Western 52
Established Member
Everyone loves a good tale….
As a young lad, my grandfather would tell me tales of his days on the footplate as a driver on the GWR and later BR (WR). Of course, my young age meant I believed everything he related. He retired in 1967, and during his long career appeared to have had many railway adventures. He spent a large part of his career working from Danygraig Shed in Swansea, and as such the Swansea Docks system was part of his domain.
Over half a century since he told me his stories, now I’m older and wiser, many of the tales seem to be rather unlikely – maybe somewhat embellished and exaggerated to entertain his young audience!
One of his stories concerned what started as a minor incident. Driving a light engine in a corner of the docks system, the loco derailed, with one axle off the track. Out of sight of supervision, and keen to avoid any blame, the crew, presumably with a few helpers, decided to use bars to get the loco back on the rails before anyone knew what had happened. I remember him saying this did happen from time to time, and with enough help, re-railing was possible this way. However, luck was not on their side this time, and instead of sorting the situation out successfully, they ended up tipping the loco on its side! He didn’t tell me what loco class this was, or if it was steam or diesel, but they would have had a lot of explaining to do! If it was (say) a Class 08, they weigh around 49 tons, so it would have taken some effort to tip it over, depending on the topography of the land at that location.
So, true story or not? I suspect maybe some truth with some additions – many of his other stories also seem rather unlikely to me now, although the Rev. Awdry may have made use of some in his Thomas stories!
What stories have you heard, which seem dubious in some way, maybe part of railway folklore, with no means to verify their accuracy?
As a young lad, my grandfather would tell me tales of his days on the footplate as a driver on the GWR and later BR (WR). Of course, my young age meant I believed everything he related. He retired in 1967, and during his long career appeared to have had many railway adventures. He spent a large part of his career working from Danygraig Shed in Swansea, and as such the Swansea Docks system was part of his domain.
Over half a century since he told me his stories, now I’m older and wiser, many of the tales seem to be rather unlikely – maybe somewhat embellished and exaggerated to entertain his young audience!
One of his stories concerned what started as a minor incident. Driving a light engine in a corner of the docks system, the loco derailed, with one axle off the track. Out of sight of supervision, and keen to avoid any blame, the crew, presumably with a few helpers, decided to use bars to get the loco back on the rails before anyone knew what had happened. I remember him saying this did happen from time to time, and with enough help, re-railing was possible this way. However, luck was not on their side this time, and instead of sorting the situation out successfully, they ended up tipping the loco on its side! He didn’t tell me what loco class this was, or if it was steam or diesel, but they would have had a lot of explaining to do! If it was (say) a Class 08, they weigh around 49 tons, so it would have taken some effort to tip it over, depending on the topography of the land at that location.
So, true story or not? I suspect maybe some truth with some additions – many of his other stories also seem rather unlikely to me now, although the Rev. Awdry may have made use of some in his Thomas stories!
What stories have you heard, which seem dubious in some way, maybe part of railway folklore, with no means to verify their accuracy?
