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trade union; local departmental committees; ASLEF General Secretary; reason for being active, Nine Elms Depot, Army King Regulations; 1947 call up, driving by 24th birthday; 1963, LDC Waterloo; 1973, Executive Committee of ASLEF; 1981 President; 1984 District Officer; 1992 Assistant General Secretary; 1994 General Secretary; unofficial acts, Waterloo; LDC duties; rostering, complaints; discipline; work is rule; General Secretary RW Buckton; Assistant General Secretary Don Pullen; Executive Committee sessions; Marsham Street; trade union support; procedure for dealing with cases; 8 hour day dispute; dispute over letter; £10.00 contribution is Signals passed At Danger (SPAD) report; selling railway houses; Assistant General Secretary duties; General Secretary; social life; d.o.b. 1929-01-09, railway work 1944-1994. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Fullick, Derrick Frank

2001-06-02
royal train; apprentice; senior electrician; deputy to royal train supervisor; royal train manager; rolling stock; staffing; planning; finance; maintenance; Falklands Conflict; funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales; opening of Channel Tunnel; reduced capacity; security; history; Golden Jubilee; d.o.b. 1957-03-04, railway work: 1973-2002 (on-going), Stoke; Portsmouth; Channel Tunnel; Wolverton;

Hillyard, Christopher David

2002-03-04
d.o.b. 1926-10-21, railway work 1943-1999, Topics: footplate cleaner, fireman, driver; trade union; local departmental committee; railway welfare; Places: Grimethorpe; Cricklewood Depot, London; Stafford; childhood, Grimsby, Hull, Sheffield; Second World War, evacuation, Sheffield Blitz; family railway background; cleaner, Grimethorpe, LMS; colour vision test; training; NUR; Cricklewood Depot, London, shortage of firemen; Midland Enginemen's Fund; transfer to Stafford, railway barracks; work with Armed Forces personnel, staff shortages; marriage, accommodation; conditions (weather, ice), Dore & Totley Tunnel; steam trains working in tunnels, conditions (illness); promotion to driver, 1960, conditions (pay); contrast between LMS and LNER railways; travel to work; trade union, transfer from NUR to ASLEF, 1955 strike; LDC representative; LDC work; social security tribunal; health and safety at work representative, 1974; suicides on the line; retirement, 1991. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Sharp, Cyril Herbert

2000-08-15; 2000-09-19
footplate, bar lad, cleaner, fireman; leaving school, aged 14; starting work at a baker's; joining railway, bar lad, Buxton; progression through cleaner, passed cleaner; fireman, Buxton; experience working heavy trains over steep gradients; National Service; severe weather conditions, 1947; involvement in many different incidents; fireman in exhibit in National Railway Museum; member of Midland Railway Preservation Society; father's job, a driver, his railway experiences; d.o.b. 1929-07-21, railway work 1944-1953, Buxton. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Palfreyman, Brian

2000-11-13
apprentice; electrical and mechanical engineering; locomotives; family; school; Cambridge University; English Electric Company; apprenticeship, piecework; apprenticeship, hours; Edge Hill Depot, Liverpool; locomotives; shedmasters; dieselisation; attitude; Sudan; conditions, weather; locomotive maintenance; illness; Kenya 1961-1963, load testing; diesel locomotives; conditions, high altitude; 1963, London, Finsbury Park and Stratford depots; EEC representative; locomotives Class 1-5, Deltic locomotives; manufacturer representatives; Crewe 100 AR6 locomotives; Roy Kelly; commissioning AR6s; Crewe electric traction depot; working practice; Doncaster Works staff; Walter Jarrett, engineer; Mr S.B. Warder, BRB Electrical Engineer; demonstrating electric locomotives; Shugborough Tunnel; attitude; test runs; incident in Sudan; repairs to AR6 locomotives; marriage; nose-suspended traction motors; electrification stock; attitude; marriage; Crewe; West Coast mainline; success of A6 locomotives; EEC-BR locomotive development collaboration; sales; contracts; 1968-1969 GEC, EEC, AEI; voluntary redundancy; SKF, different work practices; producing water jet boats; Westinghouse Co. 1974; Jubilee Line experimental tube train; Luke Marsden-Smedley, move to Hong Kong, 1977; house market, reaction of wife to move abroad; Hong Kong Mass Transit Corporation; rolling stock standards, Electric Multiple Units (EMU); Electrical Engineer; Design manager; GEC Traction, 1983; Singapore Metro, Chief Electrical and Mechanical Engineer; redundancy; wife's reaction; Stuart Scott, project director; responsibilities; comparison with Hong Kong; platform edge doors; energy conservation; railway architecture; London Underground, 1989; demise of engineering role; innovation; privatisation; retirement; Vintage Engineering Ltd; railway preservation. d.o.b. 1934-08-27, railway work 1950-1990s, Edge Hill; Sudan; Kenya; London; Stratford; Crewe; Hong Kong; Singapore; West Coast Mainline. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Vint, John

2000-06-01
Joined BR 1st Jan 1990 as part time Board Member; Full tiome Chairman of BRB October 1990; Oil Industry UK and Overseas; introduction of recommendations of the Hidden Report following the accident at Clapham; Organisation for Quality; linking of Safety to the Quality Initiative; preparations for the introduction of International rail services via the Channel Tunnel; comments on the plans for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link; Rail Privatisation; meetings with Secretary of State for Transport; concerns about proposals; formation of Railtrack; personal views on time as Chairman; d.o.b Railway work 1990-01-01 to April 1995.

Sir Bob Reid

2003-03-31
Oral history recording; Expanding National Archive of Railway Oral History; Gerald Egan; family life; daytrips/outings; BRSA; railway clubs; sport; work culture and relationships; memories of individuals; station master; British Rail; ethnic minorities; National Service; retirement activity; preserved railways; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s; Jimmy Savile; Leeds; Dewsbury; Padgate; Blackpool; Leeming; Wakefield; Horbury; Ossett; Healy Mills; Knottingley; Bradford; Hull; Barnsley; Sherburn

Egan, Gerald

2004-11-16
London Passenger Transport Board; Royal Engineers, Second World War; BTC; management, Assistant GM and General Manager SR; electrification; modernisation; dieselisation; political relationships; Beeching closures; BRHQ; incidents; BRB; Childhood; First World War, Buckingham Palace; father, Rt. Hon. Reginald McKenna MP, Chairman of Midland Bank; school, Eton College; university, Trinity College, Cambridge; influence of father on career choice, LPTB; John Cliff, T&GWU; starting work; London Transport Act; training; road transport scheme; Lord Ashfield; Deputy Chairman Pick; d.o.b. 1911-02-16, railway work 1934-1976, London; Hastings; Lewisham. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

McKenna, David CBE

2000-11-09
Oral history recording; Expanding National Archive of Railway Oral History; Donald Reasbeck; childhood; family life; sport; religion; pubs/drinking; railway community; changes in the community; changes in the railway industry; charity work; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s; Doncaster; Hexthorpe; Bridlington; Rhyl; Armthorpe

Reasbeck, Donald

2005-02-01
apprentice; signal and telegraph engineering; signal inspector; childhood; apprenticeship, training, graduate training; Technical College; lineside work; lineside work, Yorkshire; lineside work, Manchester; Assist Signal Inspector, lineside work, Second World War; Assist Inspector, end of war; company rivalry, electrical & mechanical signalling; Wigan resignalling; Area Assist, Glasgow; Stirling, dual inspector; Head Office signal engineer; vandalism; inspections; d.o.b. 1918-10-, railway work 1935-1982, Warrington, Wigan, Glasgow

James, Ron

2001-01-24
train timing; junior clerk; traffic apprentice; deputy head of section; timetable manager; passenger movements; terminal time measurement; timetables; childhood, background, school; starting work, train timing; special trains; traffic apprentice; Beeching; Norwich; Sheffield; resignalling at Leeds; passenger operating; Broomhouse Tunnel; football; modernisation; resignalling; punctuality; HSTs; Leeds; domestic circumstances; computing; closure of Leeds division, reorganisation; timetable manager; business involvement; reorganisation; freight timetabling; privatisation; d.o.b. 1940-05-09, railway work 1958-1998, Norwich; Sheffield; Leeds; York. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Wrottesley, David

2001-05-17
junior clerk; booking office; parcels; stationmaster; goods agent; traffic apprentice; traffic department, market research; area manager; planning department; traffic, sugar beet; Transmark; Eurostar; d.o.b. 1925-05-04, railway work 1940-1982, Kettering; Glendon; Rushton; Donnington; Llanbister Road; Peplow; Calvely; Whitchurch; Nottingham; Derby; Birmingham; Spon Lane; Soho; Paddington; Portsmouth; Waterloo; Bricklayers' Arms parcels depot; Victoria; Gatwick; Guildford; Melbourne, Australia; Iraq; Houston, USA; Hong Kong; Botswana; Zimbabwe. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Simmonds, Dennis

2001-07-06
footplate; engine cleaner; fireman; driver; First World War; Second World War; General Strike; diesel training; LNW Provident & Pension Fund; trade union; running shift foreman; d.o.b. 1899-08-14, railway work 1914-1964, Tebay; Wigan Springs Branch; Carlisle; Perth; Crewe; Ingleton; Garston Dock; Salop; Penrith; London; Ince Moss; Windermere. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Wilson, Percy

2001-02-14
booking office; freight; working conditions; privilege travel; trade union; pass clerk; trains clerk; reorganisation; area management; advanced traffic information; controller; merry-go-round; Motorail; Total Operations Processing System (TOPS); privatisation; performance; d.o.b. 1950-02-28, railway work: 1966-2002 (on-going), London Midland Region; Great North Eastern Railway; York; Newcastle; South Gosforth; Goswick; Cullercoat; Heaton; Carlisle; Blea Moor; Settle and Carlisle line; Benton; Long Benton; Gateshead; Tyneside Central freight depot; Chester-le-Street; Tyne yard; Basford Hall marshalling yard; Euston; Crewe; Wolverton; Doncaster; Cornwall; Scottish Highlands; Middlesbrough; York and Surbiton college;

Groundwater, Kenneth

2002-02-15
Oral history interview with Tom Strophair conducted and recorded by Robert Aitchison on 23 March 2004, as part of the Time Tracks oral history collecting initiative. Duration 1 hour 5 minutes 7 seconds. Born in 1927 in Witton Park; early life; apprenticeship; army; Shildon railway works; reparation steel from Japan; long shed; motive power shed; electric trains; Shildon works closure 1984; pensions; prisoner of war; 1975 celebrations, Stockton and Darlington 150th anniversary; wagon repair; traverser; closure of shipbuilding; closure of pits; Shildon station; railway institute; almshouses

Tom Strophair interviewed by Robert Aitchison

2004-03-23
Oral history recording; Expanding National Archive of Railway Oral History; Arthur Heaven; childhood; railway community; changes in the community; unions; local government; Big Four; BRSA; sport; other industries; pre-war; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; 2000s; Doncaster; Sheffield; Hexthorpe; Balby; Hyde Park

Heaven, Arthur

2004-10-28
electrical & mechanical engineering; London Underground; trade unions; management training; major incidents; reorganisations; maintenance; school; Royal Air Force 1939-46; junior technical assistant, London Transport 1946; exchange with RATP; Paris 1952; general technical assistant to progress and planning engineers; London Transport; underground stock (post-1945); trade union; management training; Ashridge; electric traction engineer; suppliers; electrical equipment; mechanical parts; operating problems; reorganisation; deputy operations director; director mechanical engineering; Moorgate disaster; OBE; maintenance structure reorganisation; retirement 1985; review of work at London Underground; consultancy; Tunis; Washington; World Bank; Chicago; Colin Kray; Chicago; Manx electric railway; Docklands Light railway; London Transport International; Algiers Metro; Singapore; China; Washington Metro; Channel Tunnel 1985-1986; Alain Bertrand; Channel Tunnel locomotives; SNCF; Channel Tunnel evacuation procedures; Eurotunnel rolling stock; d.o.b. 1921-05-18; railway work 1921-1985. London; Moorgate. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Hafter, Gordon Henry (OBE)

2000-07-03
Oral history recording; Expanding National Archive of Railway Oral History; Malcolm Heppell; childhood; sport; Railway Institute; daytrips/outings; railway clubs; BRSA; pubs/drinking; railway community; changes in the community; work culture and relationships; memories of individuals; changes in the railway industry; wages and overtime; management grades; local government; Big Four; British Rail; privatisation; National Service; Second World War; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; Winston Churchill; Dr Beeching; Duke of Edinburgh; York; Scarborough; London; Blackpool; Skegness; Guernsey; Gateshead; Huntington; Hull; Earswick; Pickering; Grosmont; Whitby; Warhill; Stamford Bridge; Doncaster

Heppell, Malcolm

2005-03-15
Premium Apprentice at Doncaster Works 1949 to 1953; Doncaster locomotive Drawing Office 1956 to 1957; M&EE BRB HQ, Derby 1067 to 1993; 1970 joined Braking Section as Deputy to Brake Engineer BRB; became Brake Engineer BRB HQ in 1983; d.o.b 1932-12-05. railway work 1949 to 1994. BR; BSI; RIA; ORE; UIC; Class 40; Class 86; Class 25; EP brakes; cab ventilation; air conditioning; composition brake blocks; HST Power cars; EQ Brake; HST braking; Westinghouse; Davies and Metcalfe; Class 508; Private Owner Wagons; Class 313; air brake systems and condensation; blue spotting; pressure vessel design; BR modification procedure; Class 123; Doncaster works; Doncaster Carr Depot; Perth; Inverness; Bottesford; Darlington; Railway Technical Centre, Derby; Vienna Arsenal; Barry; Merseyside; Tyne and Wear; Motherwell; Sheffield; Copyhold Junction; Colwich; Walton on the Naze; Hull Dairycoates; Stourbridge Town; Stafford; Tunstead; Beattock; Paddington;

Nicholas, Brian

2003 and 2004
station clerk; stationmaster; traffic apprentice; Assistant Yard Master; Head of Signalling & Accidents; Chief Trains Clerk & Controller; Section Manager; Area Manager; field organisation; royal trains; Operations Officer; freight; reorganisations; d.o.b. 1927-07-15, railway work 1942-1983, Marske; Thornaby; Sherburn-in-Elmet; Eaglescliffe; Darlington; Hawes; Moulton; Croft Spa; Hull; Scarborough; Leeds Hunslet; Settle-Carlisle; Lincoln; Middlesbrough; York; Bradford; Leeds; Sheffield; London North Eastern Railway (LNER);

Appleby, Kenneth

2001-01-18; 2001-01-25
booking clerk; relief clerk; control; traffic apprentice; stationmaster; work study; commercial planning, cartage; bonus scheme; assistant to district operating superintendent; productivity assistant; Beeching closure proposals; staff consultations; divisional operations manager; operating manager; Transmark; d.o.b. 1925-09-10, railway work: 1942-1982, LMS, London Midland & Scottish Railway; Ilkeston station; Nottingham; Chesterfield; Loughborough; Lincoln; Burton-on-Trent; Derby; Bescot shed; regional headquarters, Euston; Urmston; North West Polytechnic; Hemel Hempstead; Manchester London Road; The Grove, Watford; Liverpool Lime Street; Leicester; Liverpool-Southport; Liverpool-Ormskirk; Birmingham; Ely; Norwich; Melton Mowbray; Peterborough; Preston; Cardiff; York; Crewe; Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Melbourne, Geelong marshalling yard; India, Baroda, Madras, Bombay;

Henshaw, Eric

2002-04-23
Carriage & Wagon Works; premium apprentice; footplate, fireman, driver; works management; Deputy Divisional Mechanical Engineer; Traction Maintenance Engineer; derailments; Tyneside Metro; Transmark; Shildon 150; works closures; d.o.b 1922-05-04, railway work 1939-1984, Darlington; Inverurie; Shildon; Newcastle; York; London North Eastern Railway (LNER). 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Reeves, Derek

2000-10-17
clerk; station master; traffic apprentice; management training; Goods Agent & Yard Master; sales officer; Beeching; marketing & development; Outdoor Superintendent; Divisional Sales Manager; Assist General Manager (Commercial); Divisional Manager; Deputy General Manager; politics; Chief Freight Manager BRB; General Manager, Eastern Region; d.o.b. 1930-04-05, railway work 1946-1985, Aberdeen; Culter; Edinburgh; Fraserburgh; Abernethy; Port Elphinstone; Johnshaven; Haymarket; Thornton Yard; Millerhill Yard; Stirling; Galashiels; Derby; Boston; Lincoln; Doncaster; Woking; Glasgow; Cardiff; Croydon; Brighton; Gatwick; York; Selby; King's Cross. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Paterson, Francis (Frank)

2001-01-24
footplate; childhood, father a publican, former railway man; permit to leave school; moved to Stixwould, Lincolnshire as a farmworker; 1919 joined railway as a cleaner, New England; working as a cleaner and then fireman; medical exam at Marylebone; Second World War experiences of driving; introduction of colour light signals; diesel training, Deltics; types of locomotive, steam, diesel; Nene Valley (Preservation) Railway; driver signalman; witness of serious accident; last of the many (cutting from newspaper provided); NUR; clean sheet as a railwayman; special train to Newcastle; engine 60009 Union of South Africa; Stoke Bank, 112mph; d.o.b. 1905-06-12, railway work 1919-1970

Vickers, Albert Edward "Dick"

2001-06-01
opics: Britsh Rail Hovercaft Ltd; education; early career; joining British Rail Hovercraft Ltd (BRHL); early hovercraft development; British Rail (BR) involvement with hovercraft; choice of Solent for first BRHL service; SRN and SRN6 hovercraft; recruitment for marine and engineering expertise; extension of first service on Solent, new routes;new craft; first Hover Marine sidewall craft HM2; effect on other Solent services; incidents relating to introduction of hovercraft on the Solent; choice of Dover harbour and Boulogne Le Portel as terminals for cross-Channel Service; inaugural crossing of SRN4, 1968; operating problems with SRN4; involvement with French; hovercraft safety record 1962-1969; views on hovercraft concept; d.o.b. 1927-02-06, railway work 1962-1969, Southampton; Isle of Wight; Dover; Boulogne. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Brindle, Charles Anthony

2000-08-30
telegraph operator; Second World War; railway family; grandfather, Darlington carriage works; father, clerk, joining LNER 1937; York telegraph office; single needle and paddle telegraphs; men and women operators; teleprinters; telegraph office; shifts, rosters; processes; knowledge requirements, railway, geography; public telegrams; teleprinters; Second World War; conditions, shifts; telephone switchboard; Betty Barrett MBE, supervisor; work allocation; signal boxes; air raid; York Station; station closure; telegraph office in bunker; conditions; Control; toilets; Intelligence Office; troop trains; security; propaganda; meeting future husband; Royal Engineers; Intelligence Office; switchboard move; conditions, nightshifts; Leeman Road canteen; rations; nepotism; reserved occupations; free passes; wartime travel to Scotland; husband's job; courting; OCTU T9 Longmoor construction unit; meeting husband's family; marriage (1944); Cambridge goods office; demobilisation; York drawing office; buying a house; children; railway career opportunities; Newcastle; Darlington; impact of moving around on family; impact of railway on social life; attitudes of wives of railwaymen; family connections in railways; railway social activities; charity work; Second World War; switchboard operation; T.F. Cameron; Katie Henderson, secretary to general manager; Jenkin Jones; passenger managers; attitudes to bosses; conditions control, use of external Post Office lines; economy; teleprinter paper; work standards; code words; machine repairs; teleprinters; time signals, ten o'clock system; messenger arrangements; wives - rivalry; 1926 General Strike, father; conditions, dress code, behaviour; Second World War; air raid; York Station; d.o.b. 1921-05-01. railway work 1921-1990s. York; Darlington; London North Eastern Railway (LNER). 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Chalmers, Betty

2000-08-08
special traffic; freight; management training; management; industrial relations; legislation; reorganisation; incidents, Clapham; electrification; public relations; general manager (SR); d.o.b. 1934 railway work 1950-1992, Knebworth; King's Cross; Sheffield; Scunthorpe; York; Derby School of Transport; Woking Staff College; Dagenham; Cardiff; Liverpool Street; Southend; Stratford; Hertford; Broad Street; Stansted airport; Anglia; Ipswich; Clapham; Purley; Tonbridge-Hastings; East Grinstead; Farringdon; Blackfriars; Snow Hill; Bournemouth-Weymouth; Gatwick; Victoria; Edinburgh-Glasgow; Heathrow; St Pancras. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Pettitt, Gordon

2000-09-13; 2000-10-02; 2000-10-03; 2001-12-03; 2001-12-04
draughtsman; drawing office; surveys; permanent way; Royal Engineers; civil engineering; Arthur Dean; tampers; payment by results; canteen facilities; work study; operating development; staff recruitment; branch line investigations, Barbara Castle; Br Beeching; reorganisations; Woking Staff College; freight; TOPS; planning systems; trade unions; Freightliner; computerisation; financial control; Price Waterhouse investigation; BRB management style; business sector management; Transaid; d.o.b. 1931-11-16, railway work 1948-1987, Bradford; Barnsley; Farnborough; Germany; Wakefield; Harrogate; York; Hull; Newcastle; Carlisle; Alston; Robin Hood's Bay; London; Watford; Stratford; Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa;

Linney, Peter

2001-03-07
management trainee; Assistant Area Manager; Area Terminals Manager; Area Operations Manager; coal & mineral marketing; Area Manager; regional politics, Wales; privatisation; d.o.b. 1953, railway work 1975-2001, Dewsbury; Fort William; Mount Florida; Doncaster; Leicester; Nottingham; Cardiff; Thames & Chiltern; Thames Valley; Sweden;

McDonald, Roger

2001-02-26
clerk; traffic; stationmaster; Second World War; nationalisation; reorganisation; childhood; father's job, signalman; family; railway involvement; other industries; Mirfield, Low Moor; school; Golcar Church; childhood; first job, junior clerk, Golcar, travel to work, Golcar; coal from wagons; parcel traffic; other stations, Slaithwaite, Marsden; goods traffic; charging; tickets; auditors; Second World War call-up; wartime relief clerk; return to LMS; Lockwood, Meltham, Hunts Bank Control; YMO, Huddersfield; courtship; marriage; children; appointment as station master, Ravensthorpe; Darton; Station Master's duties; emergencies nationalisation; station master, Church Fenton; station house; coal sales; train working; Church Fenton, RAF, freight, cattle; freight, pigeons; staffing; modernisation; social life; organist; Pontefract, Batley; comparison of Church Fenton and Batley tunnels; Batley; traffic, parcels; closure of GN line; reorganisation; redundancy; move to Wakefield; move to Healey Mills; trade union activity; incident with cattle; reflections on railway career; d.o.b. 1921-07-26; railway work 1937-1982. Golcar; Huddersfield; Darton; Ravensthorpe; Church Fenton; Pontefract; Batley; Wakefield; Healey Mills, Leeds; London Midland & Scottish (LMS); Great Northern (GN). 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Lamb, Leslie

2000-08-25; 2000-08-28
signalbox lad; clerk; porter; traffic apprentice; goods depots; assistant yard master; assistant area manager; Total Operations Processing System (TOPS); coding; data; team; training; implementaion; project management; TRUST; d.o.b. 1937, railway work 1954-1994, Stcoport; Manchester; Nuneaton; London Euston; Toton, Derby; Watford; Watford; Willesden; Crewe; Aylesbury; East Anglia; Northeast region; Scottish region;

Spedding, Peter Hamilton

2001-01-22
clerical work, small station, personnel, management; childhood memories; school days; father, a lorry driver; mother also worked; left school early, aged 17.5 years to support his family; first job as a junior clerk at Ramsbottom; experiences at a small station; requirement for shorthand skills; "persuaded" to transfer to Manchester DOS (Personnel); 1953 National Service with RAF; returned to former office on demobilisation; joined trade union, but not active; Manchester Civil Engineers, personnel work; CCE London; married in 1957; reorganisation, transferred to Preston; joint personnel services; management training courses; Divisional Personnel Officer, Manchester; 1990 voluntary retirement; local business trust, working to place disadvantaged people; reminiscing over railway career; business plan, East Lancashire Railway; d.o.b. 1934-06-11, railway work 1950-1990. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Hill, Raymond Cunliffe

2001-05-03
cleaner; steam raiser; messenger; fireman; office boy; trade unions; safety; Second World War; locomotive types; workplace relationships; d.o.b. 1925-08-08, railway work 1946-1946, York. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Dugdale, Vernon

2001-08-28
Oral history interview with Eric Brass (session 1 of 2) conducted by Robert Aitchison on 25 February 2004 as part of the Time Tracks oral history collecting initiative. Original duration: 41 minutes, however there are many distortions throughout the recording, resulting in 28 minutes of audible recording via the digital access file. Education, All Saints School (left 1948); career start, clothing factory, Shildon Works; served 2 years National Service, returned to works; following Shildon works closure stayed for 8 years with new owners until aged 60 years; [00:01:00] apprentice fitter, new wagons, repair side, promotion, jig and tool work, charge hand for drilling machines; [00:02:00] after Works closure, company who took over the Works until final closure; impact of Shildon Works closure, personal impact, devastated although still had a job, impact on town, hard times for the town, some younger men transferred, loss of small businesses; [00:03:20] working conditions, improved as times went by, forge example; Works stories; relationships, friendly, managers; protest march against closure in Thatcher era, Works was closed even though they were the best, reduction in Union power, bitterness, closure spoilt lifetime of working at the Works; [00:06:20] 1975 celebrations, Stockton and Darlington 150th anniversary, on duty, great event, thousands of people; living in Shildon; hard times at start of War, parents ensured family had sufficient food, post War “boom” time at Works, family members at the Works; list of shops in Shildon, picture houses; [00:09:20] population of Shildon, decreased a few thousands since closure, during “boom” time every family had some connection to Works; Shildon Works, where it was, office building site, biggest sidings; [00:11:10] personal views on new museum, good, questions longevity of museum and visitor target numbers; importance of Shildon Works, valued in near area, men employed from wide area, good comradeship, views of Darlington railway works workers; [00:13:00] memories of first museum, visited in early days, housed in “boxing” family's house, visited with father from 5-6 years old; personal views on politics of area and local people engagement with politics; [00:14:50] National Service, 1955-1957, armourer, glad to get it over; [00:15:40] employment at Shildon Works, example of how keen men were to work at the Works, comparison with other local workplaces; first wage, first job in the office delivering mail, little money when serving his time, followed father who was employed at the Works, pride in products; [00:18:00] Merry-go-round wagons, local haulage firm involvement, good local firm involvement, other product production; [00:19:30] Shildon works, further details, maximum of two and a half thousand men, caused town population increase, best times 1960’s and 1970’s, closure 1984, unclear why closure occurred, overseas competition; [00:22:20] Second World War, women worked, Italian prisoners of war, 5 years old when War started; scalding accident, hospital treatment; interview interrupted [00:28:05] [end of interview]

Eric Brass interviewed by Robert Aitchison (session 1 of 2)

2004-02-25
junior clerk; clerk; goods office; stationmaster; accounts; supervisor; d.o.b. 1932, railway work 1948-1993, Watten; Wick; Helmsdale; Brora; Achnashellach; Kingussie; Aviemore; Inverness; Thurso;

Blackstock, Angus

2001-03-26
graduate civil engineer; permanent way; drawing office; Pway Assistant to District Engineer; Area Assistant Engineer; Section Manager; Area Manager; Divisional Operations Manager; Railway Inspector; 1934-1998, York; South Shields; Newcastle; Darlington; Durham; Tyne Yard; Tinsley Yard; Sunderland Station; Paisley; Glasgow; Penmanshiel; Morpeth; King's Cross; Clapham Junction; Sheffield Meadowhall; Ladbroke Grove; Leeds; Manchester; Neville Hill; Aysgill; Embsay Steam Railway. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Clarke, Edward Neal

2001-02-22
traffic apprentice; summer work; guard, stationmaster; passenger manager; reorganisation; Continental Division; Shipping Division; childhood, school; summer work on railway, clerical, porter guard; passenger guard, Glasgow Central; management skills; traffic apprentice scheme, 1956; summer work, passenger guard, Glasgow Queen Street; university degree; traffic apprentice scheme; traffic apprentice scheme; special duties; James Ness, Gordon Stewart; stationmaster, Burntisland, 1960-62; Secretary to Transport Committee, London HQ; Passenger Assistant, Continental Department, Harwich House; reorganisation, Shipping Division, Liverpool Street; becoming European Sales Manager, 1971; new traffic, new offices; transfer to rail HQ under Chief Passenger Manager; rail HQ; Chief Passenger Manager at Paddington, 1983; sectorisation; two-tier reorganisation, 1984; 150th anniversary of Great Western Railway; 1985, Manager for Wales, sector directors; return to Swindon, short project work; retirement, 1988; retirement activities; d.o.b. 1933-06-14, railway work 1956-1988. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Gould, Hugh

2001-04-03
Lord Marsh succeeded Sir Henry Johnson as Chairman of the British Railways Board towards the end of 1971; The Railways Act 1974; the Public Service Obligation; cancellation of the Channel Tunnel Project in 1975; succeeded by Sir Peter Parker in 1976;

Lord Richard Marsh

2002-
lad labourer; assistant technician, signalling & telegraph dept; automatic warning system; resignalling schemes; signalling & telecommunication department; management drawing office Railway family; father, a driver; first job as a cabinet maker; joined railway as a lad labourer; promoted as assistant technician, signalling & telegraph department; promoted to professional and telegraph grades, Derby Drawing Office; testing assistant; Section Leader, Drawing Office, Derby; work on early resignalling schemes; work on early Automatic Warning System (AWS); work with contractors developing resignalling schemes; responsible for signing off following installation; preparing book "A Railway Life", based on own and father's diaries. d.o.b. 1927-07-26, railway work 1941-1984, Derby. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Wybrew, Arthur George

2000-10-17
public relations, head; Beeching reshaping report; transport survey; advertising; d.o.b. 1914-04-09, railway work 1959-1977, British Railways Board (BRB), Headquarters. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Merrill, Eric

2000-05-29
projects officer, Appleby Frodingham/British Steel, d.o.b. 1937, railway work 1953-1994, Scunthorpe; Immingham;

Foreman, John

2001-02-20
Born in St James Deeping 1929; Father working at New England, then Doncaster; Doncaster Grammar School;Music; joins Railway at Doncaster in 1945, in Doncaster District Superintendent's Office; Railway Accident at St James Bridge, Doncaster; Doncaster District described; National Service in Royal Army Service Corps; 1952 Relief Stationmaster at Dodworth; moves to Liverpool Street, Rules and Regualtions Section; District Inspector at Peterborough; Traffic Apprentice in 1958; Assistant District Operating Manager at Euston; Divisional Operating Manager, Euston; Winter of 1963; rebuilding of Euston Station;1967 moves to Birmingham Division; moves to British Railways Board; BRB Operating Sub Committee; 1973 Operating Officer; 1976 Freight Traffic Officer; Divisional Manager, Kings Cross 1979; description of the Divisional manager's role and the Region; the Disabled Panel; re-opening of Peterborough Station; London Passengers Consultative Committee and the East Anglian Passengers Committee; relationships with Local Authorities;Visits by Sir Petetr Parker; the Huntingdon Enterprise Agency; the Railway Community Network; concluding remarks on a very full Railway Career; d.o.b. 1929-08-24., Railway work 1945 to 1984. Railway Community Network from 1985 to 1996. New England; Doncaster; Dodworth; West Silkstone; Wintringham; Claypole; Liverpool Street; Welwyn Garden City; Kings Cross; Great Northern House; London, Tilbury and Southend; Fenchurch Street; Ripple Lane; Euston; West Coast Main Line; Birmingham Division; Bescot Yard; British Railways Board Headquarters; Total Operations Processing System (TOPS); Dangerous Goods; Operating Ratio; Disabled Panel; Kings Cross Goods Yard; London Passengers' Consultative Committee; Watton-at-Stone; Cuffley; Class 313 Units; Class317 Units; The Railway Mission; Huntingdon Enterprise Agency; Young Enterprise;

William Edward Parker

2001-05-24; 2001-05-24; 2001-06-12; 2001-06-22; 2001-12-13; 2001-01-07; 2002-03-18;
d.o.b. 1921- 09-28, railway work 1949-2000, Topics: railway preservation; Places: Festiniog; Talyllyn; Childhood and youth, GPO, Royal Navy, British Rail, Aston, engine cleaner, fireman, Ministry of Transport, Bristol; background to railway preservation; correspondence, DSM Barrie, S.H. Keys, Winston Churchill, Tom Rolt; Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society; Festiniog, Eskdale, Middleton; Bluebell, Welshpool, Llanfair; 1968 Transport Act; defeat of 1975 Somers Bill; current preservation situation; RDA formation; SRUBLUC; 1978 merger, formation of RDS. End. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Prosser, Owen H.

2000-10-17
Born in Bristol 1928; started at Swindon Works 1944; Apprentice for 5 Years; Severn Tunnel Pumping Station; steam crane inspections; Laira Depot for training in Motive Power; Shed Master at Cardiff East Dock; Work Study in South Wales 1956; Assistant Running and Maintenance Officer, Newton Abbot 1959; Assistant Divisional Maintenance Engineer, Bristol 1963; Divisional Maintenance Engineer, Newcastle 1965; secondment to Transmark for EgyptianNational Railway; Joined Transmark permanently in 1978; work in Egypt, Malaysia, Canada,USA, Sudan; retired December 1983; retirement activities Ffestiniog Railway, Welsh Highland Railway, Stephenson Locomotive Society, WW2 Railway Study Group. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Clothier, Alan

2001-05-22; 2001-06-18
tracer, District Civil Engineer's Office; trainspotting; permanent way training course "A"; draughtsman; permanent way work; continuous welded rail; permanent way renewal; concrete sleepers; senior technical assistant; computerisation renewal of ways (CROWS) ; area civil engineer; saloon inspection; track possession; North Eastern Railway; London Midland Region; Eastern Region; York; Tollerton; Scarborough; York Technical College; East Coast Main Line; Doncaster; London King's Cross; Ferrybridge; Darlington; Peterborough; Crewe; Leeds;

Woodcock, George William

2001-12-03
call lad; lad porter; signal lamp man; guard; ticket inspector; railway horses; special trains; freight shunting; weaseling; circus trains; royal train; football trains; breakdown crane; Second World War; conditions, hours; braking incidents; reporting incidents; carriage arrangements; George Unwin, Cyril Rose; station toilets; signals; training; travelling porter; signing the road; royal train; staff acommodation; conductor guard; ticket inspector; fare dodgers; coal train; 1953 floods; accident van; derailments; Ray Constable (crane driver), Jim Rayner (crane driver); father's work on railway; brothers' work on railway; family working on same train; reshaping of the railways; Beeching closures; Mr Marples; trade union, closed shop working; branchline closures; Channel Tunnel; Guards and Shunters Conference; electrification; staff discipline; d.o.b. 1917-02-24; railway work 1941-1991. Cambridge; Newmarket; Ely; Ipswich; Hunstanton; Wolvinton. 2.9528 x 3.3465 x .315 in.

Sheldrick, Sidney Harry

2000-06-14
Oral history recording; Expanding National Archive of Railway Oral History; Scott Hellewell; childhood; work culture and relationships; memories of individuals; unions; management grades; British Rail; other industries; Second World War; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; Bradford; Blandford; Morecambe; Darlington; York; Athens; Hamburg; Bonn; Wakefield; Hull; Settle; Carlisle; Manchester; Sheffield; Toronto

Hellewell, Scott

2005-03-03
Oral history recording; Expanding National Archive of Railway Oral History; Gordon Hull; childhood; family life; sport; Railway Institute; railway community; changes in the community; work culture and relationships; memories of individuals; conditions ar work; depots; marshalling yards; changes in the railway industry; wages and overtime; signalman; management grades; British Rail; other industries; retirement activity; charity work; 1950s; 1960s; 1970s; 1980s; 1990s; Leeds; Sunderland; Durham; Dunston; Staithes; Derwenthaugh; York; Newcastle; Pickburn; Brodsworth; Nottingham; Cudworth; Guiseley; Ripley; Otley; Ilkley; Bradford; Healey Mills; Selby; Drax; Hull

Hull, Gordon

2006-03-30
clerk; stationmaster's wife; Travelling Post Office; d.o.b. 1936, railway work 1955-1963, Helmsdale;

Sinclair, Anne Holmes

2001-03-28
London North Eastern Railway (LNER); lad messenger; apprentice fitter; fitter; dieselisation; quality inspector; mechanical foreman; train crew supervisor; privatisation; train performance; childhood; school; first job; joining London North Eastern Railway (LNER), 1945; lad messenger, Ferryhill Shed Aberdeen; messenger duties; prospects; Ferryhill Shed; apprentice fitter, training; Kittybrewster Shed, Aberdeen; Inverurie Works; apprentice, Inverarie Works; completing apprenticeship; fitter; work trial; LNER V2 02-06-02; fitter, Ferryhill Shed; relations between companies, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), London Midland Scottish (LMS); Stirling, appointment as permanent fitter; Stirling; London North Eastern Railways (LNER) loyalty; Blair Athol; fitter's duties; London Midland Scottish (LMS) locomotives; Blair Athol; water column, Dalnaspidae; Kittybrewster shed, fitter; locomotives; servicing; Ferryhill shed; wheeldrop; drivers; training on diesels, 1958; steam generators; brake systems; Diesel Multiple Units (DMU); job interview; quality inspector, Dundee diesel depot; mechanical foreman; duties, train crew supervisor, Perth; train crew supervisor; Perth, duties; privatisation; Railtrack clerk; train performance; retirement; 1995; modelling steam locomotives; d.o.b. 1930-11-03; railway work 1930-1995. Aberdeen, Ferryhill Shed, Kittybrewster Shed; Inverarie Works; Stirling; Blair Athol; Dalnaspidae; Dundee; Perth.

Young, George

2000-08-08