Area manager at Orpington circa early to mid 80's?

[w124bob]

I  moved to Orpington for promotion in the spring of 1983, on moving away at the end of 1986 to Manchester Victoria the then area manager had a quick chat with me. He had started his railway career at Newton Heath as a cleaner, he wished me well and handed me a list of names of those he knew in those early days as an engine cleaner. Of the names on the list around half a dozen were still around. Sadly I can't remember the area managers name can anyone help.

[Oldddudders]

David Jones had been AM in the early '80s, but he was a South Western man, having been SM at Seaton. I don't know who succeeded him. The Area Ops Manager was Tom Burch, I think, and Ben Dyer may have been TrainCrew Manager - he was ex-WR footplate. Sadly, emphysema took him early. 

 

Edit : Fred Collinson may also have been a senior name there in that era.

Edited July 6, 2021 by Oldddudders

[The Stationmaster]

Ian - do you mean Tom Birch or is it another person you have in mind?  Tom Birch would have been about the right age although I don't know if he had worked on the southern although it is more than possible.  Sadly Tom died relatively young a good while back.

[Oldddudders]

6 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Ian - do you mean Tom Birch or is it another person you have in mind?  Tom Birch would have been about the right age although I don't know if he had worked on the southern although it is more than possible.  Sadly Tom died relatively young a good while back.

Yup. That's the chap, and I knew he'd not seen old age. I think he was a modeller, too. 

[The Stationmaster]

51 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Yup. That's the chap, and I knew he'd not seen old age. I think he was a modeller, too. 

He was indeed although he was very much into various continental things and was a member of a couple of the specialist continental modelling societies - he used to be a regular at shows on their stands which is, apart from emails,  how he and I kept in touch after we'd both left the Western.  Really nice chap with masses of enthusiasm for both work and his hobby and very sad that he died young.

[w124bob]

Fred Collinson was the gentle man I had in mind.