R h n hardy collection
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| RH 897 is the same group minus Christopher and including a thoroughly wet and dirty Hardy.
RH 898 This time Paul Ingham and I had the ”Blanche”, a lovely little engine, strong for it’s size and we had a good day while on the last round we had two guests from the Severn Valley Railway, two great friends, John Robinson is, I believe, not far off retirement at Bridgnorth(as I write in 2011) where he has been a tower of strength to the railway for many years: and with him, apart from myself on the right is Jack Beaman, a Saltley driver of 1948 vintage and Chief Locomotive Insoector of the SVR. Jack is a great character and a man of great experience. Happy days with splendid comrades. RH 899 Myself and Ozzy in the shed at the Lodge. What Ozzy did I have no idea for I do not recall him at work! RH 900 My first of many days(in 1984) with the bearded Paul Ingham from Leicester and his mate for the day, John Rowlands. Both of them were extremely competent and on my firing turn we went over the top with steam and water to spare, load 6 bogies. The little engine was worked to the limit throughout the climb. Paul shook my hand on it as we turned the top which was a gesture I shall not forget, the first of quite a few happy days at work with Paul on the FR. To triumph against the odds on the FR is a wonderful feeling almost as strong as on the main line. RH 901 The Blanche inside at Boston Lodge after a good days work and well cleaned for a good start tomorrow.L-R Glyn Whitehurst, quite young but an up and coming driver, Paul Ingham, my mate and Steve Mc Cullom on the permanent staff who did just about everything and eventually left the FR to work on the Channel Tunnel project. A very long headed young man. RH 902 The messroom at Boston Lode with Dave Yates: yet another of the Boston Lodge men who were extremely capable, Paul Ingham and John Greenfield from BR, one time cynic of the FR and completely converted by the staff and the way the railway was run. I believe that Dave’s son is a member of the FR Permanent Staff these days.. RH 903 The Prince, a very old timer dating back, I think, to 1863, a very good strong little engine, a bit cramped to work on but none the worse for that. This was the day I had my first day with Paul Ingham and my second day with the Prince. Day to remember! I am on the footplate and we are standing at the Harbour Station with the Control office up above in the station. RH 904 Again with the Blanche as background at Boston Lodge, this time Glyn Whitehurst, RH and Steve McCullum RH 905 Taken from the road just inside the fence this time with Paul looking after Glyn and John Greenfield on the Prince who is assisting the Mountaineer. I believe that was the day that I was firing to Paul Lewin, the present General Manager with whom I made some very early trips during which he taught me many of the tricks of the trade. He must have been all of 17 at the time and his cruising speed on those long legs was about 6 mph. Being GM of the FR is hard enough at times and having much to do with the Welsh Highland marvel as well is no picnic I can assure you. Good luck to you Paul you are doing a grand job.. RH 906 Blanche yet again at Boston Lodge with Paul Ingham, John Greenfield and a young fireman whose name I cannot recall. Sooner or later, I will find out and include it in the caption. The trouble is he’ll be 45 or so now. RH 907 A delightful head and shoulder study of John Greenfield and Paul Ingham in the cab of the Linda RH 908 See 916 which is a slightly better photograph RH 909.With the Mountaineer as an incomplete backdrop’ is Paul Ingham. This was taken in 1985 and we had the American engine four all four days and she did a great job every day: all the steam we wanted, easy to work on in every way. With us we had a splendid companion who was a volunteer and I think he was an American from California. Anyhow we had a good time together: his name Don Shiparo and his nick name Fidel Castro. RH 910 A good photograph of Mountaineer between trips at the Harbour station with Paul oiling round. RH 911 Another good picture of the Mountaineer this time at Boston Lodge and this time we have three stalwarts of the permanent staff, real railwaymen. L-R Phil Girdlestone who handled the Linda in her gas producing days about which a book could be written and a very interesting one at that: then Clive Gibbard on many of my pictures and Fred Boughey, a great character too. I remember well when I joined the FR Company Board in 1977, I was asked to go down one weekend and show myself at Allan Garraway’s Sunday afternoon weekly meetings with his heads of staff. My goodness, the pot was boiling for the FR was in one of it’s mini-turmoils which it became my job to help to overcome over the next 10 years and I certainly enjoyed my association with the old railway and it’s personalities as I did in the Board Room which was quite an experience and it was far from easy at first but fater a few years immensely rewarding.. RH912 Paul Ingham and ”Fidel Castro” taking the air before we left Boston Lodge on our first round RH 913 Linda at work with her stovepipe chimney but her gas producing equipment removed. I think this is my last trip(for the time being) with Paul Ingham and John Greenfield’s last visit before illness overtook him. After this trip Paul and John went over to the Prince and Paul Lewin came with me on Linda. She was off the boil a bit that day and you had think and scheme to keep on top. On the second trip, we had the General Manager and two friends lined up across the front of the tender. We gave them a run to remember but I had to say that today mine was not a talking job as I had to concentrate the whole time on the oil firing which is not the bobby’s job some people think and like using a mechanical stoker with small coal, needs utter concentration for every move the driver makes the fireman has to act in unison. We are at Blaenau on the first round and ready for the return, Glyn Whitehurst, John Greenfield and RH RH 914 Paul, John Robbo and Jack Beaman from the Severn Valley and RH at the end of the day when Jack had had a go at driving the Blanche with comical results. He gave the impression he was off to Carlisle from Saltley with a class 9 “Space Ship”! RH 915 Jo Clulow must have taken 914 as he is on this one. Like Paul, Joe has served the FR since he was a youngster and in a wide variety of jobs from driving to Controller and probably more than ever. He will probably have been in Boston Lodge in some capacity as he is wearing a boiler suit. Paul, Robbo and Jack Beaman complete the picture. RH 916 Blanche again at the end of a day but a different clientele at Boston Lodge. John Greenfield, Peter Dennis who if my memory serves me right was much involved with the passenger and catering sides, Steve McCallom, Evan Davies who lived over the station and had been with the FR as a boy and became a fitter, fireman and driver. Unlike many of the staff and volunteers, he was a Welshman who had fitted the FR like a glove. Sadly he died quite a few years ago and relatively young. Then Paul Ingham, Chris Richardson ex BR holding the wine bottle(who brought that, I wonder) and finally Greg Fuchs, then a young man who may well still be with the railway. RH 917 Much of the days work is done as we are standing at Dduallt waiting to cross the last up train of the day. We have the Mountaineer with Paul, Fidel Castro(Don Shipiro) and Glyn Jones who maybe still works for what was BR. It is possible that he worked in Manchester and that he goes to a bi-annual Railway Lunch that in fact I started in 1969 when I was Div Manager Liverpool. But there are an awful lot of Glyn Jones’s in Wales, North or South! In the background is a young man with longish black hair and festooned with a ticket issuing machine. Anybody who knows him will hopefully get in touch with the TT so that we can have the omission corrected. Download 0.62 Mb. Share with your friends:
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