18 September 2025 – A Railwayman Reminisces by Jim Lester

Jim started his career as an engine cleaner at Nine Elms in 1957, taking us through his progress, through the ranks of passed cleaner, passed fireman and, eventually, when he qualified as a driver in 1965.  Based at various depots, including Feltham - then a Hump Yard, as well as Guildford and back to Nine Elms (Waterloo).  He thoroughly enjoyed working on the railway but his career as a steam locomotive driver was short lived with the demise of steam on the Southern soon after he qualified at the age of 23.  He was always keen to learn and had nothing but good things to say of his many work colleagues and those who had particularly helped him to learn everything that he could during his years working on steam locomotives.  He felt he gained enormously from their experience.

He is an accomplished raconteur and took us through his history, including a collision (not his) at Chertsey, rivalry between crews at Chertsey and Effingham Junction Depots, the possible sabotage of Schools Class locomotive 30916, which had been allocated for use on a royal train.  As a fireman he was very proud to be chosen, with his driver Alf Hurley, to drive Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral train, firing locomotive 34051 “Winston Churchill”, from Waterloo to Hanborough Station (Western Region) being the nearest station to Bladon Church, near Blenheim Palace, Sir Winston’s birthplace, where the coffin was laid to rest.  Jim and his driver, Alf Hurley, were given limited time to fully prepare the locomotive and learn the route from the Southern Region to Hanborough.  He also mentioned that British Railways had laid a special facing crossover from the Down to Up line to enable the coffin to be unloaded from the train without difficulty.

Jim’s presentation was accompanied by countless photographs, mostly taken by him but some donated, with a continuous and interesting commentary on his experiences.  He has amassed a fine collection of photographs of as many of his work colleagues as he could, as a tribute to them.

It will be interesting to hear of his later railway experiences working with EMUs and Eurostar services to the continent.