by P J Shannon
After the rush hour was over, I would go to the booking office to check if everything was all right, and then make my way down the line to Chessington South visiting each station as I went. Sometimes I walked between one or two, so nobody really knew where I was or where I would pop up again, so it kept the staff on their toes. It also gave me a good knowledge of the area should we have an incident. I always felt that with good track layout knowledge you can relax a bit. I think that the walk from Earlsfield to Wimbledon through the yard having a chat on the way with the shunter, on to the “A” Box to sign the Train Register Book and have a chat with the signalmen, Bob Kernoghan or Bob Hamilton, then back via the down sidings to the station, provided some of the best moments. Then I would make a visit up the East Putney line, visiting booking offices and signal boxes. By the time I had done all this, it was usually time to make my way home. My week was soon up and after a meeting with Brian on the Monday to fill him in on what had happened during the week I was then free to return to Feltham.
I remember on one occasion when I was relieving at Ascot and monitoring the service in the morning rush hour and one particular train was due to arrive at Ascot from Reading at 08.25am, its arrival usually making the connection with the 08.28am fast train to Waterloo. On this particular morning at about 08.23 I checked where the train was with the Panel to be told that it was just round the corner on the next track circuit, so I had nothing to worry about. I would make the connection without any problems, or so I thought. As the minutes ticked by I was acutely aware that something was amiss, so I got back on the phone again to the Panel to find out where it was only to be told that it was running about 3 minutes late and that the signalman had made a mistake in its whereabouts, but it would be arriving in about a minute at 08.28am, just when the fast should be leaving. So I had to make up my mind. Did I hold onto it for another minute, knowing that if I did it would mess up the service further up the line, or did I let the fast go, with the slow running in the platform and having to explain to the irate passengers? I believed that the passengers should come first, and with my head on the chopping block I held the train and made the connection, thus the fast left 2 minutes late. Later that morning a phone call from the AM’s office demanded my presence as soon as possible. I arrived there at about 10.00am to be shown in immediately. I must admit that I have seen the AM in a better mood as he ordered me to sit down and give him an explanation for my decision. I offered him my explanation to which he listened intently, and then read me the riot act for not obeying the local instructions. I stood my ground, and told him that I had checked with the Panel and unfortunately was given the wrong information, and as I was in charge at Ascot I believed that the decision I made was the right one, whatever the consequences. I was sharply informed that he was the AM and whatever decision I made would reflect on him. I apologised, but all the time that I was in charge I would make a decision with the information that I had at the time. I think that he realised that I was not about always going to play it safe and by the rules, and as I was ordered out of the office, I got a distinct feeling of a little admiration for me at the decision I had made.
I then made a swift return to cover Ascot Station Manager, Alex Foulds. He was an ex-Traffic Apprentice, who was taking leave for a couple of weeks. These guys usually took their leave when they were on call for the area and as RSM I was always required to cover that as well, but it was all part of the job. It always had some good parts about it, like a little bit of overtime payment or some other added expenses.
During the week on one of my visits to Frimley I noticed that one of the over-bridge concrete steps had a piece missing from it, so I, as required by legislation, reported it immediately to the Building Department, filling out the necessary forms for the repairs and filing our copy. Within a couple of days the repairs were attended to and it was erased from my memory.
It was some months later that the question of these steps arose again, when the Senior Railman at Frimley claimed that he had fallen down where the piece was missing and was claiming compensation against the Company for an alleged injury to his leg. As there was some confusion as to what date this incident had occurred and as there was no real reason for him to cross over the bridge as the cleaning was carried out by the Railman from Camberley, I assumed that the whole affair would be settled quickly. As time passed it became very clear that this incident was not going to go away, as he had got his Union, the NUR, involved. So I was required to produce the documents for the repair and the start and finish dates, which I duly sent to the Company’s legal department. The case dragged on for about eighteen months.
I remember the day that Alex Foulds and I were summoned to the Old Bailey in London to contest the case, and Alex and I were questioned by our solicitors who had a mass of paper evidence to prove our case. Before the procedure started, we were confident in our own minds that it was a lost cause for him. However just as we had taken our seats and made ourselves comfortable our solicitor came over to us and declared that we would not be needed to give evidence as they had settled damages out of court. Alex and I just sat there looking at one another in total dismay and asked for an explanation from them which was to the effect that if we were to lose the case on a technicality it would have cost twice as much. So a large amount of money was paid out as compensation.
After Ascot races that year, we decided as a family that we would like to visit Hastings and Battle, so we booked a week’s holiday in Hastings in August. We had a great time and during the week visited Battle Abbey, scene of William’s conquest. The small medieval town still retains much of its original character, and there was plenty to see and do; and just to get away from my daily work regime was good for me.
With the holiday over and back to work, I was spare for the first two weeks.
In October all was quiet until all hell was let loose on the night of the 15th, when a hurricane lashed the South of England with winds up to 90 miles per hour. There was devastation to property and trees, and Shanklin Pier on the Isle of Wight was washed away. Commuters were advised to stay at home as hundreds of roads and railway lines remained blocked by fallen trees. This was the time of the Michael Fish bloomer on TV stating that a woman had rung up to ask if there was a hurricane on its way, only to be reassured that there wasn’t, but within hours there it was in its full glory.
In our area trees were uprooted or blown down across most of the tracks between Reading and Waterloo and Guildford to Ascot. So nothing was moving and action was needed.
When the storm had died down, I got a call from Barry who was organising a working party with a diesel engine, driver, a couple of vans and guard to come out of Woking and around the branch to Ascot clearing the track as he went. He would then come to Ascot to pick me up along with some P/way volunteers with sawing equipment, and continue back to Woking via Virginia Water. We arranged to meet at about 11.00am but it was more like midday before he arrived. This was going to be a long day. We set off towards Sunningdale and it was not long before we were out on the track to remove the first fallen tree, then on to the second one and third one. By the time we reached Virginia Water, it was well into the afternoon, so we just had time for a cup of tea and we were off around the branch towards Addlestone. Another three or four trees were disposed of, and on we went to the main line to Woking, which was now cleared, arriving back at about 10.00pm. During our time out, track-clearing gangs from other areas were doing the same thing, so by the time we had all finished most of our tracks were clear and the next day we were able to run a near normal service.
After the clear up I had a couple of days spare and the Office wanted me to take some of my outstanding holiday, so we had a few days down in Winchester.
Then it was back to the grindstone and I was required to cover Surbiton, where Charlie Philpott was Station Manager. He had been a train driver and Train Crew Supervisor at Strawberry Hill. The area took in Surbiton and its signal box, Berrylands, Thames Ditton, Hampton Court, Hinchley Wood, Cl
aygate, Oxshott, Cobham, Effingham Junction, Horsley and Clandon. This was a nice little area and I used to like to walk some of the track between Hampton Court and Thames Ditton, then across the junction to Hinchley Wood and on down to Clandon, so again nobody was really sure where I would pop up. It was great fun keeping staff guessing where I might appear next. It was my belief that the regular SMs were too predictable in their movements and most of the staff could plot their movements throughout the day. I would either start at Effingham Junction or Surbiton to see the morning or evening rush hour and ensure that the service was running well before I would make my way to out-stations or go home at the end of the evening service.
On 21 December I was required to renew my Load Examined Traffic certificate which allowed me to sign Load Examined labels for such loads complying with the instructions contained in the Green Pages of the Working Manual for rail staff, or in plain and simple language, my ODS badge.
We were invited to visit Jenny’s parents in Budleigh Salterton in Devon for Christmas that year. But first there was another stint in Richmond.
The town of Budleigh Salterton sits where the River Otter meets the sea at Ladram Bay, and it's not surprising that this area is one of Devon’s best loved holiday destinations, particularly along its gorgeous coastline. This idyllic section of the South Devon coast is characterised by secluded sandy bays and this is why my in-laws chose to live there. There are lots of charming villages, one being East Budleigh, a picture postcard place with narrow streets and a small stream running alongside it, some village shops and the Sir Walter Raleigh pub, in which my father in-law and I often had a couple of pints.
We departed from home just before Christmas, leaving Bagshot early, changing at Ash Vale for Woking, and from there to Honiton where Jenny’s father picked us up and drove us to Budleigh where her mother was waiting for us with a nice meal. Later we unpacked and made our way down to the sea, something we all liked to do. The two boys, Jamie and Phil, liked to throw stones across the mouth of the river Otter which ran into the sea at Ladram Bay. We would try to land the stones on the ledge of the cliff across the river, and many a happy hour was spent there. Soon it was Christmas Eve. We all went to the Blessing of the Crib service, and I remember the Vicar advising the children present not to wake their parents before 5 o’clock. Promptly at 5, Jamie awoke wanting to open his presents, but he had to wait for a more civilised hour! After the presents were given and opened we had a nice relaxing few hours after breakfast until lunch, then after too much to eat, we all walked down to the sea.
Boxing Day was the big rafting event on the river Otter where teams from all over would compete by sailing down the river on home-made rafts to raise money for charity. This was great sport as many of them were tipped into the river. The fastest raft from the Otterton Bridge and South Farm was manned by the Otterton Twinning Association in a brilliant time of 31 minutes. There were also cups for the ladies and juniors in the race, so it was good entertainment for the afternoon. Then we had to go back for tea and get packed and ready for home the next day. This soon came round and we were taken to the nearest station at Exmouth for our journey home again, amidst tears from the children at having to say goodbye to their grandparents. The train departed along the river Exe to Exeter where we changed trains for Woking and home. It had been a lovely break.
In January of 1988, it was all change again with the introduction of Station Supervisors at Ascot and Staines; this in my opinion was almost a return to the old ASM role but by a new name. The newspaper of the day quoted:
‘The creation of four new supervisory posts on the booming ‘Silicon Valley’ line west of London has been hailed as an example to other BR staff seeking promotion. The posts at Ascot and Staines were created to provide better customer services on a line that has seen a leap from £24 million pounds to £38 million pounds in the past three years. The four new jobs have been filled by four men from widely different railway backgrounds; a clerk, a guard, a station chargeman and a driver. Southern Region personnel manager says that the promotion of these four staff illustrates that you don’t have to be a management trainee to get on in the industry and that you don’t need to be under 40 years old. “It is not unique to have staff from these backgrounds going into the supervisory grades and I hope others will be encouraged by their example. But it is unique for us to have a package of promotions at the same time at two stations. The most significant thing about it is that we feel this might act as an ‘unlocking’ process for other staff. It might make people who would have not considered promotion have a bash.” Charles Nicholls, area manager at Feltham, said that the four posts were created as a direct result of the 25 per cent increase in passengers using the line to Waterloo over the past 3 years. He said, “Although there is not the staff there to justify this, we agree with the network that the four new supervisors, early and late, at these two stations will be beneficial. It is important with the big growth in business on this to have good quality customer service, to make sure that when the trains come in we run them on time. Response to the job advertising was strong. Eighteen staff were interviewed, half the number that applied. It was a very encouraging response and a very strong field. The choice of successful candidates, from those widely different backgrounds illustrates that BR is not just a place for ex-graduates. I think with many staff it just does not occur to then to use the talents that they have got. By promoting these men we are reminding all of our staff that they have potential.” The area manager says the passenger boom has come about because of the enormous growth in population and business in the Silicon Valley area particular between Reading and Ascot. This also coincides with the introduction of the 455 class trains. The newly appointed supervisors are John Girdlestone, a driver from Staines, Allan Bradshaw, a charge-man from Swanley in Kent, Adrian Hopgood AMO clerical officer and Clive Ayling, a guard from Staines.
John Girdlestone said, “What is unusual is about these promotions is that we are all from such an interesting collection of backgrounds. We are not all traffic men and normally supervisors would come from the traffic side of the business. The emphasis now is on suitability and equal opportunity. Our main jobs will be customer care and revenue protection.”’
So it was now down the newly promoted staff to settle to their new jobs with the help of me and their respective station managers.
In February my daughter, Natalie, got married in Woking which was a very nice family day with a little reception in old Woking and we all had a happy and enjoyable time.
In March we were invited to a Masonic Ladies Festival which was held at the Lakeside at Frimley with my old friend, Stan Stonestreet, which we enjoyed very much. This was a very big occasion for Stan as it was his lodge.
In April it was Jenny’s parents’ golden wedding anniversary at the Bramley Grange near Guildford. The journey there was not without incident for when we got to Ash Vale there were no trains on to Guildford so we had to think quickly how we should get there. We decided the best plan would be to get a train to Woking and a taxi to Bramley, so that is what we did, only arriving a little late with the celebration cake which Jenny had made. It was a most enjoyable occasion.
In May 1988 I received my long service awarded for 32 years service on the railway, for which I chose a Mappin and Webb wristwatch with the inscription ‘British Railways Board, P.J.Shannon in recognition of long service 1988’. The presentation was made to me by Steve Smith our Assistant Area Manager, and his wife Sharon presented a bouquet of flowers to Jenny.
I was then required to cover Epsom, where Peter Dixon was Station Manager. Previously he had been a clerical officer, as with a lot of the new SMs. Epsom area took in Epsom signal box, Ewell West, Ashstead, Leatherhead and box, Boxhill & Westhumble, Dorking and box and Bookham. This was again a good area with some very nice signal boxes. Epsom station had three platforms and trains from the Victoria Central ran into one of the platforms and returned to Victoria. The signal box was situated on a gantry above the p
latform with views over the countryside. It was a lovely place to work in and I would spend as much time as possible up there. This also applied to the boxes at Leatherhead and Dorking. All the out-stations were just up and down platforms with a booking office and outbuildings. Dorking was a major station with four platforms and a downside siding, which again was a very busy place. Leatherhead was the junction for Dorking and the line to Guildford and somewhere that I liked to spend some time. It was ironic that I didn’t walk any of the tracks here as this was such a nice place. The only thing that I had to deal with was an outstanding disciplinary procedure on one of the platform staff for some minor indiscretion, which resulted in a slap on the wrist, but when Peter returned he was very pleased with the result. I don’t really know what he thought I would do with the member of staff, as I always dealt with them fairly and without prejudice.
After all the commotion it was fairly quiet around the area as the SMs had taken most of their leave so I went back to the office at Feltham and spend a bit of time with Stan and Barry making up Rule Books and Appendices and generally making myself useful. Needless to say, this quiet period did not last long.
In May I was able to take in the Woking 150 Railway Exhibition which was very good, and gave me a chance to relax.
In August of that year we had a holiday week away at Butlins at Bognor. This was just the place to take children as there was a lot going on. As parents, we seemed to spend a lot of time just watching the children enjoy themselves on the roundabout! The joys of parenthood!