HALF a century of commuting would not seem much of a reason to celebrate for most people.

But Roy Lawson has fond memories of the train journeys he has taken during the last 50 years, first from north London and then from Harpenden, into the City.

And, last week, Thameslink marked the occasion with a cake and a bottle of champagne.

Mr Lawson, 65, of Manland Way, was also given the chance to travel up to London in the driver's cab.

He said: "I was so surprised, the whole thing was unexpected.

"I have always wanted to go in the cab. It was fascinating.

"You can see the bends in the track and the driver explained about the different speeds and the way the signals work."

Mr Lawson first got the train into Farringdon Station for work when he was 15, in August 1948.

His early journeys were from Kingsbury, north London. When Mr Lawson, who works in the jewellery trade, and his wife, Sally, made the move to leafy Harpenden in 1962, his destination remained the same, Farringdon Station.

But both his fares and the types of train have changed over the years.

The fare for a day return was one shilling and nine pence in the early days. In 1962, when he moved to Harpenden, the charge was £7 and six shillings a month.

Today, the weekly season ticket costs £60.

For the first two years of commuting from Harpenden, Mr Lawson remembers catching steam trains.

Later, the conversion was made to diesel electric trains, which he said were unreliable, and finally to overhead electric trains.

Today, Mr Lawson claims he has few grumbles with Thameslink.

"Thameslink provide a very good service.

"No, the journey times have not really changed over the years but it is much more crowded now.

"I will be giving it up soon; I have only six months left to go before I retire."

In the meantime, Mr Lawson will be able to reminisce about his half a century on the trains.

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