other areas of research rather than parish records

[mollymandysb]

Hi Jo and Redroger

tx for info.

Redroger, I dont know what my grand drove but have pictures of my dad driving clun and king edward. he worked out of both wrexham north wales and tyseley in birmingham. not sure when he drove flying scot.  but will try and send u pics of him on clun and king ed.



Hi Jo

you r prob right in that u answered my questions before on this one.  I am trying all sorts of avenues but still not finding anything.  but will try the methodists.

tx

regards

steph

[Redroger]

Thanks, Look forward to the pictures. It may well be that the engine he drove was a rember of the Royal Scot class of locomotive. In service, the LNER pacifics, Flying Scotsman and similar class engines were confined to the East Coast route, plus a few subsidiaries and diversionary routes. After withdrawal as a preserved engine Flying Scotsman has travelled all over the UK, and indeed abroard.

[mollymandysb]

it might be that he drove the scot when it came to tyseley for an open day.  are u an enthusiast.

my step dad died a couple of years ago and left boxes and boxes of railway memorablia, such as log books, work books.  I have spoken to the railway musuem at tyseley and they are going to have the lot.  there are engine keys and loads of stuff.  he worked out of tyseley before it was closed.

apparently according to my daughter Reg Partridge drove the last steam train out of tyseley depot.  I think it went to didbury at oxon.

steph

[Redroger]

It is quite likely he drove Flying Scotsman if he was still working at Tyseley after 1963, I believe the engine came there several times. I am a retired rail worker, and something of an enthusiast, but most of my rail interest is in modelling HO American railways from the 1950s.

[mollymandysb]

yes, he certainly was working out of Tyseley after 1963.  very sad tho but his eyesight goes worse and he was transferred to New St Station Bham to run the cleaners and then in the parcel depot.  understandably i know but when u have driven some big beasts and been at the top of the trade then you fall to beyond where you started. 

at his funeral a lot of his comrades, drivers and firemen attended, some well into their 90. tributes were read out from the shopmobility unit at snow hill.  as a welshman we played the national anthem and then when the curtain was closing we played a steam train chugging away with a whistle.

after the service his comrades said that was not reg driving the train as it was going to slow he really burnt some coal!!

as for my grand dad he drove steam trains out of croes newydd in wrexham.  I think he retired before the re grouping.?

will get the photos to you soon.  my partner is going into hospital next week to have a 3 x by pass.

regards

steph

[Redroger]

Hope that goes OK Steph. No rush with the pictures so far as I am concerned, have plenty to deal with, like resurrecting my address book after failure(apparent) of email company! Funnily enough I worked at New St. Station from 1991 until 1993 as traincrew personnel officer, but that of course was lomng after he retired. There were still cleaners (now called trainmen) when I was there. Eyesight was the main cause of failure for the footplate grade amongst older drivers. Earlier when my Dad was driving the main cause was diabetes, he was the first driver ever to resume full mainline duties after diagnosis that was in the late 1950s. Now, it's routine, latterly when working on the East Coast route, I had at least 3 men all suffering from fairly severe diabetes which would have certainly terminated their careers in earlier times driving express trains daily at 140mph.
Regarding your grandad, there were two groupings, the merger in 1923 which produced 4 mainline railway companies in the UK, and Nationalization (State ownership) in 1948, the Great Western was the only company to retain its name in 1923, became Western Region of BR.