My introduction to the magic of steam was in the late 1950's when my dad had a night-time job of delivering newspapers & magazines from W.H.Smiths in Birmingham to drop-off places in Oxford & Didcot. This entailed picking up the papers in what was then a state of the art delivery van, a Bedford CA complete with sliding driver and passenger doors.  Considering it had no seat belts fitted, no law against it in those days, its a wonder we never fell out of the thing as we hurtled along the A roads, no motorways in those days, to and from our destinations, with the sliding doors pinned open. Come to think of it what was I doing, an 8 or 9 year old lad helping his dad on those runs, starting from about 10pm? 

Anyway, the fascination with steam started when we used to visit Oxford and Didcot railway stations.  I don't remember if this was part of the delivery run or whether we went there just to spot the engines.  What I do remember so vividly is the images of the parcels trains, might have been mixed passenger & parcels in those days, stopped at the platforms being loaded and unloaded before the driver got the 'right away' from the guard and off they would go into the night.  The station lamps, gas or oil perhaps, the steam gently seeping from the engines, the lights from the parcels vans or carriages, the station staff in their serge uniforms shining a lamp so that I could see the engine number on the opposite platform, the 2-wheeler and 4-wheeler platform trucks, I can see it all now as if it were yesterday.  The picture of 4956 at Oxford Station [20th August 1959] certainly brings back the memories.  This was the Great Western Region, surviving in spirit if not in name, and these early experiences, along with living in Tyseley, would ensure that I would be a Great Western Railway fan through and through. To this day, I can't believe that steam and the railway I grew up with has all disappeared, daft I know.

It was at Didcot that I saw my first Warship Class D800'er, D820 Grenville. According to my Ian Allen Combined Volume, Summer 1961, she was built in 1960 [4th May] at Swindon.  She was also cut up there on 2nd November 1972 after just 12 years of service.  That same volume confirms that I went on to 'cop' a further 26 D800'ers.  Little did that lad realise that one day he would get to 'second-man' a D800'er when working as a fireman/second man at Tyseley sheds.

West Country Holidays

We always seemed to go on holiday to the west country [Somerset, Devon & Cornwall] where mom, dad, sister & me would pile all our stuff into a hired car [hired from a dealer in Sparkhill] or into a family car if we could afford one at the time. I remember a hired Austin Somerset, a hired Vauxhall Victor and an owned 'green van' [think it was a Hillman] as we used to call it.  The family used to like early starts for the holiday runs [remember the Bristol snarl-ups?] and I remember being tucked up behind the rear seats in the green van as we set off.  However, I soon woke up when it was light as there was train-spotting to be done!  Again, I have images in my mind of following railway lines and going over and under the lines as we travelled towards our holiday destination, this was GWR country [as far as I was concerned] and that was pure delight. 

The family used to stop the vehicle if we saw a train approaching and I would note down the engine number and gaze in awe as it rattled past us.  We'd then set off again and wait for the next opportunity, eventually we would reach our destination which was usually a caravan.