My 50 Years as a Southern Railwayman

by P J Shannon

  As I had spent some years in the booking office and had just passed passenger accountancy, I had a good knowledge of tickets, so a couple of weeks training on the main Waterloo to Portsmouth line with the Chief Ticket Inspector was all that I really needed to cover some of the oddities of the ticket stock validity and the legal position. After that, I was measured up and issued with a uniform and it was not long before I was acquainted with the rules and regulations and told to report to the Area Manager’s Office at Feltham.

  The Area Ticket Inspector was Jock Ross, and I was filling the vacancy left by Steve Prentice who had now been promoted to chief clerk at Ascot. Jock was my old foreman from my full loads days who had taught me so much.

  On my first morning I reported to the Area Manager’s Office to Mr Robinson the A.M. who congratulated me on my promotion and explained what was required of me. He told me I would be working with Jock and would be required to protect the train and platform revenue within the area and that I would be required to attend Ascot, Kempton Park and Windsor for racing, Twickenham for rugby and Brentford for football. He wished me luck and asked his secretary to escort me over to the other side of the station where the ATIs had their office. On entering, I was greeted by Jock who congratulated me on my promotion, offered me a cup of tea and began to explain what we were required to do. He explained that the job entailed basic revenue protection within the Feltham area, setting up barrier blocks, assisting the TTIs at Waterloo in their major barrier control, on-train ticket inspections etc. After quite a long briefing it was time for us to make our way out on to the patch for a tour around the area by train, first stopping at Staines where my old friend, Tommy Davey from Richmond, was now Foreman. After another couple of cups of tea and a chat with the platform and booking office staff, most of whom I knew, we went on to other outstations ending up at Brentford for a bite to eat and to check tickets of the football supporters as Brentford was playing at home that night.

  It had been a long day and I was glad when Jock decided that all was well and it was time that we packed up, and I got home very late. Jenny was eager to hear all my news and how I was coping with it all. I took time to explain all the ins and out of the work and that I had really enjoyed myself, but after dinner I felt shattered and it was time for bed. I think that my first day as an ATI had been successful.

  Jock and I carried on doing the job with a lot of success, catching passengers travelling without tickets and collecting a great deal of money for the Company. We were even required to cover major ticket barriers at Blackfriars and were involved in a court case that followed. I remember attending the Old Bailey as a witness for a case where a passenger was caught trying to pay a short fare and was pleading not guilty. Just I was just about to be called up to the witness stand, he pleaded guilty and I was not required. Probably the best jobs were when we were required to strengthen the team for Ascot or Windsor for the racing or Twickenham for rugby. I worked with some really professional people and I learned a great deal from them.

  Time just flashed past and I had been doing the job for about a year when I heard that Tommy Davey had been killed in a freak accident at Staines. It seems that there was something wrong with the automatic coupling of a train and he decided to get down in between and was crushed to death. It was devastating for all of us. He was still only in his twenties and had everything to live for, but to me personally it was the loss of a good friend and a good railwayman.

  Sadly on 13th February 1983 my father died and I returned to Ireland for the funeral. He was 75 years old and had been in good health for most of his life, so he had a good innings.

  It seemed like an age that Jock and I worked together, but in reality it was just over six months when a vacancy for the ASM “C” at Ascot came up which I applied for, and was appointed to on 6th June 1983 just in time for race week. This was the job that I really wanted and had spent the last few years studying for.

  It was a particularly good time for me. All the time I had spent at Ascot I had never been to the races so on my birthday on 16th June 1983, which was also Ladies’ Day, Jenny decided that she would love to go. I was entitled to a couple of free tickets as a perk, so on that afternoon, off we went with Jamie who was a toddler. I must admit that I was quite surprised at the size of the place. I had only seen it in passing but never having been inside it was a new experience for me too. We bought strawberries and cream and a drink apiece and settled down to watch the racing. I must admit that I could get very used to this way of life and we were having a great time. It was a colourful occasion with the bright silks of the jockeys, the green turf of the race course and the vivid displays of the dresses and hats worn by the ladies. Jenny decided that she would like a little flutter and asked me how to go about it and I replied that as I didn’t bet I had no idea. She said that she felt lucky and fancied putting a bet on Willie Carson who was riding Little Wolf in the Gold Cup, so she left Jamie with me and went to make her bet. A few minutes later the race started and you should have heard us trying to spur Willie on to the winning post and sure enough he did not let us down. He won the Gold Cup, so we were over the moon with her success! A few shillings won did not go amiss, but it was over all too soon as I was due back at the station for the evening departures, but we had enjoyed a really good day.

  The staffing arrangements for the Ascot area were a Station Master, Malcolm Douglass, and two assistants - me and Peter Smith. I was in charge of the operating side because of my knowledge and Peter was the commercial man which meant that he did not do much operating which suited me down to the ground.

  The Ascot area consisted of eleven stations and extended from Longcross to Earley on the main Waterloo to Reading line and around to Frimley on the Guildford branch. This was quite a big area and it kept us on our toes. Mr Douglass would check all the big stations and generally leave the smaller ones to Peter and me. Mr Douglass was a perfectionist and taught me quite a lot about keeping good records and a disciplined office; this was to prove very helpful in the years to come. At Ascot there was a Senior Railman, Jim Weston, and a Leading Railman on one shift, and on the other shift Bert Bowditch was Senior Railman, along with a Leading Railman. There were also two clerical officers, Phil Beasley and Tony Standing.

  Longcross was used by the military personnel and was staffed by one leading railman, Charlie. Sunningdale however was a vibrant place staffed by John Plummeridge on the platform and Dave Levey in the booking office. A lot of film and TV stars lived in the area, and it was not unusual to see one or two of them travelling to London just after the rush hour in the morning. I did meet some of the stars, of whom the nicest was probably Brian Blessed. We used to discuss the rugby; he was a Scottish fan and I an Irish one, so sometimes in the staff room over a cup of tea, feathers used to fly a bit all in good fun.

  Frimley was the outermost station on the Guildford branch and was manned by Tony Domm. He was an ex-train driver who had lost his leg in an accident in Feltham yard some years before and was a bit of a jack the lad character who liked to wear a big gold medallion around his neck. This always seemed to annoy Peter, and I think Tony wore it deliberately, because he always used to cover it up during my visits. One particular time he fell out with Peter and would not allow him in the booking office to check his balances so I had to calm the situation down and sort out the two of them, and restore the peace.

  Camberley was quite a busy station and was one of the soulless new types, made of glass with something that looked like mosaic stuck on the walls of the inner building. The staff were Harry Gibbs the chief clerk, two booking clerks, Leading Railman Alfie Raggett and Jimmy Quarrel, Red Star Parcels Office. Jamie loved it when we went shopping there as he was always given a banana by Jimmy whilst I had a chat and a cup of tea with him. Martins Heron station was another one of the new generation types with a wooden platform, which had been specially built to accommodate a big new Tesco supermarket. It was manned by Bob Harman. Bracknell, next along the line, was another new station
built to accommodate the new town; this again was glass with a towering block above it.

  Wokingham was a prefab building and the only redeeming feature of this station was its signal box which was a manual one, and I must admit that this was where I liked to spend a good deal of my time with the signalmen Fred and Bob Russell. Winnersh was a peculiar station that had a long pathway from the booking office to the platforms and was manned by Paul Carter. Winnersh Triangle was another one of the modern stations specially built to serve the new estate at the triangle and was manned by Dave Lee. Earley, by contrast, was an old station with an oil depot and was manned by Graham Gould; the same Graham who had been with me at Bagshot.

  This gives some idea of the area that we had to cover and because Peter and I did the internal checks for all the minor stations and other jobs that Mr Douglass required us to do, it did not leave a lot of time to spare.

  Race week preparations were well underway by now so there was little for me to do except cover the outer stations and sometimes give some advice on staffing arrangements as I was well acquainted with the running of race week. The week went without any hiccups and we went back to normal.

  However, I was lucky enough to be able to spend some of my time doing operating work as well. On one occasion a lorry stuck under Emmbrook Road Bridge between Wokingham and Earley and I called to Wokingham with Bill Waylett to set up single line working on the up line between Wokingham and the ground-frame at Earley.

  The regulations for working traffic of a double line over a single line during repairs or obstruction state:

  ‘The following precautions must be adopted:

  Single line working must be confined to the shortest length practicable and whenever possible between crossover roads where there are fixed signals.

  A competent person must be appointed to act as Pilotman who must wear round their left arm above the elbow a red armlet with the word “Pilotman” in white letters.

  If the armlet is not immediately available the Pilotman must wear a red flag in the position indicated until a proper armlet is obtained.

  The person arranging single working must fill up, sign and address the single line form which gives details of where the single line working is to start from and to, which line it will operate on, date, who will act as Pilotman and requires the order to remain in force until withdrawn by the Pilotman.

  No train must be allowed to enter upon or foul any part of the single line without the Pilotman being present.’

  This is only a brief summary of the regulations to be followed. After the arrival of the first train which was to pass over the single line, I collected the Single Line Working Form from signalman Fred Russell, strapped on the Pilotman’s armlet, signed the signal box’s Train Register Book and went to the train, where I explained to the driver what was happening. I showed him the SLWF and as I had already obtained the signalman’s permission, we proceeded on the wrong line keeping a sharp lookout for any workmen on or about the track. On reaching the ground-frame at Earley, which was now operated by Graham, he gave us a proceed signal into the down platform where I alighted from the train, and crossed the bridge to escort the up train through the section to Wokingham platform where normal service was resumed. I was then required to go to the signal box to sign the TRB and await further instructions. I continued to Pilot trains up and down until the track was declared fit and safe to run on. The single line forms were cancelled and returned to the signal box for safe keeping. Bill and I had some discussion about the way the job was handled and he seemed pleased with my performance on my first ever task as Pilotman.

  An excerpt from the local paper on the day reads:

  Wedged lorry halts main line trains.

  ‘Trains on the main Reading to Waterloo line were halted for two hours on Saturday morning when a lorry became wedged under a bridge. A British Rail expert (This was me!) was called to the bridge to make sure it was safe for trains to pass over. The lorry was stuck from just after 07.00am until 09.30am. The driver had slight facial cuts that did not require hospital treatment. A police spokesman said the lorry was not higher than the bridge height restriction and there will be no prosecution.’

  Life as a Guards’ Inspector

  It was during this time that I got to know the actor, Richard O’Sullivan, who used to travel from Ascot to London regularly. Instead of sitting on a seat on the platform he liked to come into the staff room and chat or have a cup of tea while waiting for his train. One day he told me that he was looking for a nanny for his children and asked if my daughter, Nicola, was interested in the job. She was interested but in the meantime a job opportunity came up in America and she took that instead.

  Unfortunately due to yet another reorganisation, the positions of ASM would not be required, so time was running out for Peter and me, not to mention other ASMs in other areas. It was up to each of us to seek new jobs or we would be shifted to something that we did not like, or be made redundant. Peter chose to go, and I elected to take the Guards Inspector’s position at Feltham grade “C”, the same grade as the ASM. So on 4th June 1984, barely a year after my promotion, I was thrust into a different role altogether. I knew very little about guards, but there was one perk that I would now be entitled to which was my driving cab pass and my All Stations and Reading standard pass.

  When I arrived at Feltham, I was interviewed by Charles Nicholls who was the new Area Manager, and his assistant, Steve Smith. The interview went very well and they seemed more than happy that with my experience I would have no problems dealing with train crew. There were two Guards Depots in the Feltham Area; Strawberry Hill and Staines, which were fairly close together so I would find it easy to get to either quickly should the occasion arise. The job entailed checking that guards on trains were carrying out their revenue protection duties, paying in their monies to the booking office, ensuring that their examinations were up to date, observing their performance on train and out of hours visits to depots amongst other tasks.

  With the interview over, the job was mine and I was taken to the office that I was to share with the Traction Inspector, Stan Stonestreet, and the Area Movements Inspector, Barry Cornick. Stan had been a train driver for a number of years before he became an Inspector and had lots of motive power experience and knew his way around. Barry had worked his way up from shunter through signalman to Inspector and again had a great deal of railway knowledge. Between the three of us I was sure that we would have no real problems, or if we did, we had the required knowledge to sort it out. I was given my space in the office which contained a chair, small table and a cupboard which I was soon to fill with rule books, appendices, lamps, whistles and more besides. As Stan had been in the job for some time and knew the depots and staff well, he appointed himself as my guardian for the next week or so. We travelled to the depots together and he introduced me to the Train Crew Supervisors, Charlie Phillpot, Vic Hopkins, Jack McVie and Les Purdy who were in charge of rostering train crew. All the supervisors were located at Strawberry Hill and again had many years of experience between them and were men very well respected by the other staff.

  In the days that followed I met some of the guards and drivers. The drivers that I remember were Derek Channing, Ray Beeby, Jim Slark and Jeff Keeting, and the guards Tony Jaitly, Jay Jawunda, Keith Richards, John Imms , Eddie Hilton, Shah and Clive Ayling, and their Union Reps, Peter Fuidge, Len Knight and Andy Bolton. It was a very sharp learning curve for me just to remember their names. I was well aware that I had not come through the ranks of train crew and had to feel my way gently without upsetting too many. A lot of the smoothing was done with the help of Peter Fuidge and Andy Bolton who realised very quickly that if there was a problem I would handle it fairly, so I gained their respect and that of the men.

  Staines was a very small depot; the signing on point was located in a small building at the end of the up platform. The yard and sidings were some distance away from the station, probably 15 minutes walk, and had five berthing sidi
ngs and a little hut for the shunter who not only shunted the stock, but also did most of the carriage cleaning as well. It was quite a busy post for him. The stock was mainly VEPs or SIGs, with some 445 sliding door stock. The SIGs and VEPs were used for the Waterloo to Reading line and the 445s for the Staines to Weybridge and Waterloo to Windsor lines, so most of the stock exited the yard via the station, presenting no real problems.

  Strawberry Hill was altogether a very different kettle of fish, as it was quite a big depot. It was accessed by foot from the station just across the road, via a footpath which led to the depot, past the shunters’ cabin, across a couple of lines and on to the depot itself. The depot had about 10 sidings, a washer road and equipment, an old engine shed which was now becoming derelict and needed some TLC, a new accommodation block which housed the TCS, drivers, guards, and carriage cleaning staff and there was also a train research and development block on the site. There were 3 entrances and exits from the depot via Teddington, Fulwell and Strawberry Hill and the early morning exit was quite busy. As the main stock was 445 sliding door trains and these supplied the suburban routes, it was very important that this depot was well monitored, so some early morning visits were in order by Stan and me.

  One of the main problems at the depot was graffiti on the carriages, so from time to time we used to spend a night or two trying to catch the culprits. On one such occasion, I took my son, Phil, with me to see the trains in the depot. He made cups of tea for the staff, and was well rewarded with loads of loose change! This was the night when all was quiet and I was making my rounds of the depot when I stumbled across two graffiti artists plying their trade on the side of a coach. I returned to the TCS office and telephoned the police who arrived with all sirens blazing. Of course the culprits took flight, leaving their cans of spray and bag on the ground. Although we did not catch them, I think that they were warned off and to my knowledge we were not visited by them again.