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 covering memories of steam trains, and motor rallying. Topics include repair to a fire tender when the Flying Scotsman visited Bletchley in 1972.
Interview recalling regular trips on the route between Bletchley and Buckingham. Topics include Bletchley Station and railway staff.
Interview covering topics such as train travel in the 1960s, Bletchley Station and comparison with train travel currently.
A brief interview from a more recent arrival in Bletchley about the town and railway station.
Interview with a long-term Bletchley resident about her use of the railways from Bletchley, mainly in the 1930s and 1940s. Topics include travel to Wolverton Grammar School, shopping trips to Bedford and family holidays in Yarmouth and Swansea.
Interview about life in the family of an engine driver, their use of the railways from Bletchley and memories of the station.
Interview with the daughter of an engine driver. Topics include work conditions for drivers, Bletchley Station during the war, and the demolition of old Bletchley Station buildings.
An interview covering memories of the railways in Bletchley. Topics include engine drivers heating food in the cab; playing near the line and trainspotting on the Sixty Steps as a child; the Royal Train; their journey on the Honeymoon Special.
An interview covering memories of the wife of a signalman in Bletchley from the 1950s onwards. Topics include memories of Bletchley, living at Railway Terrace, family holidays by train, the Great Train Robbery and the Beeching cuts.
Interview with a railway employee who worked at Euston House in administrative and technical posts from 1970 to 2004. Topics include his job, colleagues and fellow-commuters, incidents on the railways, union activity and Bletchley Station.
An interview with a railway cleaner and fireman from 1964 to 1967. Topics include training, working hours, the links system and the skills of a fireman.
Interview with a railwayman and Post Office employee. Topics include work on the Permanent Way, memories of Bletchley Station, and Post Office work including dispatch of mail on the Travelling Post Offices (TPO).
Interview with the wife of a Bletchley railwayman, about her memories of travel on the railways.
Interview with a long-serving railwayman who worked, mainly as a driver, from 1962 to 2004. Topics include working patterns and pay, the Bletchley Railway Club, unions, memorable incidents and attitudes of Bletchley staff: the ‘Wills and Won’ts’.
An interview with a railwayman who served in Bletchley from 1962 to 1967, starting as an engine cleaner. Topics include wages and working conditions, the Railway Club at Bletchley, the Great Train Robbery, and the transfer from steam to diesel and electric engines.
Interview with a husband and wife from Bletchley, who describe their use of the railways and changes they have seen to the network during their lives.
An interview about life as a fireman and driver in Bletchley from 1955 to 1970. Topics include working practices, training to be a driver, pay rates and the Unions, and the transfer from steam to diesel and electric engines.
Interview with a railway employee who has worked as a senior manager based at Euston from 1970 to 2006. Topics include his career, railway communities, the railways in wartime, changes to railways since the 1950s and the importance of future development.
An interview about a railway career from 1948 to 1968, covering the role of callboy, fireman, driver, and driver instructor when diesel and electric engines were introduced.
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