Liz Lumber interviewed by Ashlynn Hudson-Welburn

Interview with Liz Lumber recorded by Ashlynn Hudson-Welburn on 9th September 2024 at the National Railway Museum, York. Duration: 2hr 5min 3secs. Childhood 1960s, family, education, school; unemployment mid 1980s; early career, casino, trying for armed forces, work for Metropolitan Police, fitness industry; joining the railways, railway career evolution; [00:07:08]; challenges in childhood, boarding school, changes in her family, working to help parents, her interests then [end of track 01] [track 02] education, hard times at school, friendships; working with parents after school; work at the casino; joining the police, 1988-1993; living with her first girlfriend; her sexuality, coming out to family, supportive parents; first girlfriend, her life then; HIV/AIDS crisis impact on public perception of same-sex relationships, keeping her sexuality private from work; 1984-85, LGBTQIA+ scene in Portsmouth, feeling part of the community [00:20:52]; police force 1988-1993, double life, hiding sexuality/relationship at work, homophobia in police, male dominated environment; work in fitness industry, private life separate from work; how double life impacted her, microaggressions, LGBTQIA+ people not accepted; meeting new partner, coming out to a few at work; reasons for joining the railways, 2000, trainee train driver, Brighton; driver training school, challenges as female in male dominated environment, practical handling; few female trainees; choosing Brighton depot, social life, sports, healthy lifestyle; relationship with her partner then, hiding sexuality at work, coming out to a few at work, homophobic abuse of male gay colleagues; feeling a shift in acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people [end of track 02] [track 03] Brighton depot, how it suited her not to be out as gay, how her feelings about that changed; offensive comment written in cab; 2005, driver manager role; romantic relationships impact on her confidence in own identity, not caring about other people opinions; denial of LGBTQIA+ identity in older generations; driver manager role, locomotives driven, drivers training, her motivation to take on manager role, work/life balance; [00:16:20] 2010, competence assessment team leader, Southern Railway, professional development, degree in Railway Operations, changing roles every 5 years to avoid boredom; Operational Standards Manager at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Head Office, GTR structure; 2019, change in workplace culture and society in acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people, open about sexuality, how it felt before, glass ceiling; growing up without lesbian role models, when she realised she was gay, book ‘The Well of Loneliness’ influence; current and ex partners [end of track 03] [track 04] Meeting partner, meeting other lesbians through golf, sports; Railway Operational Standards role at GTR; family life, paternity leave from work, impact of flexible working; changes at work as a LGBTQIA+ person; 2022, Alstom, supportive workplace culture; lack of women in strategic operations [00:11:15] early career challenges as female train driver, night work, last train, facilities/equipment made for men; being driven by challenges, her role at Alstom, personal development opportunities, responsible for competence assessment of all Alstom UK staff; comparison with previous work environment; how challenging it is being female in operations, glass ceiling; challenges getting women and new people to join the industry; achievements within career, plans for coming years; work/life balance, pioneering flexible working from home pre-Covid-19 pandemic, post pandemic hybrid work, remote teams; occasionally driving rail tour trains for Hanson and Hall [end of track 04] [track 05] Life in the 1980s during the AIDS crisis, how LGBTQIA+ community was perceived by public opinion and government; anti-section 28 demonstrations; support within LGBTQIA+ community then; support from her own family [end of track 05]

This interview was made as part of People Pride and Progress (PPP) project. The project was initiated in 2023 to record the stories and memories of the LGBTQIA+ community in a new oral history archive over two years. It aimed to connect past, present and future through intergenerational interviews, offering opportunities for colleagues across all parts of the rail industry to connect, reflect on and learn from each other’s lived experiences while creating an archive of oral history interviews.