Rugd1022 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) Our top man at Bardon Hill Dave Partner kindly sent me some more photos to post... Driver Alan Fraser of Bedford Depot at Croft Sidings... Shunter Ian 'Peter Barlow' Elton and two of the Quarry lads at Bardon cabin... Driver Roger 'the lodger' Howe completes another shift at Bardon Hill... Signalman Pete 'Snowy' Hill takes rest in Bardon Hill 'box... Drivers Kev 'The Coat' Moore and Dave 'Gridboy' Smith line up yet another shot at Bardon Hill... Shunters Dave Partner and Tony 'Toggy' Parker in the old No.7 bay at Rugby, before setting off to Wolverton for the unit drags to Selhurst... ;O) Edited April 21, 2013 by Rugd1022 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted April 21, 2013 Author Share Posted April 21, 2013 Round two... Dave Partner at Elstow, just south of Bedford... Leicester Driver Mark Lee at Wigston... Driver John Moon has a brew at Bardon Hill... Signalman Keith Waters at Bardon Hill... Keith again, with Toggy Parker at Bardon Hill ... ;O) 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) Tanks for the Memory (I'll get me coat) 08792 is passing Exeter Middle Signal Box with 3 TTAs of bitumen on a trip from Riverside Yard to City Basin, 9/7/85 cheers Edited April 21, 2013 by Rivercider 19 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted April 21, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) Round two... Dave Partner at Elstow, just south of Bedford... AAA Me%20at%20Estow%202005.jpg "More powerful than a locomotive............." Cheers, Mick Correct smiley added - thanks to Z! Edited April 21, 2013 by newbryford 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
69843 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 "More powerful than a locomotive............." (Pity there's not a Superman smiley) Cheers, Mick Erm... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR(S) Posted April 22, 2013 Share Posted April 22, 2013 Lots of human interest pictures here http://www.phoenix-rpc.co.uk/Exhibition/index.htm and here http://www.phoenix-rpc.co.uk/Exhibition_2/index.htm This one in particular caught my eye, of a Class 86 "Testing the buffers at Manchester Piccadilly": http://www.phoenix-rpc.co.uk/Exhibition_2/pages/Graham_Callaway_2.htm 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR(S) Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 (edited) He obviously just had to get a picture of the other side of this 31! Definitely doesn't seem to be railway staff: http://railway-photography.smugmug.com/1/Class-31/311/22925886_28xnKV#!i=1751003315&k=nJRNFzG Some great pictures in this huge SmugMug collection as well. Edited April 27, 2013 by BR(S) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonharper67 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 To carry on from the Rugd1022 collection, I'd like to add some of my own snaps of the railway people I've had the (mostly) pleasure to encounter. I'll start with the man himself Rugd1022, sitting on his booster seat...a rare appearance at work made me whip out the camera quick! Rugby TCS Ted Sheldon gets a hug from guard Leslie Marsh, probably as a thank you for letting her sit spare for 7 hours. I Spent some hours at that window trying to get off home. Previously mentioned by Nidge is Tom Blackburn, seen here in his usual pose in the Rugby road learning school. As a new recruit I was terrified of knocking the door and asking for a map as without a prior appointment he'd tell me to off, then call me back and with a reluctant sigh let me 'borrow' an out of date map. A true gentleman once you'd earned his respect. Toms second in command in the road learning was Gordon Mawby, my instructor when I got my drivers job. I always thought he was a bit straight laced from afar, but once I'd spent many many hours with him in the cab of a loco I soon learnt he's warm, funny and a very skilful instructor. He'd make you feel 2 ft tall with just a look if you cocked something up, or like a Royal Train driver when you got it right. A living legend in my railway career. The word legend is the only way to describe Frank Drake. Formerly of Nuneaton shed, he was the elder statesman of Rugby depot and a true railwayman. Not long after privatisation and we became a freight only Depot with Transrail an InterCity Express with an 86 on was marooned in the platform at Rugby due to some earlier problem and the driver had bailed out. After an hour or so of listening to the tannoy telling people to stay on the train and await further announcements Frank slammed his cards down and stormed out, and after 10 minutes we heard a whistle and the express left. "Whatever Frank said to them did the trick" said someone, and we awaited his return. An hour later he phoned from Crewe for a taxi.....I'm sure to this day nobody at InterCity knew who took that train forward. No messroom would be complete without a card school. The tables and decor haven't changed since the early 80s (as shown in some of Rugd1022 pics). Frank Drake with a roll-up, Guard Alex Lakic (who moved to Acton for his driving job, now back at Rugby with HeavyHaul), former Northampton legend Spencer Brown (up the Cobblers!) and Bob Savage while away the spare turn in the early 90s. Bob was an instructor and as cool as a cucumber, as a guard he'd tell me to get in the seat then spend the whole journey reading the paper, only looking up to smile and shake his head when I'd brake too early and stop well before the signal. At the next red he'd say "not yet.....not yet...." without putting the paper down, while I'd be gripping the brake handle with white knuckles and my toes curling up in my boots. When I couldn't stand it any longer and whacked the brake in, stopping 10 feet from the signal, he'd look up from his paper and say "that's better".... 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 God man Jonno and well done for coming 'out of the closet' so to speak.... keep posting the piccies, I know you've got some gems stashed away somewhere! Those road learning maps on the wall behind old Tom have been 'rescued' by the way. Ahem, cough, splutter, etc, etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Train crew 2 passengers 0, Llanwrtyd Wells, Heart of Wales line yesterday. Tom 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted May 2, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 2, 2013 Looked like someone was being shown how to work the frame for the Leiston (Sizewell) branch. Saxmundham Junction 08 April 2013 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 (edited) Two retired mates. John B, when fitter at Liverpool Lime Street, ex Patricroft, Springs Branch and Preston,and garden railway modeller, and Ernie P, Springs Branch guard, one of the best. Tom Edited May 2, 2013 by Thomas 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonharper67 Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 (edited) Right, eyes down and here we go for Part II, pay attention at the back First pic tonight is dear old Ted Hartwell assuming the position at the TCIs window. Nidge might be able to shed more light on his history, I just knew him as a gentle gent with a dry humour and a liking for a pint or two. Although he was an old school railwayman he had none of the animosity towards guards and young drivers like some of the old hands had. I presume the groove worn in the shelf by thousands of elbows is still there. The tannoy speaker would call spare drivers to the window to "nip one down to Wembley", and that clock had the loudest tick ever! The Right Hon. Ray Worthy keeps his legs warm on a remarkably clean 31. Always immaculately dressed and perfectly groomed, the creases on his trousers and shirt sleeves could sever an artery of the unwary guard. Ray was an ex Leicester man and a heady mix of John Virgo and Omar Sharif, especially after one of his many holidays abroad when his golden tan would look most out of place at 0300 in Bescot South End. Always made tea in a small teapot and drank out of a BR teacup, another driver that made the longest shift a pleasure. The man oozed quality..! Ron Berry mashes for probably the 20th time of the night in the mess room at Rugby. That teapot was dark brown inside and had so much tea built up in it you didn't need teabags, I don't remember it ever being cold. I think Ron was from Manchester and a staunch Utd fan, he was the depot practical joker and would fill blokes bags up with notices, bricks, anything he could lay his hands on. You'd struggle up the yard with this heavy bag and not realise til you opened it later. Guard Paul McGwynn looks on, no doubt hatching a devious plan.... It's that teapot again! This time in the more than capable hands of Guard Phillip 'the whistler' Shirley. Phil was a 'proper' guard, while the rest of us had a carrier bag with sandwiches and fags in, he had a well worn brown leather bag filled with wagon cards, air and vacuum washers, drivers slips, flags, dets, everything you could ever need. He was always whistling and looked like a 70s porn star, he moved to HeavyHaul as a shunter but sadly had to finish due to problems with his sight. If you want your garden done, he's your man. The notice board is covered in cartoons and cuttings taking the mick out of all and sundry or adverts for the latest beer festival. Driver John Beck looks like he's about to referee a snooker match. Another old school diamond with a cutting wit, he was the sort of driver that makes the railway of old such an alien environment to new starters off the street such as myself. I'd been passed out as a guard only a few days and was returning to Rugby light engine with John off the trips. Instead of stopping behind the signal to cross over into the yard he carries on down the goods line as far as he can go, gets a shunt down the old Leamington Branch and keeps on going to the stop blocks. "take the engine back for us son, I only live up the road" and he was gone..... John Beck again, in exactly the same pose as Ted Hartwell. I'm not joking about that elbow groove... Guard Richard Smith takes rest between er, taking rest in the TV room at Rugby, somebody else has just vacated their bed by the fire by the look of it. This room was like a dormitory at night full of snoring drivers and guards, you'd tiptoe through it to the kitchen to make the tea or go upstairs to the locker room. The hand drawn no smoking sign was always ignored! Richard was a Londoner who previously worked at Hams Hall power station. He was a bit of a worrier so us younger guards used to call him C3P0 (oh my...we're doomed...oh my).... It's Phillip Arthur Shirley again, looking rakish aboard a rake of Tope wagons. He's wearing an early Hi-Vis vest and an orange smock, these used to stink like a damp dog after a few days especially if they got wet. No pictorial record of Rugby would be complete without the legend that is Colin Griffiths. This man taught me everything I've forgotten about the railway, he was the best driver never to have been a driver on BR. I think he had an eyesight problem so couldn't be a driver, he was the guards instructor when I started. A Griff sentence would usually contain 12 f****, 9 b*******, 23 f******, 6 c**** and 17 whatsits, and always ended in "yards shut!". He needs a whole book written about his railway career, I think Nidge should make a start on it. It looks like Bescot have upgraded their night-fighters to 31/4s, ETH fitted 95 MPH locos whose speedos would be off the gauge when light engine in the days before black box data recorders. Edited May 2, 2013 by jonharper67 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 (edited) I worked with Ted Hartwell and Mick Becks in my year at Rugby, 1974/75! Ted's son Mick joined a while after I did and followed me to Waterloo as a driver, as did Mr.Mawby,"fatboy" Robbo and others. The booking on point used to be manned by a TCS (Train Crew Supervisor), one of whom they reckoned used to scare the life out of a Hammer Horror film, known as the Gay Gordon. His teeth were multi-coloured, and he used to ride a moped; his crash helmet used to hide some of his worst features. There was Horace Biddle, also a TCS and someone called Bill, I foget his surname. Some of these moved to Rugby when Woodford Halse closed. There was a chap there called Clive Everett who I first met in about 1970 soon after I joined the Underground. I cadged a lift from him one Sunday returning from Portsmouth to Waterloo (he was a driver at Waterloo at the time). I didn't bump into him until a few years later when I lived at Northampton. He told me he took a girl out one night (when he was a fireman at Rugby), and "saw her home" as they did in those days. After a session on the doorstep, the upstairs window opened, and he was horrified to see Horace's face out of the bedroom window!! Harumph. I don't know if Clive is still around, he must be retired by now. There was a roster clerk at the booking on window too, always laughing and joking, Smithy was his name. I booked on one day, and he said "I've got lucky, I just come into some money". "Oh yeh"..."Yes, I had a w**k in a cash register".... That started the day on a bright note! Edited May 2, 2013 by roythebus 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 Horace Biddle used to live across the road from us, sadly he moved on up to the great BOP in the sky a few years ago now. A lovely fellow too, always encouraging me in my early days in the job. 'Robbo' is still about though, I was with him at Northampton twice last week, he works as agency Groundstaff now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted May 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 3, 2013 Browsing Flickr I came across this great pic a few minutes ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gbrailphotos/6980745461/ Wish it was possible to get decent figures in proper BR drivers hats to recreate this classic image. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Just after I sent the last message I remembered Bill Woodman's surname! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 (edited) Just after I sent the last message I remembered Bill Woodman's surname! So are you going to tell us? just getting my coat...... Edited May 5, 2013 by stewartingram 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 Just after I sent the last message I remembered Bill Woodman's surname! So are you going to tell us? <------------------ I`ve had a good think............. ........but it`s no-good: I`ll need a clue! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Mikkel Posted May 5, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 5, 2013 Paddington in April. 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalie Posted May 5, 2013 Share Posted May 5, 2013 (edited) A quick selection from the GCR Driver Fred Franklin prepares 42085 on Loughborough Shed 21st July 2009 48305 is dismounted whilst being 'put away' at Loughborough Shed after a day's work on 28th February 2009 PWay Supervisor Nick Tinsley keeps a sharp look out whilst propelling some engineer's wagon on the up main at Quorn during a T3 on 10th September 2009 S&T techs Shaun Sanders and Amy Nicholson carry out some work (or whatever it is that the 'sick and tired' do ;-) ) on the now-infamous no 6a trap point in Quorn down refuge siding during a Diesel Gala on 12th September 2009 "Are you sure you dropped it in there?" The less glamorous side of steam engines as the crew dispose of the ashes from 63601 at Loughborough on 9th September 2009 Edited May 5, 2013 by Natalie 16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterbournecm Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Ooh - Amys fingers near the point blades makes me shudder.... I'm sure all is safe though! Had some nasty finger shortening incidents on the network in recent years. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Simon Lee Posted May 6, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 6, 2013 Railwaymen skiving ;- ................ Left to Right Chris Bissett TOPS clerk, Colin Pritchard MobileShunter, Dick Matra Freight Inspector, Me Area Feight Assistant, Andy Tait Shipping Clerk March 1992, the pirate radio ship Ross Revenge was laid up in Dover, and of course as it was near our sidings it just had to explored, much better than an entire shift in the Train Ferry Office !! Regards Simon 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted May 8, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 8, 2013 Well, it does say "For Passengers Use Only" Photo Copyright C E Steele. 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 (edited) There's a link here to a gallery by a British photographer named Bert Hardy.Number 5 in this gallery is "War-Time Terminus, Paddington Station, 1942" (Bert Hardy) which is a photograph of a man in the engine cab and a small child next to what appears to be No 4979 Wootton Hall. Bert Hardy's photographs will be on display at the the Photographers' Gallery in London through May 26 Edited May 8, 2013 by Ozexpatriate 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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