Bessie’s Bulletin
Freightliner shunt driver Bessie Matthews praises the work of engineers at Southampton Maritime.
WORKING around a freight maintenance depot is like being behind the scenes of an industrial sci-fi film. Everything around is intimidatingly huge, all the people are in full orange costume, and you get to see some amazing things that not everyone gets to see.
The shed at Southampton Maritime is far from Hollywood but, I think, it’s just as wondrous.
Within the repair building is a hive mind of brilliant engineers who work together to find and fix the faults of anything that ends up at their door. Poorly locomotives and tired wagons go in; booming engines and sturdy trucks come out. It