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EBBW JUNCTION A ONCE BUSY STEAM LOCO SHEDS
The tasks of fire dropping and fire lighting. Coal bunkering and filling up the tanks with water.
Preparing and making ready for the mainline operation of the carriage of passenger and freight transport.
The age of the steam engine is now over. We look back at an Era of labour-intensive involvement.
Long gone are the Engine sheds. Houses and other buildings stand in its place.
Only the ghosts of the past of men and machines linger on. Hooting and tooting of engine whistles and workmen's chatter sound no more.
And only a memory of a once regular place of work. Will remain in the thoughts of old men.
Many men who worked their lifetime for the great named G.W.R.
Authors Victor his father worked for 42 years on the great Western after a trip to at sea on the Royston Grange Cica1919 First World War.
Being Based at Pill loco Engine sheds.
He worked on the Docks and the main lines to the Valleys bring coal down
He fired for Sid Quinton and later became Driver.
Dad drove Sid crazy and was always larking about.
I had worked on the traffic dept docks during the last war
And later on the Sheds at Pill Loco
One of the fireman told me that Sid was driving down the valleys Wrong way round that is bunker first.
Towing a train of coal Blackvien large or Tywpentwas large something of that good burning welsh coal.
It was a dark and stormy kind of night.
Sid driving and keeping a sharp look out.
My father was named mad hike climbed round the engine back and popped his head up in Sids face. Sid Quinton very near had a heart attack and he said if he could have had a coal shovel in his hand he would have a banged it on his head.
Such was the lighter or fun side of work in those times. I can remember one winter evening night.
When I was just a young child.
There was a knock on the door and mar answered the door.
Mae burst in to sobbing and tears.
At the door was one of Dads a work mate who had brought his clothes home in a bundle.
Dad had a bad accident. He had fallen off the back of a steam engine one of the 52 class engines.
Fallen from the back of the bunker while trimming the coalbunker. Dad stumbled and fell down into the pit,
A fall of some fifteen-foot or more.
He gashed his head badly and was in a coma for some time and was lucky to have survived the fall.
However after much time in hospital he came home and had the care of the doctor from the Great Western Railway Company.
They did look after him very well for those days.
The Union fees included a Two-penny fee to The Royal Gwent hospital fund.
Which was a Charity Hospital this gave the member some privilege for treatment.
Which was forerunner to our health service we take for granted today.
Also the works Doctor came some time later to pass father fit for work.
He came in his open sports racing car.
Wearing an artire of plus fours and tweedy jacket.
the golf clubs in full view in the back of the car.
Returning to work the years pasted by.
Then while driving he had a run away train of coal down the Eastern valley he was commended for an action in staying on train and bringing in to a stop.
After instructing his fireman to jump for it.
However many years later he came down the same line which ran across the now top of the east entrance.
Brynglas road tunnels.
The Train wrong way round and pushing sent the train through the box and smashed and derailed.
I asked my father what had happened and he said the signalman was on the pop and missing from the box but dad would not say about it because the signalman would lose his job and pension.
So the blame ended upon the driver in a way.
Dad retired early.
But I believe such loyalty to workmates would not be so common in today's rat race society.
Painting from memory by Victor Morgan.
The Artist lived and spent the childhood days in the Maesglas housing estate.
Depicted in painting near the engine sheds.
At seventeen and half volunteered for the Army. And served with the Royal Artillery. Seven years with the colours and five with Reserve the year 1945. Maesgalas="Greenfield"
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