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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
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
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; 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
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
Made during the interview training session. c. 1943-1980s Topics: accounts; stores control; Places: Crewe; York; Derby; T1 blank; T2 childhood; family; education; choice of railway career; starting work; Accounts Office; Locomotive Works, Derby, 1943; T3 railway entrance exam; National Service, 1946; T4 National Service, Quartermaster's Stores, Chief Clerk District HQ, Palestine, 1948; return to railway, marriage; T5 1955, accoutancy apprentices scheme; Works Accountant, Crewe; HQ, Marylebone; Lost Property, Goods and Claims Organisation; T6 uniform; Assistant Source Controller, London Midland Region; family; T7 Source Controller, Western Region, 1967; Stores Controller, 1978, York and Derby; redundancy; T8 family; Transmark; Mozambique; yachting; End.

Peter Hornsby

2000-04-17
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
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
traffic apprenticeship; stationmaster; A1 Pacific locomotive; London main line; training, goods, large station; firing; diesel multiple units (DMU); Associated Soceity of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), strike; milk train; pigeon trains; royal train; electrification; Channel Tunnel; major incidents; station master, role; hazards; Willie Whitelaw; Gerald Aston; signalling; electrification; air brakes; Frank Worsdale; Gerry Somerfield; channel tunnel, terminals; Alain Bertrand; John Bonham-Carter; accident; last British Rail (BR) slip coach; impact of privatisation; expenditure and revenue; d.o.b. 1927; railway 1949-1986. Bletchley line; Stratford; Marylebone - Nottingham; st. Pancras; Manchester Huntsbank; Birmingham New Street; Penrith; Cartmel station; Cockermouth station; Kilmarnock; Glasgow South; Liverpool St; Woking; Paddington; Glasgow; West Ruislip; Bluebell railway; Oxford University Railway Society; Transmark; London Metropolitan Line; British Rail (BR); SCNF. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Oakley, Raymond G.

2000-05-06
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
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
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
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
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
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;
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
projects officer, Appleby Frodingham/British Steel, d.o.b. 1937, railway work 1953-1994, Scunthorpe; Immingham;

Foreman, John

2001-02-20
civil engineer; Transmark; UIC; investment and planning; Channel Tunnel, sectorisation; consultancy; d.o.b. 1935-03-09, railway work 1957-1990. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Alexander, Nicholas John Bennett

2001-08-14
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
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
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
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
footplate, fireman, driver; special trains, pigeon trains, tomatoes, cabbages; d.o.b. 1929-03-23, railway work 1932-1993, footplate, fireman, driver; special trains, pigeon trains, tomatoes, cabbages; East Anglia; Cambridge. 2.8346 x 3.1496 x .315 in.

Houselander, John Richard

2000-06-21
architect; Modernisation Plan; Beeching; British Rail Board (BRB) HQ Architect (Maintenance and General); royal funeral train; d.o.b. 1924-10-28, railway work 1951-1986, West Hampstead; Fenchurch Street; Ipswich MPD; Bury St Edmunds Goods Depot; Stratford Carriage Works; Leyton Permanent Way Depot; Peterborough Station; Maze Hill Station; Finsbury Park; Helpston, Midland Railway Goods Shed; Ravensthorpe; Digswell viaduct; St Pancras; Marylebone Station; Melbury House; Metroland; Potters Bar; Hadley Wood; Blackfriars; Cannon Street; London Bridge; Charing Cross Station; Victoria Station; Cemetery Station. 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Middleton, Derek George

2001-02-07
porter; train crew, guard; station supervisor; railway welfare; Longmoor Military Railway; Beeching closures; childhood; guard duties, Edge Hill; incidents; breakdown duty; guard's duties; hot boxes; brakes; typical turn of duty; supervisor, Liverpool Lime St; responsibilities; Thatto Heath; railway football team; Crewe Fund; welfare provision; retirement; family attitudes Wapping Branch incident, S James'; platform supervisors; Longmoor military railway; Langton Dock; Dr Beeching; Liverpool Lime St Supervisor; d.o.b. 1921-06-01. railway work 1936-1986. Liverpool Lime Street; Edge Hill. Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (LNN). 3.1496 x 2.8346 x .315 in.

Tyrer, Frank Henry

2000-08-09
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
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
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
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
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
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
ticket collector; draughtsman; numbertaker; Royal Engineers; railway horses; road vehicle driver; signal engineering technician; sectional council member; trade union, NUR; local departmental committee; d.o.b. 1928, railway work 1942-1991, Girvan; Kilmarnock; Kilkerran; Glenwhilly; Maidens and Dunure line; Stranraer; Dumfries; Maybole;

MacNeill, Daniel (Danny)

2001-03-27
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