I’m Victoria, the Team Organiser for Drivers North and Mid based in Chester. I have been with TfW for 4 years having joined in 2021. However, this is just the start of my contribution towards my family’s combined 400+ years of railway service over the 200 years of the modern railway. Their working lives, spent mostly in the Pant, Llanymynech and Oswestry areas, stretched from the Cambrian Railways through to Network Rail.
It all started when my Great Grandfather William joined the railway in 1879 as Railway Ganger at Llynclys. He spent 50 continuous years on the line some of them under the Cambrian regime before becoming Foreman Platelayer on the Oswestry section of the GWR.
Six of his sons followed him all contributing to a similar number of years’ service.
His eldest son John started in 1908 as Junior Clerk at Llynclys Station transferring to the Cambrian Audit Office at Oswestry in 1909. After the Cambrian amalgamated with the GWR in 1922 he transferred to the Passenger Trains office where he remained until he was appointed Station Master at Llanymynech in 1930. He retired in 1954 after 46 years’ service. His son also called John was a Clerk in the District Traffic Superintendent’s Office in Oswestry.
Bill, Station Master at Pant for over 23 years completed about 45 years total service. His wife Madeleine was Crossing Keeper and all three children worked there, his daughter taking over as Crossing Keeper from her mother. His son Edward started work with the GWR in Oswestry, later Aberystwyth then Barry before returning to Oswestry as a Fireman. One son-in law later became Signal Man at Weston Rhyn and another was BR Deputy Regional Fire officer at Crewe.
Another two sons Alfred and Walter were both Good Guards at Oswestry with another 90 years’ service between them. Yet another son Charlie was Signalman at Llanymynech for many years but after his brother’s John’s earlier retirement as Station Master at Llanymynech, he was promoted to Station Master just for the very last train through Llanymynech on January 17th, 1965!
My Grandad Samuel started as Porter in 1920 aged 15 at Welshpool station and remained there until the 1930s. A staff group photo including my Grandad is hanging on the wall in Welshpool Old Station to this day. He was a member of St John's Ambulance GWR Welshpool Division. From Welshpool he moved to Llanfechain Station as Station Master until he became a Goods Guard when during the war he was stationed at Hereford as guard on the ammunition trains. While there he lodged with a Train Driver who later became my Mum’s Godfather. Moving back to Shropshire as Goods Guard at Oswestry in 1948 and prior to his retirement from the Railway after 46 years, he managed Park Hall Halt until its closure in 1966.
My Grandad Samuel’s son John, my uncle, started in 1955 aged 15 years as a Signal boy in Oswestry North Box until becoming a Goods Shunter in 1958 in Oswestry for two years, then a Goods Guard in 1960 at Coton Hill Shrewsbury for 8 years changing to a Passenger Guard at Shrewsbury for the next 30 years on both the Cambrian Line to Aberystwyth and to Paddington. During this time, he was Acting Supervisor and Sprinter Train Instructor for three years as well as Conductor until his retirement in 1998 after 43 years.
He was hospitalised after being involved in the Birkenhead / Paddington Goods derailment at Knowle & Dorridge in October 1966 as the result of a broken axle when the rear 38 wagons (including the Goods van) of a 60-wagon load were derailed.
John and his father Samuel were founding members of the Cambrian Railways Society, Oswestry in 1972, and John was a volunteer there for 40 years until 2011, and Samuel's son-in-law worked as a Railway Signalling Draughtsman in Berkshire.
