My 50 Years as a Southern Railwayman

by P J Shannon

  So now I had to go back to basics, again a sharp learning curve. On checking the rule book of the very first Guard that I took for rules examination, it was clear that not much attempt had been made to ensure that the amendments were being kept up to date. I had to borrow Barry’s updated version and withdraw the guard’s. I must admit that on this first occasion, it took a lot longer to satisfy myself that he was competent to carry out rules and regulations with regard to emergencies should he be required to.

  When I spoke to Barry and Stan, they assured me that this was not unusual and that they had found the same situation applied to them. As a result of our conversation, we agreed that we all should spend some time making up full sets of rule books so that if any of us should require one urgently we would be prepared. We worked very well as a team and over the next year we had renewed most, if not all, of the staff’s rule books.

  As a Guards Inspector “C” grade Supervisor with hours of work generally 8.00am until 4.00pm Monday to Friday with a couple of out-of-hours visits to the depots, so long as I looked after the revenue and kept the guards’ rule examinations and route knowledge up to date, my superiors were satisfied and nobody really interfered with me. This also gave me an opportunity to undertake work for Barry as he was often short of skilled men and as I would now be paid for any overtime that I undertook, it seemed a good way of earning a bit extra.

  As Stan and I covered the train crew we usually worked in pairs and undertook most of the work together and as a result became very good friends. I recall that late one night I got a call from Stan to inform me that the driver of the empties to Wimbledon had refused to come out of the depot at Staines because the shunter would not display a green hand signal to leave the depot. This action would affect how the guard would get home and Stan asked me to accompany him to Staines. As he lived in Frimley and passed my house on the way, I asked him to pick me up.

  When we arrived at the depot, our first priority was to try and establish what was going on. While I spoke to the shunter, Stan interviewed the driver, and it was quite obvious that there was an underlying problem between both men. Stan explained to the driver that there was no requirement for the shunter to exhibit a green hand signal as the exit signal from the depot was all that was required, but unfortunately, even after Stan had shown him the section of the rule book containing the instructions, he was still adamant that he was correct and refused to move the train. This action left Stan with no choice but to inform the driver that he would have to report the matter and charge him with disobeying a direct order. This action had left the guard without any transport back to Wimbledon and left us a train short, so I arranged with Control for a taxi from Staines to Wimbledon for the guard who was most grateful. Stan arranged for another driver to take the empty stock back to Wimbledon. It was now getting very late and we would have to stay at the depot to ensure that the stock was moved. Finally the spare driver arrived by taxi and he, without wanting any extra hand signal, departed the depot for Wimbledon accompanied by the other awkward driver. After bidding the night shunter farewell, we headed home.

  The next morning we wrote our reports and submitted them to the Area Manager’s Office for processing; it was a few days before we were informed that the driver would officially be charged with disobeying a direct order which led to two days suspension from duty with loss of pay.

  Our next incident was when Feltham Panel phoned Stan to inform him that there had been an alleged SPAD (Signal Passed at Danger) at St Margaret’s. Apparently the Waterloo to Waterloo via Twickenham had passed the starting signal on the up local at St Margaret’s at danger and had run through the sand-drag and into the bank. The emergency services had been called and other procedures had been implemented. The Richmond Station Supervisor had been called to the site and would deal with the passengers, so I asked Stan to pick me up and proceed to the site to get the guard’s and driver’s reports. As Stan and I lived near the M3 it was only a matter of driving up the motorway to Feltham, then by local roads to St Margaret’s which took about 45 minutes. As we approached the station, the emergency services were just leaving. We spoke to the Supervisor who updated us as to what was happening. There had been no injuries to passengers or crew and he had already detrained the passengers and transferred them to connecting services. He had also made the crew comfortable in the waiting room away from the public. We thanked him and told him that we were impressed by his swift actions.

  Stan and I then decided that it would be much better if we were to interview the driver and guard separately so I asked the guard if he would mind coming with me to another room whilst Stan interviewed the driver. I sat him down and asked the usual stock questions such as if he had had a good night’s sleep, if anything was worrying him, if he had any problems at home or any other concerns. He replied that there were no problems. I asked him to go back through his actions from when he left Twickenham and arrived at St Margaret’s and what had happened after that. He explained that he had left Twickenham and arrived at St Margaret’s in the up local line and sat there whilst the up Reading to Waterloo passed on the up through line. He had then got out of the train and looked up the platform, seen that the signal was off, then he closed the doors and gave the starting signal to the driver and the next thing he knew they had come to a bumpy stop. He was then buzzed by the driver who told him that they were in the sand-drag.

  I asked him to repeat the sequence from the time he saw the signal off. I then asked him the colour of the proceed signal and he said it was green. I thanked him and asked him to write it on the reporting form that I had given him. With the form completed, I asked him how long he had been passed out as a guard as he was from Waterloo Depot and I did not know him. He told me that he had only been passed out a few weeks and asked me why I had asked. I replied that he had stated in his report that when he looked at the signal on the platform the aspect was green. I checked that that is what he had seen and said, and he agreed. I then asked him to accompany me to the platform and show me the signal, as I knew that the signal was located on the opposite side of the platform with an on and off indicator on the platform. On looking up the platform he soon realised his mistake and immediately said, “Sorry gov, I made a mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  As for the driver, it was later revealed that the driver of the up Reading to Waterloo train had reported that when he passed the train at St Margaret’s, he had observed the driver reading a paper in the cab. That was not the end of the tale, as the train would have to be moved and returned to Strawberry Hill for inspection and possibly repairs, so it was decided that the end of the service would be the best time to do this move. So this was another late job for us, but I was getting quite used to it by now. The result of the inquiry was a SPAD with the driver and guard at fault.

  August of that year was a very happy time for Jenny and me when Holly, our daughter, was born. I remember it vividly! I was on duty at Windsor with Stan because there was going to be a special train for some foreign royalty and we were required to oversee the security arrangements which meant a security team from special branch with dogs searching every nook and cranny of the station for hidden explosive devices. Suddenly I got a telephone call from the office telling me not to panic, there was no rush, but that Jenny had gone into hospital for a check up, so could I make my way to the hospital when I had finished at Windsor. So as soon as the security team were happy that all was well Stan dropped me off at home. I found that the hospital had just phoned to ask me to bring Jenny’s suitcase, and that her friend Pauline would take me to the hospital. When Pauline arrived, she kindly took the case and I rode to the hospital on my motorbike. During the evening I was presented with my beautiful daughter. However, it did not go quite as we hoped and I was left holding the baby while Jenny was rushed to intensive care for a blood transfusion.

  Thank God that everything was all right and after many hours she recovered. I was able to go back home and tell the other children, who were bei
ng looked after by a friend, the good news. Luckily my bosses were very understanding and I was able to get some compassionate leave for a couple of weeks so that the children and I could visit her. Eventually I was able to fetch my two girls home and settle them down before returning to work.

  When I returned, Stan informed me of the date of the Royal special train and gave me the details. This was a special order issued to all the personnel that would be involved. He and I would have to attend to ensure that nothing went wrong. On the night, we made our way to Windsor reasonably early so that when the train arrived, which was scheduled after the last normal service train, we could make sure that everything was all right. The last train departed and the special arrived. The diesel engine was run around and coupled back up to the train by Don Cooper-Thorne, our shunter on the night. We both checked that the coupling was done properly and that the train was nice and warm and clean. This done, all we and the police had to do was to wait for the foreign royalty to appear. We were kept informed by the police of their progress and soon they arrived and boarded the train which quickly departed into the night towards London. Stan and I waited until the train was handed over to the next box and off our patch before making our way home in the early hours of the morning.

  One of the first jobs that I undertook was single line working between Shepperton and Fulwell on a Sunday from the start of the service at 08.00am until 8.00pm. This was a nice little earner with twelve hours at time and three quarters.

  My next job was as a points operator and flagman at Epsom, but as this was on my birthday I decided to get there on the last train and sleep in the carriage siding overnight, taking the rough with the smooth. This was another nice little twelve hours.

  Sometimes the job required me to take onboard some unpleasant tasks. One evening whilst at home, I was informed by Feltham Panel that a passenger had reported that he suspected that a guard of a Waterloo to Strawberry Hill train had been drinking and would I go there and investigate the complaint. I informed them that it would take me at least an hour to get to there by which time the guard in question would be long gone, but while I was on my way there would they contact the Supervisor at Richmond, Ross Lees, and ask him if he would go there as it would certainly be a lost cause for them to rely on me to get there in time. Sure enough it was almost an hour before I arrived at Strawberry Hill and I expected the station to be very quiet, but when I approached the staff room I heard voices and when I opened the door, Ross and the guard were sitting in the room talking loudly. Ross explained that he had been requested by the Regulator to attend because of the passenger’s report. He said that when he arrived, the guard was in the staff room talking to the station staff, and on asking the guard if he had consumed alcohol whilst he was on duty, he confessed that he had. Ross had instructed him to remain in the room until I arrived.

  I immediately asked the guard myself if he had consumed alcohol whist he was on duty, and he confirmed that he had, which Ross witnessed. I told him that he would be suspended from duty forthwith and would be required to report to Gerry Williams, the Train Crew Manager, at 10.00am next day, giving him written instructions to do so. I asked him how he was going to get home and he replied that he was not going home, but to the nearest pub and he left. I thanked Ross for his assistance and asked him to write a report for me, which he did. We then both left the station, Ross returning to Richmond and me to my office at Feltham where I wrote up my report. I left instructions for the TCM to be informed of the situation and to be prepared for a disciplinary hearing in the morning. With that done, it was time to go home. The next morning I arrived at the office at about 8 o’clock to brief the TCM and explain to him what had occurred the previous night, giving him both reports to read. He said that he needed to speak to the Area Manager and asked me to leave his office and wait for the guard to arrive. The guard turned up with his NUR Rep at about 09.30 and the TCM was informed of their arrival. Half an hour later, the two were ushered into the TCM’s office and came out again in about twenty minutes and left. I was called in and informed that the guard had admitted that he had consumed alcohol whilst he was on duty and had been dismissed from the service pending an appeal. It is sad to say that during the period in which his appeal would have been heard, he died. I have often wondered if we had done enough for him.

  Another time I was informed by the chief clerk at Staines, Bill Harwood, that one of the guards was not paying in his collected monies as required by the cash regulations. I checked with the TCS which turn he was on, as I needed to speak to him concerning this breach of the regulations and to try and get an explanation for this. I was advised that he would be starting at Staines at 2.00pm so I made my way there and waited for him. When he arrived, I told him to pay in the outstanding monies to the booking office, to which he replied that he had spent it. Sadly this led to another suspension from duty and another trip to the TCM’s office and another dismissal. I must admit that I did not take these decisions lightly but unfortunately it was my job and somebody had to do it. Still there were many good parts to my job and you had to savour those parts.

  In those times the railway was a changing place and reorganisation was the key word so I sat tight and waited for an opportunity to arise so that I could get back to doing what I liked best: being a Station Manager.

  It was now time for a break so we decided to go to Thorness Bay on the Isle of Wight for a week. This seemed the best place to go as there would be a lot of things for the children to do, so we packed up and off we went, but a week away was all that we could reasonably afford so we made the most of our time together. Luckily we could use our railway passes so it left us with a little extra. We had a great time there with lots of swimming and other outdoor activities, so not a moment was lost. To crown it all there was a picture of Jamie on top of a water slide in the next year’s brochure! When you are enjoying yourselves, the time flies past and it seemed like no time before we were packing up and going home again.

  Another reorganisation in 1986 saw us come under the umbrella of Network SouthEast under sector Directorship of Chris Green, and the idea of Network SouthEast was born - not only a more catchy title, but an entity invested with an energetic determination and drive to deliver improvements in service, punctuality, cleanliness and information. Additionally a whole new image was created; the red, blue and grey flash, blue lettering, red lampposts, litter bins, fencing and station fittings together with the bold and bright livery of the trains themselves.

  Launched in a fanfare of publicity on 10 June 1986, the NSE image spread rapidly thereafter. Amid criticism of its brash colour scheme and garish 'toothpaste' livery there is no doubt that it had the desired effect - everyone noticed. Deliberately designed to be eye-catching, not even the most oblivious of travellers could have failed to notice this sudden rush of colour. New management brought new ideas and, if the driving force behind the entire reorganisation was government demands to reduce subsidies, it was obvious that fresh impetus had to be injected into a neglected network.

  Seconded back to Ascot as SM

  I got my chance during June 1986. I was seconded back to Ascot as SM for the races in June that year. It was now up to me to make a good job of it as we were now working for Network SouthEast, which included the track, signal boxes, booking offices, stations etc., so we seemed one big family; but this would radically change in the years to come.

  We had the Nottingham Evening Post special on Thursday 19th June and the Venice-Simplon Orient Express on the 20th for which I acquired the menu. I remember it vividly - I had a young cleaner whose birthday it was, and she wanted to know if she could have a ride on it as she and the other cleaners were going to go to the depot to clean it out. I said that I would speak to the crew and try and sort something out. As promised, I spoke to them and they were only too willing to have her on board as it was her birthday. They also arranged a little lunch for her as well, a really nice gesture. She was over the moon with it all.

  I must have don
e a good job because I was invited to attend the opening of the newly renovated station in August of that year, after the old one had been burnt down. I still have my invitation from the AM, Charles Nicholls, and even had my picture in the Evening Post which also gave details of the refurbishment and cost of £400.000. ‘New look station back on the right lines’ was the headline in the paper that day, which gave a picture of the old station in 1982 and the new one in 1986 and an explanation of how it burnt down.

  The paper stated:

  ‘A Berkshire railway station gutted by fire four years ago has been officially reopened. The historic Ascot station has been renovated at a cost of £400,000. The opening ceremony was performed by the Clerk to Royal Ascot racecourse, Captain Nicholas Beaumont. He unveiled a plaque at the request of BR’s Southern Region area manager, Mr Charles Nicholls, who thanked passengers for their understanding during the renovations. The new station has a large ticket office, a waiting room and new toilets. Buildings on the platform and staff accommodation have also been improved.’

  While still at Ascot I was called to Frimley by Tony Domm, the Senior Railman, who told me that the booking office had been broken into and that he had informed the local police. When this sort of thing happens there is a procedure to adhere to which is alerting the AM and the TTIs and making your way there as quickly as possible. On my arrival I was not surprised to find the booking office in a mess. The thieves could not gain entry to the safe so they emptied the ticket racks onto the floor. It all had to be cleaned up. Tony was not happy and he said that he was prepared to put up a £100 reward to catch the persons responsible. Of course the papers got hold of it and ‘£100 reward to catch station wreckers’ was splashed over the page. Even I got a mention, ‘Mr P Shannon Area Manager surveying the mess’. Of course, I wasn’t the Area Manager! The thieves had gone for the money, found there wasn’t any and taken it out on the office. A couple of days later we had sorted out the mess to find very few tickets missing, but we never did catch the culprits.