Agatha Christie Loves Trains

This map, used in the beginning of the
 Agatha Christie's Poirot production of
"Murder on the Links," 
adorns a wall in the Deauville Train Station.

Trying to decide where to spend your next vacation? Then consider Deauville, a romantic seaside town in France. It's a historic town with a rich history in sports and cinema. The local casino may even have inspired Ian Fleming to write his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.

While there are other ways to travel, there's no better way to arrive in Deauville than by train. With the steam engine chugging and hooting, and the passenger cars gently rocking you from side to side, you can drink in the beautiful French scenery rolling past your window, without worrying if you'll make the appropriate turns without getting lost. Plus, you won't have to worry about where to park your car. 

If, like Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's novel The Murder on the Links, you discover that you need to make a quick journey to Paris, Deauville's train station can accommodate you. If, like Hercule Poirot in the Agatha Christie's Poirot TV adaptation, you decide to visit London instead, the train station can help you reach that famous city as well. In fact, whatever your needs, you'll find the porters and station staff ready to render any assistance you require, from carrying your golf clubs to telling you when suspects in a murder investigation arrived or departed. They'll even happily summon a cab for you to transport you to wherever you might be staying. 

As trains formed a crucial part of the transportation system in Agatha Christie's day, they frequently featured in her novels. This proved the case not only for her stories set in France, where events in The Murder on the Links took place, but also those set in England. During our stay outside Torquay, we discovered that our hotel lay directly across from a train station. 

While we relaxed in our comfortable room, and the sumptuous bar (or, if you prefer, pub), we would often hear the whistle of a train arriving or departing, and the bellowing of its mighty steam engine. At the time, I regarded the sounds as something of a distraction, as we were usually exhausted from a day's worth of sightseeing and travel when we returned to our night's lodging. So I never thought to photograph these magnificent old trains that help transport visitors to Agatha Christie's stately vacation home of Greenway. 

If I return to Torquay, I'd love to take one of those magnificent steam trains. Should I ever visit Deauville, taking a train is a transportation option I would definitely consider. Who knows? My wife and I might find ourselves sitting across the aisle from some interesting and convivial people, such as Captain Arthur Hastings, and his indomitable friend Hercule Poirot.

Dragon Dave