After about nine months of cleaning and doing the occasional week of labouring, at double the cleaners’ rate of pay, I began further tuition. Jack Roberts, who undertook passed cleaner training, arranged a series of lectures for us on the rules. We needed, first, to pass out on Rule 55 – Trains detained on running lines. Jack showed us the symbols fitted to signals. These included a white diamond indicating a track circuit, with a D-shaped call plunger fitted, and what action we needed to take when stopped at such signals. Next was Rule 178 – Trains stopped by accident failure obstruction or by other exceptional causes. We learned how to use the detonators by attaching them to the rail-head, after making sure they were in date and fit for use. We learned how to recognise different types of-signal and what purpose they served. In time, we learned all the rules a fireman needed to know for safe operation of the railway.
My favourite moment was when Jack told us we would spend two weeks on the road with different firemen. He must have selected the three whom we accompanied, with care, because they were all ‘top side of the job’ and great to work with. The first was first Lenny Winters. Lenny was good fun and loved steam. I will never forget seeing him on a ‘4F’ 0-6-0 approaching King’s Norton with balloons tied to the tender rails. He and his driver decided to dress the ship overall to celebrate Len’s birthday. When they were relieved at Landor street, a bemused relief crew watched while Len burst all his balloons! When steam finished Len said he did not wish to drive ‘tin cans’ and the last time I saw him he was a driver-fitter on a track machine. I spent two days on the ‘bank pilots’ and a third with
