apprenticeship; technical assistant; assistant works manager; premium apprentice; post war shortage of materials; installation of oil facilities; dieselisation programme; training courses; high capacity of coal wagons, merry-go-round trains; information for new equipment; new materials used for wagon sheets; containers; Second World War, experiences; wartime work; nationalisation; first run of Silver Fox; first mainline diesel run end of 1940s; d.o.b. 1921-09-15, railway career 1939-1983, York Goods Station; York Carriage and Wagon Works; Darlington Locomotive Works; Banktop Shed; Cowlairs Carriage and Wagon Works; Wolverhampton; Railway Technical Centre, Derby; Shildon; Horwich foundry; North Eastern Railway (NER); BREL; Freightliner;