Railways for a start

Be prepared for me to bore you on the subject, because ever since as far back as I can remember, I have loved Railways. I can even recall the first time I stood on the footplate on a steam loco in London and my liking started. Every birthday, or Christmas when asked what I would like, I asked for a train-set, never got electric and that's because my parents couldn't afford one at the time.

I was born at Laindon, Essex and close to the local railway line, so anytime after my Love started, if my parents wanted me for any reason and I wasn't in the garden, they would always start looking down the station because 9/10, there I would be waiting and watching the trains, many a time leaning over the bridge and getting that Lovely face full of smoke from them. Obviously, in those days, we were reasonably safe on the streets, compared with today.

Despite my Love of railways, upon leaving school, I went to work in a factory. This was because I had changed my mind about being a train-driver due to the then demise of Good old steam. Oh I did eventually join the railway, but many years later and excuse the pun here, I trained to become a Guard and eventually made Revenue Ticket Inspector, before being given a Supervisory position. After suffering from Unstable Angina, I was on long-term sick against my wishes and eventually 'persuaded' to take early retirement at 56 years of age.


Since my 'Retirement' from the main line, I have become involved with a proposed Heritage Line, plus started a Model Railway Club up three and a half years ago. Both are going quite well and when I am settled in on here, I will place further details of both.
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