A missed train

My train from Blackpool Pleasure Beach had been delayed by half an hour due to a signalling failure at Kirkham.  So when we arrived in Preston, there was ten minutes, instead of the usual forty, until my connecting train arrived.
  At this point, I decided to do something that I had never occurred to me before, something that seemed pointless and time wasting and fun.
  I deliberately Missed my train.

This self sacrificing move left me stranded for an hour and ten minutes in Preston. I wasn't in a rush, and had given myself some time to kill.
  I thought of all the things i could possible do while i was in Preston for this prolonged period of time.
  in truth, i enjoyed my forty minutes break. it made a nice stopper between the two trips, and i could pick up a Nero's and walk to the Waterstone's and back. and i wasn't in any hurry to lose it.
  i thought about all the people you see in their suits rushing for the trains, when they are missing the place they have stopped at. you never know what you might find here. I have only been to Preston properly once, about seven or so years ago, and looked forward to a bigger explore.

I started with a trip to Nero's.

As I was heading there, I thought of all the things I could do with my extra time. I could buy something new, or start a conversation with someone I have never even met!
  But I wanted to start with the norm, so off to Nero's. But I wasn't taking away, oh, no. I sat in. I baught a sandwich aswell.
  I sat eating, smiling to myself at the thaught that I should really be in Leyland by now - the joys of train truancy had started to kick in. I felt slightly special, going against the norm.
  As the train arrived at Wigan, I arrived at HMV. Having not really been to Preston in a while, I was going to stay on the main road, towards Waterstone's. I didn't want to get lost.
  There wasn't much in HMV, so I left, walked to Waterstone's, and went back to the station.
 
OK. So it sounds almost exactly like what I used to do. It was, really, with some small changes. But the important thing is that I wasn't on the train. I had opted for a slow day as opposed to a rushed one. I had done something different form the recommended. Experimenting with society and collapsing train civilisation.
  So when the departures board displayed that the next Train to liverpool was Delayed indefinitely, I was the only one still smiling.
 
  This time I sat in Preston station café - since the train could arrive at any movement, I didn't want to wander off - occaisonally reading NME, drinking a big tea, and writing this down in my notebook.
  The signal failure at Kirkham was still raging on, thus delaying all trains going that way. At the other tables people were phoning their bosses or mates.
 after about half an hour my train arrived, and this time I got on.