Reflections on the White Stuff

[cris_408518]

Had a visit from and old family friend who was a 50+ year Railway man and the father of a head teacher.

The good old British weather topic and also LordB's post (Reg said- "those were the good old days for sure) came up and yesterdays school closures.

Reg at nealy 80 comment went -

No silly B in teaching is going to miss the chance of a day away from the little S**** and all the C*** Teachers have to put up with these days.

Some PC idiots will be saying what a wonderful honour it is to help children and will be tucked up at home glad that they are away from them.

Workers are disposable resources these days, no loyalty from employers to the worker or their futures so they'll take a day out given any chance.

It's not like you get a decent pension deal to work for any more so you struggle into work.

With "PC" and "H&S" who is going to risk their risky job security making people work in slippery conditions, todays management will have you down the scapegoat road the first slip anyone had.

I found Reg's comment on our money, profits and results driven work culture with the "I'm OK Jack" no loyalty regimes hard to disagree with.

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

What you say cris is very true. Footplate men were very loyal to the old G.W.R. when I was a fireman, and this was 12 years AFTER nationalisation. There was still fierce rivalry between them and L.M.S. men and their locomotives and it even rubbed off onto us. L.M.S. loco's were known as Jacko's but don't ask me why. Having fired both, our own loco's and Jacko's, the G.W.R. won hands down. I'm sure all other grades of staff such as signalmen, porters, guards etc. were also just as loyal to their ex employers. When the railways were nationalised I believe the Western Region management were ex G.W.R. because the Western Region certainly kept itself apart from the other regions. With deiselisation British Railways went along the deisel electric route in building new locos but not the Western Region, they built deisel hydraulic locos.

 

[cris_408518]

Reg worked in Hampshire (sorry I don't know about railway companies for the name)LordB from when he was about 15 and managed 50 years railway service having survived the Beeching cuts and British Rail years in an office.

One of his old trainees recently retired from the Railways and only his immediate colleagues realised and made a presentation with management reluctant to join in.

The guy has said he has spent his last ten year feeling as though he was not wanted due to his age and a sense or "Right & Wrong" re managerial and staffing choices.

 

[colin(bridgend)]

In south Wales we are served by Arriva, First Great Western and occasionally Virgin trains. I don't think that if the three were joined together the quality of service would not come any where near the service of the GWR (God's Wonderful Railway). The passenger service with the old steam trains in this area was first class - could not be faulted.

As a child I travelled on the foot plate of a pannier tank engine from Treherbet to Aberavon Town station on the last day of service of the old Rhondda & Swansea Bay line. An experience that I will never forget.

Whenever we go away in the van I always make for the nearest preserved service and once I have travelled on this, the rest of the holiday is for whatever the wife wishes. BRING BACK STEAM