The last steam engine to leave Bletchley Loco shed on July 5th 1965 (Accession Ref: RWS/P/142.).
History is not just about events. It’s about people, their experiences, their triumphs, the way they live their lives and how they tell their stories. ‘Where the Lines Meet’ is a collection of still images, documents, and 43 oral history audio recordings collecting the memories of people who have worked on, or used the railway at Bletchley. The project was funded by the Local Heritage Initiative in conjunction with Living Archive, Milton Keynes, to document the Railway Heritage of Bletchley. The railway has been an important part of the growth of Bletchley throughout 170 years. Many people moved here, worked here, and generations of families have been involved with the railway in some form or other. The information for this project was gathered by local people using local resources and materials provided by Bletchley Community Heritage Initiative and Living Archive.
Creator
Living Archive
Extent
43 audio tape cassettes
Reference number
WLM
Records in this Collection
Interview about Mr Brown’s career as a Bletchley railwayman, in particular life as an engine driver; including comments on working conditions and anecdotes about fellow workers and passengers.
Interview about steam engines, and local and national railway travel.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman about his career on the railways from 1942 to 1991, including life as a call boy, fireman, engine driver and train crew Manager. Topics include working conditions, dangers, accidents, and driving the Royal Train.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman about his careeer on the railways from 1935 to 1982, including life as an engine cleaner, fireman and engine driver. Topics include working conditions, dangers, accidents, the Beeching cuts and the Royal Train.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman, topics including career progression, working as an instructor, Bletchley station, the Beeching cuts, the Royal Train and changes to the railways.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman; topics include Wolverton Works apprenticeship, technical details of trains and tracks, Bletchley station, the effect of the Beeching cuts and other changes, and the Royal Train.
Interview with a resident of Fenny Stratford and Bletchley since 1940; topics include his memories of Bletchley Station and its staff, local shopkeepers and companies who used the railways for freight.
Interview with a Woburn Sands resident and brickworks employee about his memories of local railways from the 1940s onwards. Topics include his memories of Woburn Sands, railwayfreight in wartime and changes to the railway system.
Interview with an ex-train driver who joined the railways in the 1940s, and left in the 1950s. Topics include driving, Bletchley station and social life in Bletchley.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman about his career from 1945 to 1996. Topics include the ‘Fogman’, life as an engine driver, including driving the Royal Train, Bletchley engine shed, working conditions and shift work.
Interview with a railwayman whose career was based in various parcels offices.
Interview with an engine driver who worked in London and Bletchley. Topics include the Royal Train, Bletchley Town football club and his childhood in London.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman, about his roles as porter, train reporter in the telegraph office, and in the workshop as cleaner, examiner and electrical maintenance.
An interview about life in Bletchley since the 1940s. Topics include study at Wolverton Grammar school, evacuees, Bletchley Park staff, social life and shopping, and changes to Bletchley in the 1950s.
Interview with a Bletchley resident who worked in the Railway Signals Department for a period. Topics also include memories of Far Bletchley and it residents.
Interview with a railwayman who was employed as a member of a gang working on the tracks between Bedford and Bletchley from 1957; includes comparisons of working conditions then and now.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman about his career on the railways from 1949 as a cleaner,fireman and engine driver. Topics include descriptions of jobs, working conditions, training and comparison of diesel and steam engines.
Interview with a railway fitter and electrician. Topics covered include apprenticeship from 1956, diagnosing problems with engines, working on the Breakdown Gang, and the effect of privatisation.
Interview with a ‘second man’ who worked for five years on the railway in the 1970s. Topics include his memories of Bletchley station as a child, the ‘second man’ and engine driver roles, railway safety and the Railway Club.
An interview about attending events at the Bletchley Railway Club as a family.
Interview with a railwayman who began his apprenticeship in 1948. Topics include post-war accommodation for railway workers; apprenticeships, safety and dealing with incidents; social activities; Bletchley Station buildings and their redevelopment; the change to diesel and electric; the British Transport Pension Federation.
A brief interview about Bletchley station, the Bletchley to Bedford line and ‘Newport Nobby’.
Interview with an instructor at the Bletchley Park Post Office Training School recalling memories of Bletchley in the 1940s and 1950s.
Interview about memories of Bletchley Station from 1966 onwards, and use of the railway. Topics include the station buildings and places to shop.
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