Haydon Walker interviewed by Nat Palethorpe

Made:
2025-03-01 in York

Interview with Haydon Walker conducted by Nat Palethorpe on 1st March 2025 at the National Railway Museum, York. 1hr 23min 16secs.

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.

Details

Category:
Corporate Archive
Collection:
People, Pride and Progress
Object Number:
2026-149
type:
oral history interview
rights:
Science Museum Group
credit:
People Pride and Project Archive created by the Science Museum Group, made possible with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the players of the National Lottery

Related Objects

3 plans of the Science Museum's Southern Galleries
Letters private. Secretary's Office, Division of Science. Department of Science & Art [being the out-letterbook of Lyon Playfair as secretary to the division, covering period 1854 Jan to 1856 Dec. He was secretary of the science division from the Science & Art Department's creation in 1853 and of the united department from 1855 to 1858]

Letters private, Secretary's Office, Division of Science. Department of Science & Art
Framed and glazed coloured plan of Kensington Gore Estate of the Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851, mounted with a printed description.

Coloured plan of Kensington Gore Estate of the Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851
(1910). One framed and glazed coloured plan, mounted with printed description, of Kensington Gore Estate of the Commissioners for the Exhibition of 1851.

(1910). One framed and glazed coloured plan
Interview with Gemma Burgess recorded by Esker Saward on 31st March 2025 at the interviewee's home in London. Duration: 1hr 40min 01secs. Childhood, Luton, education, career prospects; studying aerospace engineering at Surrey University, 2008, challenges; reflecting on time at university; 2011, questioning and realising own identity; how she realised she was transgender and how she felt, June 2012, period of significant change, from university to workplace, job interview, support from friend on online gaming platform; [00:18:50] start first job, oil and gas industry, how she felt, impact of realising she was trans, impact of being neurodivergent on office work experience, performance; temporary jobs at university, not being openly trans, meeting a transition buddy; being unemployed, experience at job centre, spring 2013, application and interview for Network Rail graduate scheme, personal interest in railways, confidence at interview; Track and Train scheme by Network Rail, details of graduate scheme, placements in Train Operation Companies (TOCs), Freight Operating Companies (FOCs), Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and Office of Rail Regulation (ORR); Network Rail Westwood Training Centre, Coventry, corporate training; personal health and safety considerations; first placement, suicide prevention, working with Fatality Mitigation Manager; [00:30:25] not being out as trans at start of graduate scheme, feeling positive in Network Rail environment, comparing inclusivity in railway industry and private sector; how she found out about Archway LGBTQIA+ support network attending early meetings; coming out as trans to line manager, support; 2012, mental health, referral for transitioning; June 2014, coming out at work, starting transition, name change; second placement, performance office, support at start of transition; process of transitioning gender at work, colleagues/team briefed by line managers, updating IT, issues getting new ID card, support from Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail; no policies for gender transition then, supportive environment; [00:45:24] graduate scheme placement, performance, measurement of delays, why team call performance ‘the magical railway money’; train performance issues, example; anecdote, report on gapped Class 54 at Clapham Junction; other things she worked on; [00:52:23] third placement with Track Maintenance Engineer (TME) in Woking, data input, office based; interest in operational work; April 2015, end of 18-months graduate scheme, applying for jobs internally within Network Rail; reflecting on first years of her transition, physical wellbeing and health, job hunting; successful interview at Network Rail Head Office London, Project Manager role, planning and finance, how different it was to previous experiences; 2015, impact of Great Western Electrification project going over budget, enhancement projects cancelled; relationship with colleagues, politics, 2015 elections, Brexit, wellbeing and mental health; [01:11:10] new role, Freight Documentation at Network Rail, Head Office, relationship with colleagues; attending early Archway meetings; being neurodivergent, challenges at work; freight documentation role, what she does and what she likes about it; experiences being misgendered; [01:26:30] reflection on career; 2016-2020 focussed on work, 2020, Covid-19 pandemic impact on her work and life, adapting to work from home, restrictions and living conditions during lockdowns; hybrid working (2025), reassessing her life/work balance; what motivates her in her job; her personal view on how Archway started, LGBTQIA+ diversity within Archway in 2015 compared to post-Covid 2022-2023; reflecting on doing the oral history interview, feeling lucky that she hasn’t encountered a lot of adversity in her life and work [end of interview]

Gemma Burgess interviewed by Esker Saward
Interview with Simon Shepherd recorded by Polly McGillivray on 15th October 2024 at the Worthing Training Centre Depot, Worthing. Duration: 35min 17secs. Introduction, current job; born in South London, childhood, mixed ethnic background family, many siblings, Jamaican father, British mother; 1970s, experiences of homophobia and racism as a child in London, colour bar and segregation; examples of racist abuse, racism within black community, being protected by mother; [00:04:00] powerful Black activists figures; how not identifying to gay icons and stereotypes delayed coming out as gay in his 20s; commenting on LGBTQIA+ representation in the media; confronting homophobia in his family; [00:07:50] getting married, choosing marriage over civil partnership, what getting married meant for him; first Pride in Clapham Common, red balloons for people who died of AIDS; importance of LGBTQ+ rights activism; [00:09:45] first job, joining the railways, Railway Trainee Scheme (RTS) at 16 yo, different roles for 2 years, Network SouthEast; left railway and came back in 1990, fitter at Wimbeldon Park Depot, dirty work, colleagues’ behaviour and comments in communal showers, presenting as butch (very masculine) whilst questioning his own sexuality; how he identifies, how he feels in relation to LGBTQ+ community; communal showers at railway depots; shunter role at London Bridge, shunting activities; working up the grades, listing roles and grades, station control point, station announcer, duty station manager, filling up secondment/interim position but not being given permanent promotion; leaving station management roles to become a driver; [00:15:18] 1999, train driver; pay as a driver; homophobia, how other drivers acted towards him as a gay man, abuses, offensive graffiti in his cab, a friend being bullied, manager being clueless how to help; first Pride train 2004-2005, homophobic reactions and comments from colleagues, change to relationships with people finding out he is gay, coming out on Pride train 2004-2005; hiding being gay, Charing Cross’s ‘pink brigade’ secret meetings in LGBTQ+ bars, abuse when LGBTQ+ people came out or were outed, some supportive reaction when he came out; [00:19:25] secret safe LGBTQ+ spaces, the ‘pink brigade’ secret LGBTQ+ community, word-of-mouth on third carriage of a train being safe, secret clubs in Cornwall and Blackpool, getting together, sense of community, importance of knowing of like-minded people; how and when he realised he was gay, being confused about his sexuality; [00:23:30] first Pride train 2004, class 319, Brighton-Clapham Junction, positive reception, press coverage, LGBTQ+ crew on-board, Pride train then, journey experience on Pride train, balloons and champagne; [00:25:40] career progression from being a driver, not getting promotions because of being gay; first managing role in 2011, Driver Manager; 2012 changes to Driver Manager and Competency Development Manager (CDM) roles and drivers recruitment, diversity, open to change, resistance to change in some areas; CDM role; [00:28:45] reflecting on how LGBTQIA+ community perception and experience has changed during his career, comparing with Black Lives Matters, displays of tolerance but homophobia and racism still present, people behaviours, examples; his personal views on how social media impact on LGBTQ+ people representation, lack of diversity in gay or LGBTQ+ representations in popular form of entertainment/sports; [00:31:20] being considered a role-model by others, being the first openly gay CDM, unfairness of having to fight to get promotions, having to disclose being sexuality or gender identity; personal views on railway industry and LGBTQIA+ community inclusion, on People Pride and Progress oral history project; having knowledge of bullying and abuses suffered by LGBTQ+ people within the railway industry; final message to people listening interview, importance of being true to oneself, being ‘Born this way’ [end]

Simon Shepherd interviewed by Polly McGillivray