Hello from new member

[exfootplateman]

Just registered and am now having a look round the site I started on the railways back in 1950,at Bescot MPD which is in the West Midlands,it was mostly a freight depot and 90% of our work was coal trains throughout the Midlands ...started as cleaner and worked my way up through all the stages and eventually reached the dizzy heights of Driver after a very long apprenticeship (dont think thats spelt right),anyway by that time Deisels were beginning to make an appearance,and since I was young and wanted some of that,I applied for and eventually got a post as a Deisel instructor,was still an engine driver but was trained so I could train other drivers how to operate Deisel traction....after about 8 years of that it got to the point where everyone was trained,so it started to peter out,and electric locos were starting to put in an appearance,for them there was not the same appeal for some reason,and the possibility of going back to shift working after such a long time,didnt appeal to me ...shortly after that I left the railways breaking a chain that had gone back 3 generations,but the lure of a regular day job was just too much ...My last 20 odd years were served with British Telecom .....

[billyboy]

Nice one Exfootplateman. plenty of ex footplate men here i think so you are in good company. good to see when you left the railway you still had a job on "the lines" ha ha, welcome, enjoy the site.

[exfootplateman]

Many thanks for the welcome billyboy A Hammers supporter living in the Phillipines ? bet you dont travel to many matches they're having a bit of a bad time at the moment,but Im positive it will pick up soon...they're far to good to be in that position they are in now ...take care ...Bob

[locojoe]

Hi Bob welcome to the forum a nice easy going group all decent chaps, I don't know if there any ladies. I started as a cleaner in 1954 at Enfield [North London] all local passenger work and ended up at Kings Cross. I was never a driver. Alan Locojoe.

[John H-T]

Welcome to the site. I grew up in Birmingham during the 50's and early 60's. Wasn't Bescot one of the last shed's to have the LNWR 0-8-0's?

[exfootplateman]

Originally Posted by John H-T

Welcome to the site. I grew up in Birmingham during the 50's and early 60's. Wasn't Bescot one of the last shed's to have the LNWR 0-8-0's?

It sure was we had loads of them D's or Duck 8's or super D's call them what you will you had to know how to fire them,as they had a flat firegrate,each one was so different,and a lot we had had problems with keeping steam up, they also leaked steam from every joint possible,in the winter sometimes it was difficult to see past the front end but one thing about them they would keep on going no matter how low the steam pressure got.....they were also ugly looking brutes of course

[swisstrains]

Hello "exfootplateman" and welcome to the forum.

[martin adamson]

Hi exfootplateman and welcome

[222007]

Welcome my friend hope you enjoy the forums i look forward to myour imput

[Ian White]

Welcome along hope you enjoy our little forum,and start posting soon.
All the best,Ian.