Sometime in the early 50s my father tried his hand at another business venture by leasing the "Bahnhof-Gaststätte" in Croya, a no-horse-town deep in Lower Saxony's deepest hinterland.
April 1955 which means this photo was taken after our time in Croya
My memories of that time are vague but I know that it was before 1952 because I hadn't started school yet, and that I was popular with the local kids as I had unfettered access to all the sweets and soft drinks.
There was still a train running, although not as vintage as the one shown in the photo, when we left which wasn't long after. This was immediate post-war Germany and the 'Wirtschaftswunder' hadn't happened yet. The locals weren't even spending enough to keep the lights on and perhaps my giving away sweets and soft drinks to the gang didn't help either.
(Of course, had we stayed, my options in life would've been severely limited. There would've been no demand for an accountant, let alone a management consultant or computer programmer, in such a place. If I'd been lucky, I might have found work with a local farmer or in the nearby brickworks, and on weekends would've let off steam at the "Schützen Verein". Lucky for me, the Fickle Finger of Fate pointed elsewhere.)
Today the old railway station and guesthouse is a private home, perhaps owned by a railway buff who outgrew his model railway - click here.
Perhaps the new owner dreamed of being in charge of the level crossing like 'Schrankenwärter Laumann' - if the trains were still running today.
