Popular Post Rugd1022 Posted August 12, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted August 12, 2012 I've recently been given a collection of photos which includes several now long departed local Drivers, Guards, office staff and the like, and it got me thinking about the human side of the railway which in some ways goes unoticed... we're all part of the railway really whether we're earning a crust from it, travelling on it or just watching it all go by. I thought I'd start off a thread of appropriate images, mostly they hail from the Rugby, Northampton and Bardon Hill areas, ranging from the mid 60s onwards - hopefully they'll show the comeraderie that abounded on the railway, and in many cases still does. People often say these days there's none of it about but I don't think that's true, the job just wouldn't get done without it..... anyway the floor is open - all photos, anecdotes and general 'railway folk' related banter welcome.... Note the nicotene staing inside the 08's cab...! Driver Des Treadgold enjoys a brew in the mess room at Rugby... happy to say he's still around now... The Southam Trip engine and crew at Marton Junction... This photo is quite poignant for me - Eric the Shunter is sadly no longer with us, the cabin he's sitting in burnt down in 1982 and the old LNWR footbridge beyond is long gone, replaced by a modern version. Eric was a real character but hardly ever said a word to anybody... when shunting, instead of giving the Drivers the usual hand signals he simply nodded in the general direction he wanted the wagons to go and nodded once for raod number one, twice for road number two etc.... somehow everybody understood this and it worked perfectly... Bardon Hill Fuelling Point, watching me, watching you... Signalman Pete 'Pinkie' Salmon surveys his kingdom... Dave 'Gridboy' Smith and trusty steed in the old north end bays at Rugby, now lifted and filled in... More to follow ;o) 43 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Trainshed Terry Posted August 12, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 12, 2012 My controbutation. http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/613 Terry 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Rugd1022 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) What a wonderfull find Terry, thanks for sharing that - it's gone straight into 'favourites' ;o) Instructor Driver Gordon Mawby awaits his pupils at Euston station... (he's also the young lad in the centre of the sixth pic posted above)... 'Reverend' Ray Worthy on the pilot at Forders Sidings... A young Jon Harper takes rest on a bollard at Saltley in 1982... Twenty five years later he's at the controls of 47 811... Paul Limehouse and Shunter Col 'Griff' Griffiths bring 60 079 into what's left of Rugby Yard... probably the last time a 60 ever did any shunting here... Another lorry arrives to take spoil away from the yard during the WCML remodelling... Mickey Evans enjoys his 86... his Dad Ron was a much respected Driver at Rugby... Rich 'Bomber' Harris in the cockpit of his 37... Edited August 12, 2012 by Rugd1022 32 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Excellent topic - we concentrate far too much on the hardware and engineering side sometimes, overlooking the fact that it's real people that make these complex systems run 13 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Trainshed Terry Posted August 12, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) Rugd1022. "What a wonderfull find Terry, thanks for sharing that - it's gone strainght into 'favourites' ;o)" I was on duty that day the item was filed, I was the "box lad" on duty ( "Put the kettle on lad") The other one that I got shouted out was "GATES" . Oh happy days. Terry Edited August 12, 2012 by Trainshed Terry 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ringo Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Rugd, good post, I must find all my my old snaps of people... Heres one to be going on with, taken last year whilst training our chaps up on rerailing and recovery, we had one off in Guide Bridge, so we used it to run the course, theres chaps from, Felixstowe, Southampton, Crewe, Ipswich and some colleagues fro Poland! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) There's a lot goes on 'behind the scenes' on the freight side, especially during the night, and these days most establishments are out of bounds so it's nice to be able to share things on here. 'Metal' Mickey Jones, now a 75mph fly by night Driver at Lawley Street, checks the fuel gauge at Bardon FP... a filthy job this, the stink stays with you for hours... Bardon Hill 'box, a plan is being hatched to despatch the night's trains in the right order... Dave Smith aboard 47 816, wishing it was a 56 instead... Mr.Harper about to thread his way through Basford Hall Yard en route to Rugby with four 66s in tow, weighing nearly 500tons... A quite moment at Rugby Booking On Point... Dave 'Top Shunt' Partner pretends he isn't cold at Mantle Lane Sidings... on this occasion, once we'd coupled the loco onto the wagons we had to go down the train knocking the ice off the couplings and brake blocks with a couple of brake sticks, as the wagons hadn't moved for over a week... Kev 'The Coat' Moore arrives at Bardon with a smile... he knows he'll be going home soon! Edited August 13, 2012 by Rugd1022 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted August 12, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2012 Nice, there are a few faces i think i know there, the BOP at rugby was also my fastline one when they moved out 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) Thanks Jim... some of the lads have been about a bit so you've probably bumped into a few of them here and there! With forty years on the railway at the time this photo was taken, our man Griff gets a grip on 08 578 at Forders... Shunting now done, it's time to retire to the cabin for a brew... A quiet moment for Shunter 'Toggy' Parker in Croft Sidings 'box as we wait for the wagons to come out of the quarry on the opposite side of the Nuneaton - Leicester line... it's even quiter here now since Derby PSB took over this part of the route... the box still stands empty, but there's no-one to wave and toot at when we pass by now... Top Link Bescot man Tony 'Lulu' Llewellyn with 40 145 about to go onto the back of a wrongly routed oil train...(Tony is helping our very own Phil Bartlett with his book on Bescot)... Rugby's Alan 'Budgie' Finch on the trip engine.. sadly Alan had to leave the job (aged only 34) when he was diagnosed with diabetes... a much missed colleague with his Pythonesque sense of humour and approach to life... Back to the '60s with this one... a very young Paul 'Jonah' Jones suited and booted on the right, sat outside the old engineman's lodge at Rugby when he was a budding fireman. Life was hard for these blokes but they always seemed to be smiling... Paul again, on the Yard Pilot at Northampton several decades later... sadly he passed away not long after retiring from the railway, another much missed character... Ben 'Chopper' (don't ask!) Hewitt enjoys some nosh at Stud Farm Quarry... Edited August 12, 2012 by Rugd1022 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post TheSignalEngineer Posted August 12, 2012 RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted August 12, 2012 Three from the Signalling side, all showing my Grandfather at Proof House and New St. The first shows Charlie Steele attending to the facing points onto the Grand Junction line towards Vauxhall in 1955. The Birmingham skyline looks remarkably bare at this time The second shows Charlie at the top steps of Proof House box, with his two assistants sitting below. The third shows Charlie working on a temporary signal on the old Platform 3 during the rebuilding of New St station. Note the old No. 5 box under the bridge, the PSB under construction and the old LNW signal arms just on the right hand edge of the shot. I think the man at the bottom of the post, back to camera, is Maurice Garvey who was his assistant at the time. All photographs C E Steele Collection 23 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
62613 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I notice he's using a 2lb adjuster in that first photo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Brilliant good to see the people who kept the railway running also looking at the pictures inside the cabs,how basic and obviously designed by engineers with no thought for the crews. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted August 12, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 12, 2012 I notice he's using a 2lb adjuster in that first photo. Traditional way of tightening and slackening nuts before self locking ones. BTW, I've still got that one and regularly use it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Three from the Signalling side, all showing my Grandfather at Proof House and New St. The first shows Charlie Steele attending to the facing points onto the Grand Junction line towards Vauxhall in 1955. The Birmingham skyline looks remarkably bare at this time The second shows Charlie at the top steps of Proof House box, with his two assistants sitting below. The third shows Charlie working on a temporary signal on the old Platform 3 during the rebuilding of New St station. Note the old No. 5 box under the bridge, the PSB under construction and the old LNW signal arms just on the right hand edge of the shot. I think the man at the bottom of the post, back to camera, is Maurice Garvey who was his assistant at the time. All photographs C E Steele Collection It's a real privilege for me to be out on our national network doing in 2012 exactly what is pictured in the first photo though without the hammer. I have just installed a new mechanical facing point with mechanical detection and was present last night to cover a tamp and a quick tweak of the detection was required. Super pictures. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raffles Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Alan Finch went to Reading as part of the dispatch team and was there for some years. Smashing bloke but I cannot for the life of me remember where he went after that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Nice to see the pics of some of the blokes I worked with at Rugby. Eric the shunter was always known as "Noddy" for some reason...Driver Mawbey was with me at Waterloo for a while... I was the first person to be recruited on the footplate at Rugby since before the end of steam in 1974! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Nice to see the pics of some of the blokes I worked with at Rugby. Eric the shunter was always known as "Noddy" for some reason...Driver Mawbey was with me at Waterloo for a while... I was the first person to be recruited on the footplate at Rugby since before the end of steam in 1974! I was trying to remember Eric's nickname after I'd posted the photo, ta for the reminder! He just used to nod his head when giving Drivers their instructions! If you started back in '74 you'd have started alongside Bob Savage and Phil Cowley no doubt... Matt - Budgie came to Rugby directly from Reading I think and became a Tranman / Guard before getting his Drivers job. Griff will know for certain, I'll ask him when I see him later in the week. A couple more before I shoot off to work (paid hobby more like, I know only too well how lucky I am.... best job at the depot is mine all week.... sunny Oxford!)... Griff and Ian Moss concoct a plan at Forders Sidings... just like Rugby, the cabin they're in has now gone... Gordon Mawby with star pupils Jon Harper, Lee Stacey (now at Ferrybridge) and 'Bommber' Harris, and ex-Nuneaton man Tom Blackburn. Tom came to Rugby around '88 to look after the old Road Learning School at the station then came down the yard as the regular jocko driver when he was green carded. A true gentleman and very generous with it, he always insisted on paying for the fish and chips on Thursday mornings and ended up giving me countless railway books from his collection, and wouldn't take any money for them despite my many attempts to do so. He started at Nuneaton Shed in 1956 and used to tell me all about the Leamington and Banbury trips they did on Super Ds etc. A real old school railwayman, when there was deep snow on the ground at Rugby Yard one Winter he came in an hour early (on his moped) to sweep the snow from the walking route! 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Rugd1022, Four Stonebridge Park drivers, don't know if they were still there the same time as you. Vince Evans, Danny Pearce Johnie Lowthers, mate in south link and deputy foreman, he did smile occasionally. Jack Powell ? Tom 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 (edited) 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 Edited August 13, 2012 by Talltim 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 What a great thread, especially to an 'outsider'! No matter how much we think we know, we can only ever be on the outside looking in. Its the daily grind that we can never appreciate, everything that goes on 24/7 to keep the railways running. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Great set of photos Tom.... the second chap down (Danny Pearce?) does look familiar... when I started at Stonebridge Pk in early '83 a lot of the top link men were of about that age, I was only there a short time before moving to Old Oak so sadly didn't get to know the entire compliment at the depot. Old hands I do recall at the time are Joe The Greek, Reg King, Dennis 'Breakaway' the Guard, another old boy who's name escapes me (Ron something?) who was a real character, he always came to work in dungerees and no shirt but had a spotted cravat tied round his neck... wish I could remember his name now. There was a very short stumpy foremen called George something, feared by many but had a heart of gold. If you've anymore photos Tom please keep posting them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 (edited) Me on the Waterloo & City Line circa 1983,the end of the line, a rare shot taken in the depot. picture by Pekka Sisskonen There used to be a Euston driver known as "Slow Line" Jones as his initials were S.L.!! Lived at Northampton. There were some witty nicknames around! Edited August 13, 2012 by roythebus 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Another one taken in the cab. Picture by Carl Strom. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 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 Superb link TT... somethng to peruse when I get home from work tonight! Our roster clerk (Cobbler of this fine parish) has some similar pics of Northampton staff, I'll see if I can purloin them and put them on here ;-) Work beckons.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted August 13, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 13, 2012 There used to be a Euston driver known as "Slow Line" Jones as his initials were S.L.!! Lived at Northampton. There were some witty nicknames around! When I was a shift Traffic Assistant at Taunton in the early 1980s, my regular shunter on the station was Les Willmott, who used to drive in from Wiveliscombe in his Moggy 1000. He was a lovely old Zummerset country boy, but he never hurried anywhere! No matter how 'urgent' the shunt or whatever, old Les would amble along in his own time! I have fond memories of going over to East Yard each night, to open the ground frame, whilst Les prepared a road in the main yard for the vacuum-fitted Presflos off the down vac-fitted freight that usually called each night from Severn Tunnel, en-route to Exeter and points west. Then, one day Les was 'seen' doing his 'other job', which was as a security guard for Securicor (quite a few railwaymen had 'other jobs', there were in fact several working for Securicor in the town alone), and he was actually seen running, beetling in and out of each shop or bank, hastening the cash to the security of his van! But when he return to the railway for his next shift, it was back to 'ambling' again! Happy days! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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