Thanks for your welcome its nice to be able to converse with fellow railway enthusiasts.

It was Phil, and it did not stop me bunking off to the railways when ever I got the chance. I wrote a bit about it some time ago. How I was taught things about locos and the railways by an Italian driver. If I remembered the lesson the next time we meet up, I was aloud to drive the loco (under his supervision). I ended up driving on the railway for a short time before I came to the UK. So as you say my good hiding was well worth it for the result you achieved.
Just a short rider to that, my father told me years later that it had always been a wish of his to work on the footplate but one he never managed to achieve.

Hi, interested in your choice of nom de plume - favourite loco, favourite horse or a Scotsman with Welsh ancestral connections?

Mike

Hi Phil, welcome to the forum. Looking forward to reading more of your memories.

Tony