Andrew Lambert interviewed by Christopher Nairne

Interview with Andrew Lambert recorded by Christopher Nairne on 13 March 2025 at Marylebone station, London. Duration: 2 hours 43 minutes 22 seconds. [Start of interview, track 01] Childhood in London, school in the 1960s, family background; his career before railways, early jobs in Selfridges, Dulcie’s shoe shop; career in aviation industry, including British European Airways (BEA), Singapore Airlines, Gulf Air, Virgin Atlantic and Scandinavian Airlines; challenges, difficult customers, cultural differences, poor pay and why he chose to leave airlines. [00:13:25] Joining railway industry, becoming a driver for Chiltern Railways, recruitment, testing and training; first experience of trade unions, differences between airline and railway cultures; gossip and nosiness on the railways; driving exam, rules exams and first solo driving. [00:27:37] How he made his first career choices, his work ethic, comparisons with other colleagues; frustrations with attitudes of some driver colleagues; personal views on union leadership, LGBTQIA+ representation, upcoming rail re-nationalisation, job security and public perceptions of drivers. [00:39:28] Family relationships, parents and siblings, his hobbies in childhood; early memories of railways, how is perception of inclusivity on railways and airlines then influenced his early career decisions. [00:54:34] Coming out in his early 20s, father’s accepting response, coping strategies for school, lifelong friends, childhood difficulty reading, coming out to family and friends, knowing other gay children, and views on social media for schoolchildren today. [01:09:11] Social life, not enjoying drinking or clubbing, first gay club visit, early relationships, travel through airline concessions, fond memories of Singapore Airlines, exhausting working culture at Virgin, and importance of standing up for personal opinions. [01:22:45] Marylebone depot, union disputes over Spare turns and diversity, government ownership, Southern guards dispute, reasons for joining Chiltern, training challenges, interest in signalling and liking structure. [01:42:00] Incidents linked to lack of guards, passenger alarms, storms, blame culture, SPAD [Signal Passed At Danger], accessibility issues including ramps, needs of blind and disabled passengers, PA announcements, pressure during incidents, views on cab technology, evacuation concerns and social media during disruption. [01:59:00] Changes in the driver’s job, punctuality focus, blame culture, staff social media monitoring, negative public perceptions and difficulties with some colleagues. [end of track 01] [Track 02] Rostering changes, retirement plans, voluntary work, his partner’s work history, their relationship and marriage at Marylebone Registry Office, live streamed on BBC; refusal by venue to host wedding they planned previously in Danmark because they were gay. [00:15:30] Recent changes in society, observing increase of homophobic prejudice in London, concerns over rise in extreme views, feeling society is moving backwards, importance of diverse opinions, how homophobia feels more extreme in society than it used to. [00:23:08] 1980s AIDS/HIV crisis in London, stigma towards gay people, trauma of people dying, volunteering for Terrence Higgins Trust, charities; holiday/ leave entitlement in rail compared with airlines; reflecting on trauma of AIDS/HIV crisis and current attitudes towards sexually transmitted diseases. [00:27:28] Having tattoos, railway-themed tattoos, tattoo policies in airlines, pride in railway work, advice to younger self not to be his own worst critic or take homophobic comments to heart; being generally curious about other people, wanting to continue to learn, what he likes about being a train driver. [end on interview]

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.