We have to learnt to expect that trains will be punctual. After years of conditioning, most of us have developed an unshakable faith in railway timetables.
    我们已经习惯于相信火车总是准点的。在多年的适应之后，我们中的大多数都对火车时间表产生了不可动摇的信任。
    PS: After years of conditioning, 在多年的适应之后
    PS++: unshakable faith, 不可动摇的信任

    Ships may be delayed by storms; flights may be cancelled because of bad weather; but trains must be on time. Only an exceptionally heavy snowfall might temporarily dislocate railway services.
    轮船可能因为暴风雪而延期；航班可能因为坏天气而取消；但是火车一定是准时的。只有无法预期的严重降雪才可能短暂地打乱铁路服务。

    It is too easy to blame railway authorities when something does go wrong. The truth is that when mistakes occur, they are most likely to be ours than theirs.
    因为铁路服务出问题而指责当局是非常容易的。事实上，当问题发生时，问题更可能出现在我们这里，而不是当局那里。

    After consulting my railway timetable, I noted with satisfaction that there was an express train to Westhaven. It went direct from my local station and the journey lasted a mere hour and seventeen minutes.
    在我询问了我的铁路时间表后，我满意地了解到即将有一趟开往威斯特海温的快车。这趟车是直接从我当地的火车站开出，而且这趟旅程将持续1小时17分钟。
    PS: noted with satisfaction, 满意地

    When I boarded the train, I could not help noticing that a great many local people got on as well. At the time, this did not strike me as odd. I reflected that there must be a great many people besides myself who wished to take advantage of this excellent service.
    当我上车后，我不禁注意到好多当地人也上了车。那时，我还没觉得奇怪，我想除了我，一定也有很多人想要搭乘这趟快车去开启美妙的旅程吧。
    PS: could not help doing…, 不禁。。。
    PS++: strike me as odd, 使我觉得奇怪
    PS++++: take advantange of, 乘…之遍
    PS++++++: reflect, 反应，这里翻译成“觉得”

    Neigher was I surprised when the train stopped at Widley, a tiny station a few miles along the line. Even a mighty express train can be held up by signals. But the train dawdled at station after station, I began to wonder.
    当车在几英里外的威地里站停下的时候，我并不感到奇怪。即使是快车也可以被信号灯拦住。但是当火车在每个站都逐个往前挪动时，我就觉得奇怪了。
    PS: Neither否定意义副词，句子完全倒装

    It suddenly dawned on me that this express was not roaring down the line at ninety miles an hour, but barely chugging along at thirty. One hour and seventeen minutes passed and we had not even covered half the distance.
    我突然意识到这趟车并不是以每小时90英里的速度往前飞奔，而是慢慢走的，每小时仅30英里。1小时17分钟过去了，我们甚至未能走完一半路程。
    PS: It suddenly dawned on me that，我突然意识到
    PS++: cover, 覆盖，这里翻译成“走”

    I asked a passenger if this was the Westhaven Express, but he had not even heard of it. I determined to lodge a complaint as soon as we arrived. Two hours later, I was talking angrily to the station master at Westhaven.
    我问了其他乘客，这是不是开往威斯特海温的快车，但是他说没听过这车。我就决定当我们到站时，我就去投诉。两小时后，我生气地跟威斯特海温的站长说这事。
    PS: lodge a complaint, 投诉

    When he denied the train’s existence, I borrowed his copy of the timetable. There was a note of triumph in my voice when I told him that it was there in black and white. Glancing at it briefly, he hold me to look again. A tiny asterisk conducted me to a footnote at the bottom of the page. It said: ‘This service has been suspended.’
    当他否认了这辆快车的存在时，我向他借来了列车时间表的复印件。当我告诉他这趟车白纸黑字地写在时间表内时，我的语气中充满了胜利者的调子。他简单地瞟了一眼时间表，然后让我重新看一次。一个小小的星号将我的目光引向了页脚的一行说明上。它说：”此趟列车停止运营。”
    PS: a note of triumph, 胜利者的调子
    PS++: in black and white, 白纸黑字
    PS++++: suspend, 吊起，这里理解为“停运”。