In 1949/50 I was serving the early years of my apprenticeship as a fitter at Angerstein Permanent Way Works, in South London, when National Service intervened. I could have waited until I was 21 and finished my apprenticeship, but a dreaded cloud of despondency was hanging over me at the thought of military life. I decided to get it over and done with. I was nineteen at the time. At that time my father held the position of Deputy Chief Permanent Way Inspector at Purley, south of Croydon, with the family residing in a railway owned property at Orpington. Fortunately the management was extremely sympathetic with my dilemma, and had offered to keep my position open should I decide to join up, thereby enabling completion of the final part of my apprenticeship at a later date.
Meanwhile in the intervening couple of years, my father had put in for a vacancy at Newport in South Wales. Strangely this was not to be, as for whatever reason the family ended up at Darlington!
As for me, a few strings were pulled and I was granted a position at the town’s locomotive depot where I continued with my apprenticeship. I was already no stranger to the railway officials at Darlington, as whenever I had returned home for the start of a 36-hour leave, it would invariably be a Saturday afternoon as I stepped from the train. Almost without fail as I entered station buffet, there to greet me would be my father, this being the favourite gathering place from noon onwards for many of the local inspectors.
Darlington
That first ‘Civvy Street’ working morning, I found myself making the acquaintance of the shed’s foreman. He and my father knew each other well, as both used to go out on the breakdown train. Knowing full well that my previous experience had been in a permanent way depot, not on locomotives, one of the very first things that he said to me was “There is a book called Locomotive Management. You will need to obtain a copy and read it thoroughly.”
As requested, within a few days I had obtained a copy and commenced my study of steam engines, as I knew full well that I had a lot of catching up to do. It was the last addition, the tenth, having the ‘Standards’ in it. As for me, I soon became aware thatabout the intricacies of steam locomotives is a big subject. You have to gain work experience upon them in reality. Nevertheless, I plugged away, and gradually gained an insight as to the technicalities of the subject.
