Interview about use of the railways from Bletchley, and issues relating to engine driver work.
Pamela Essam recalls going to meet her engine driver father at the railway station, sometimes watching him on the engine turntables and occasionally having a ride in the cab. She remembers an American troop train going through the station once when she was there: ‘they threw sweets & gum at us through the window’. Her Dad appeared on TV in a training programme involving cows on the railway line. His main route was London to Blackpool; shift work made family life difficult, with irregular mealtimes, and he would have to work either on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Pamela had to travel to London regularly for hospital treatment; the cheap fares for railway workers ‘were a godsend’. Talking of Bletchley station during the war, she shows photographs including the old Post Office, the Coffee Tavern and a visit by Father Christmas. She remembers some Bletchley Station staff and recalls the visits of the Flying Scotsman, both the steam and diesel engines, and comments on her preference for diesel over electric engines. She recalls her father having to learn to drive electric trains.
Creator
Essam, Pamela
Contributor
Hill, Marion
Reference number
WLM/030/001
No Comments
Add a comment about this page