James Goddard interviewed by Fiona Slater

Interview with James Goddard recorded by Fiona Slater on 13 March 2026 at the Dana Centre, Science Museum, London. Duration: 1 hour 18 minutes 59 seconds. [Strat of interview] Goddard recalls a middle-class childhood in outer suburban London, private school, family life, and an early interest in trains. He discusses bullying at primary school, growing up with a strong railway interest, volunteering on heritage railways from age 12 to 16, making railway videos on YouTube, and developing interests in history, politics and economics. [00:10:10] Reflects on his railway interest through his grandfather, including a model railway in the loft and heritage railway volunteering ending after his grandfather’s death; mentions possible ASC (Autism Spectrum Condition) in relation to his grandfather, noting this would not have been discussed at the time. He describes friendships at school, beginning to feel more confident in 2010, realising he was gay, losing weight, changing his wardrobe, and later being able to indulge his train hobby more fully. [00:19:00] Discusses GCSEs, sixth form, studying History and Philosophy at York, coming out to friends and family at university, and feeling it was a good time to grow up. After graduating, he worked for a year in a commercial law firm in London before exploring railway career options. He reflects on Alex Warner, head of a TOC (Train Operating Company), setting up a Railway Study Association network and becoming its Secretary, networking, the Shaw Report and decentralisation of rail planning, and applying for graduate schemes before joining Colas Rail in 2016 as part of an infrastructure contractor in rail construction, becoming a Quantity Surveyor (QS). [00:30:46] Reflects on university independence, social life, experimenting with identity, being true to yourself, the impact of leaving university, post-university confidence, student debt and trying to find work. [00:40:45] Describes moving to Brockley in 2019, dating and meeting his partner Duncan in February 2019, lockdown, changing jobs from Colas Rail to Morgan Sindall during Covid-19, Colas Rail redundancies, and moving into civil engineering. He discusses buying a flat with his partner in Crystal Palace in 2022, getting a dog in 2023, and building an LGBTQIA+ friendship network with gay men through a local pub. [00:54:00] Discusses the LGBTQIA+ network at Morgan Sindall, responding to a bulletin to help set it up, changing aims of the network, visibility during Pride months, LGBTQIA+ mental health support, giving talks on LGBTQIA+ issues to colleagues, linking with other networks, and wanting inclusion work to be more than “pink washing”. [00:59:39] Reflects on being out at work, having few bad experiences, workplace banter in rail and construction, supportive allies and HR processes, experiences of homophobic colleagues including offensive language, passing as a straight man, privilege, the lack of a gender transition policy because of legal difficulties creating one, and Morgan Sindall’s supportive policies and processes. [01:06:15] Discusses being an ally within the LGBTQIA+ community, solidarity with groups who have it worse than gay men, listening to 'People, Pride and Progress' project recordings and not recognising some harrowing past experiences because “we’ve moved on”, attending transgender protest marches, solidarity with the transgender community, and political backlash. [01:10:45] Reflects on class and workplace inclusion, rail as a working-class profession, LGBTQIA+ networks as a way to meet people across the industry, next career steps, and continuing railway interests through volunteering, including work in the locomotive department at the Bluebell Railway and exploring volunteering in North Wales. [end of 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.