The last period of my duration in the erecting shop at Crewe Works included a time spent in the company of the Finished Work Inspectors ( FWI ). They conducted sequence testing of the electrical control systems on the locomotives. One Inspector I remember was Joe Beadle. The purpose of these tests was to ensure that […]
Studying Locomotives at Crewe Works
Perhaps the most exciting part of my engineering training was studying locomotives at Crewe Works. I was really looking forward to getting up close and personal with actual locomotives!
Learning to be a Locomotive Engineer at Crewe Works
My engineering training at Crewe Works continued. You can read about my earlier time there here. I was assigned to the Metallurgical Lab which involved spending time in the Steel Foundry.
Memories of working on the P-Way
Just to explain – this blog post is about working on the P-Way in the 1970s but I didn’t have any photos from this time so I’ve put in photos of the track re-laying at Midsomer Norton to show the kind of work we did back then. When I worked as a salaried staff engineering […]
Memories of Crewe Works
Following my first 12 months with British Rail Engineering Ltd at Crewe Works in the training school I embarked on a further 2 years in the main Works from August 1975. If my memory serves me right, the Works employed around 5,000 people at that time. I would like to share some of my Crewe […]
Crewe Works Apprentice Training School
On the 23rd September 1974, I started my railway career which was to last for over 40 years. It was only a week since I had had my successful interview the works general offices (GO) Crewe Works. I was now an Engineering Apprentice.
Starting Out At Crewe Works
I had been interested railways since I was frightened by an A4 Pacific as it stormed through the old Stevenage station from the North. I was a small child sitting in my pushchair on the Up platform. We were probably travelling to London to visit relatives. I also had an interest in engineering although, as […]