Guest Book: Page 22

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In response to an earlier query as to whether the GWR at Stratford upon Avon had a turntable.

Hi Adam - the Great Western did not have a turntable at their Stratford on Avon station although the LMS at their SMJ Stratford upon Avon Old Town station certainly did. I was a fireman on the Western in the 1955- 1960 I then went to Old Oak Commom and left the railway in 1965.

Roger Hutton

An excellent website, as there is little else available on the Railways of my home County. Many thanks for putting it together, and be assured that I shall be spending many a happy hour revisiting the pages for new detail.

Best Wishes, Roger Clemons

I find this an absolutely fantastic site, I worked on the railway in Nuneaton but lived in "Beduth". I especially like the Abbey Street part of it as I spent many working hours there. I would love to speak to the person who is responsible for this site, by e mail, I live in Bletchley now, but that is another story from another railway town. But Nuneaton was the place that I loved and miss so much even today. I am retired now and disabled, but when I talk to other retired railwaymen here, from Bletchley, I still like to be known as the "Nuneaton man" Well done for a fantastic brilliant site.

Peter Walduck - Bletchley

Hi - I am Vice-Chairman of the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society. I think you are doing a great job. The value of it will only become apparent as time goes on...

David Flood

Hi - A great site bringing back lots of memories for me. I was a fireman and station porter at SALTLEY in the 1960s and 70s. Great times!

Barrie Jeremy

Does anyone remember the access to Leamington shed (road name)?

Michael Austin Elkington

The shed was located at National Grid Reference SP 3121 6530. The site of an engine shed is marked on the Ordnance Survey map of 1886. It is situated west of Leamington Station.

Dear Mike - I live at Birdingbury, not far from what's left of the Birdingbury Station on the old Rugby-Leamington line. I'm retired and I've joined a Warwick University course on local history. For my written assignment I decided to find out what I could about that line - and that's how I came across your superb and very helpful website. If you or any of your contributors happen to know of anyone else I might contact who has expertise in the history of the line I'd be glad to hear from them. Meanwhile, again, many thanks for a fascinating web-site which has already stolen one afternoon from me and doubtless will do so again.

Leslie Turner - gleberise@aol.com

Excellent program. I am ex-Coventry. Now retired in Wiltshire. Lifelong rail enthusiast and photographer. Have some 50's & 60's B&W's, around Coventry, are you interested?

Best wishes, Vaughan Gallois

You are to be congratulated for the development of such an excellent web site, useful equally to the historian and railway modeller.

Phil Coker

Excellent site keep up the good work!

Peter Hepworth

The year was approximately 1946, and my 4th grade class was assigned "pen-pals" in England. My pen-pal was Anthony ("Tony") Williams, and his address was "Station House, Salford Prior, Eversham, Warwickshire, England". Tony and I corresponded for several years, and both our mothers also began to exchange occasional letters.

We lost touch after awhile, and I have always wondered what became of Tony in later life. We were about eight or nine years old at the time, and now, at age seventy-one, a wave of nostalgia has hit me! I believe that I saw a list of British individuals who have taken responsibility for the histories of specific stations, but I failed to record the e-mail address of the person who dealt with Salford Prior.

Just for the record, my father's forbearers came to the "new world" in 1635, settling in Milford and New Milford, Connecticut, and my mother's forbearers arrived in 1638, settling in the area of Stonington, Connecticut. I was raised in Wapping, Connecticut. I'm sure you can guess the origins of that place name! I now live in western Pennsylvania. Sir Patrick Duffy, former First Lord of the Admiralty under the Calligan government, is an old and dear friend of mine.

With Warm Regards! Edward E. Platt, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus, Political Science Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Great site, we are tracing Angie's family tree, her great-grandfather was station master at Birdingbury 1888 to 1917? If you have any info or know where there records to search then these would be most welcome. We are also very interested in the origin of the pictures on your site.

John Angie Howlett

Hi John - I do not have any information myself but if anyone else can help please contact John and Angie via their email address which is - John.Howlett@tesco.net

Regarding the photographs, I think but I am not sure that one if not both came from the Lens of Sutton collection. You could also try Roger Carpenter and the Kidderminster Railway Museum.

Before I get down to the reason for contacting you let me introduce myself. My name is Harold Pearson I am 67 years of age. served a five-year apprenticeship, 1956 -1961 as a jig and toolmaker with Metro Cammell, Saltley. In 1969 I departed overseas as a volunteer and thus started a career of 35 years in development aid. I have been involved in small-scale industrial development in a number of developing countries in Africa and Asia; I now reside with my Chinese wife in Cambodia. My life long hobby has been model engineering; I have constructed two passenger hauling live steam locos and am currently constructing two 7.25 gauge locos in Cambodia. When complete they will be exported and sold in UK.

The reason I am writing to you is that as well as model engineering I also write the occasional article for The Model Engineer or Engineering in Miniature. At the present I am putting together an article that comprises various memories passed on to me by my father, Sidney George Pearson who was a cleaner, later fireman and driver based at Saltley Depot from around 1925 to 1972. The stories are, I suppose are anecdotal. They are purely from memory and unfortunately lack detail such as train identification, loco types dates and times other than in general, such as pre war, during the war or after. However they are true and I believe, belong along with other railway history. The following is an example:

"As a young fireman his direct boss was the driver who expected him to report for duty one hour before the official booking on time. When the driver arrived he would inspect the loco to see all was in order. On one occasion dad was called over and ticked off for not topping up one of the sand boxes to which he replied that it was already full? The driver pointed out that he had left a piece of cotton on top of the sand which showed the box had not been topped up. On another occasion dad was sent home to change his shirt from a light blue one to a white one with a black tie!". Please see attached photo of my dad; taken around 1960 I would think.

Would you be interested in a copy of the completed article, also would you allow me to use some of the photos of Saltley sheds, with due acknowledgment of course? I look forward to hearing from you.

Harold Pearson. Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Harold - Naturally I would love to host on the site any information or memories you can add. Regarding photos, any that I have where I can give you permission you are most welcome. Any others I will give you their contact details where I am sure you will be given a warm reception. I look forward to hearing more about your Dad and his days at Saltley Shed.

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