Jump to content
 

The human side of the railway...


Recommended Posts

  • RMweb Gold

I reckon Chris's head needs a new coat of something, I met him a couple of times last year but I hadn't realised the old super perm was down to the wood!

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

I've never ever associated Chris with Mark Knopfler

Telegraph road ' then came the trains and the trucks with their loads' " eer is there a a thausond on em?"

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Here's Eric, now a very regular operator of my Ely signalboxes. I had arranged for another visitor to bring along some box boards off of boxes he used to work. 

 

post-4034-0-18351100-1464339786_thumb.jpg

 

These boxes had closed in 1959, seven years before i was born. 

  • Like 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

And what a nice bloke Eric is. Its a pleasure to watch him work, it's like he has never been retired, and he is certainly defies his age.

 

Andy G

Link to post
Share on other sites

And what a nice bloke Eric is. Its a pleasure to watch him work, it's like he has never been retired, and he is certainly defies his age.

 

Andy G

Yes it's a real privilege to have him on board. He has mastered Ely North Junction and is looking forward to learning the others. Sometimes it's hard to remember he left the railway in 1966, the year i was born, and ENJ was his first real go at doing it again since then.

Link to post
Share on other sites

When you say the human side of the railway, it only appears to be only one half of the human race...Someone up-thread commented on the basic nature of the cabs and it occured to me too. While I don't think that everything needs to be 'prettied up', it appears there was not much thought for ergonomics, which can make a place like a cab a much safer place and not much thought of cleaning either.Anyway, not my photos, but some I thought of immediaty I saw the thread title St Pancras 1980-81 By Nick Sarebi

 

Women on the railways frequently get a hard time, and rotating shifts in Operations can be difficult, especially for relationships, as you are often rostered to work when family and friends have social events. Whilst swapping shifts is frequently indulged, taking a sickie is sometimes required. And every so often you get a new management type who clamps down on shift swaps and other unofficial flexible arrangements and then wonders why the absenteeism rate climbs.

 

Unlike other area of the economy where women frequently earn up to 20% less than their male colleagues for doing essentially the same job railway classifications at least means women and men get the same pay rate for the same job. Even so too many Neanderthals do not treat their female colleagues well, and far too many management types go out of their way to give females a hard time and senior managers who legally should know better are complicit in this attitude.

 

Ergonomic design is a nice idea, and from appearances the Cl 47 style cab layouts seem pretty good compared especially to the older EE nose cab designs, However I an aware from personal experience that getting sensible cab layouts, or other workplace designs is a very uphill battle for Union reps, as you frequently deal with well qualified ( and well meaning ) designers who will tell you in great detail why a design has to be and it is very difficault to convince these people that the way the location is actually worked, and the equipment and paperwork that needs to be utilised means that in practice their ergonomic design in some aspects is counterproductive to their intention. In my experience lighting, dimmers and stationary trays are a never ending scource of argument .

 

Women's bathrooms and locker rooms are another bugbear as they are frequently overlooked, or given a half hearted space which is totally inadequate and obviously not designed by a woman and all sorts of spurious reasons are trotted out with great vehemence as to why that is all they are going to get. I find this attitude to be totally unacceptable, especially when women have worked on the railway since at least 1850, they definately deserve a lot better.

 

Rant over, but I thoroughly enjoyed being both a railway worker and a Union rep, and I got to be well paid to play trains, wha more can a rail fan want ?

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

While I was searching for a photo for another thread I realised I had received a wave from the cab here

 

 

post-7081-0-19280900-1464773303_thumb.jpg

08958 works a short trip from Dagenham Dock to Ripple Lane, the cars are loaded on the prototype Procar80, 27/7/84

 

cheers 

  • Like 10
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

A rather more modern version at Glasgow Central

 

We've seen this on other threads before but worth a repost perhaps - drivers had changed somewhat by the late 70s!

 

post-7138-0-42107500-1464817459_thumb.jpg

 

Phil

  • Like 5
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Gold

By he looks young! Mind was a driver at 21 and probably looked a bit odd driving steel trains with pairs of 37s. (Especially with a mullet and mustache!)

Edited by russ p
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

By he looks young! Mind was a driver at 21 and probably looked a bit odd driving steel trains with pairs of 37s. (Especially with a mullet and mustache!)

I thought that was compulsory in the 1970's, together with the flares. :jester:

  • Like 2
Link to post
Share on other sites

Interesting. The chap in the black mac and beret looks a bit like Jack Hancock who was a Loco Inspector at the time and the Fireman looks familiar - Nidge might recognise him?I 

 

I'll ask on the Old Oak facebook page Mike, see what transpires... meanwhile, from the very same Old Oak page here are a few gems...

 

Photo by Peter Dixon, Didcot, Summer of '74...

post-7638-0-54019900-1465486582_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by James Dukes, unknown 81A fireman on 8420 at Padd...

post-7638-0-53857000-1465486702_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by Chris Guntripp / courtesy of Bob Dorkings, Drivers Harry Mears and Bill 'Gunner' James aboard 810 'Cockade' by the turntable...

post-7638-0-15769000-1465486811_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by Peter Dixon, Old Oak, Summer of '78, amongst the gathered throng are Alan Bricker, 'Fast' Eddie, Dai Harvey and Derek 'Fangs' Dyer...

post-7638-0-87754500-1465486983_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by James Dukes, Old Oak Driver Bertie Miles aboard the prototype HST...

post-7638-0-80210000-1465487050_thumb.jpg

 

Old Oak Driver Jack Rowe aboard a Warship by the turntable...

post-7638-0-64256900-1465487152_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by Brian Williams, D600 at Padd with Old Oak crew and guard...

post-7638-0-76570100-1465487244_thumb.jpg

 

Photo courtesy of Peter Dixon, Old Oak men Derek 'Fangs' Dyer, Peter Dixon and Don Perry at Swindon in 1978...

post-7638-0-77053500-1465487339_thumb.jpg

 

Photo courtesy of Lynne Hebborn, Old Oak Driver Joe Ward and Fireman Charlie Merret with 'KGV' at Padd on 29th January 1956...

post-7638-0-81319100-1465487439_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by John Lewis, D1028 'Western Hussar' at Ranelagh Bridge with Harry Bliss, Dick Jones, JR Williams and John Lewis...

post-7638-0-45287700-1465487546_thumb.jpg

 

Photo courtesy of James Dukes, James with Driver Charlie Newton...

post-7638-0-10406900-1465487637_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by John Lewis, time for a chat and a brew at Ranelagh Bridge...

post-7638-0-70718600-1465487692_thumb.jpg

 

Photo by Rusty Perry, time to change the light bulbs at Padd, 1977...

post-7638-0-73901600-1465487782_thumb.jpg

  • Like 19
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...