones did then. He'd sit there, glasses on, with a magnifying glass and one of them little key ring torches, picking out bets, smoking woodbines and spitting huge yokkers on the fire.
PS... he'd give me a few coppers for running the bookies. There was a huge old Victorian machine/press thing in Victoria. Just wondering if anyone else remembers it. It looked like a huge scales, big massive dial with letters on. Levers moved a big arrow/finger to the letters, and another lever pressed the letter into a piece of metal. It used to make dog tag looking things. It sort of fascinated me as a kid. I love the technology, but I miss all that aul shite, an all. Like the pipes in Blackers. I know a few of the aul arses remember them.
