Day one as an erector was a little different as I was immediately given no less than three apprentices and detailed to go prepare a power unit for removal, on my own. Time, I thought to myself, for my plan, which was spurred by the bonus system described earlier. I figured that rather than remove everything before we lifted the engine out, certain items could simply be disconnected at one end and fully dismantled when the power unit was on the floor. I was shortly joined by another fitter and I discussed my idea with him as we were checking which items could be left. Under the bonus scheme at that time we were allowed three days to remove the power unit and make it ready for the replacement unit; with another four days to rebuild and make ready for testing. I felt that this could be improved, but there was a risk that the higher bonus would be noticed, and then a work study would be asked to retime the job. So while we could improve our performance the actual rate of completion could not be substantially reduced. This would have the benefit of reducing the pressure on the team, particularly if any delays were experienced. After we had figured out our modus operandi we raised it with the charge hand, he was receptive as often our team was not earning the full bonus and had to be supported by other gangs. Clearly the easiest target was a class 24 1,250 HP Bo-Bo with the extra internal space.

We had the power unit on the floor in less than a day and with a half day to strip off and clean up we were good. We therefore spent some time having a walk around looking for scrap wood and coal for the shop mess room stove, as well as having a general tidy up of the shop. The rebuild also gained considerable time, it being easier to fit equipment by just walking up to the power unit, rather than having to keep climbing up and down and thread our way through the cab and past other equipment. When this process was applied to the Sulzer 2,500HP (Class 45) it did not generate quite the same savings as there was considerably more to strip off due to a bare power unit being right on the capacity of the crane. Never the less leaving equipment in the engine room for later removal, when there was much more space, still generated nearly one day of benefit. The charge hand was very pleased and instituted our ideas.

A little later I had an amusing run in with the charge hand on bogie overhaul. As the engine gang workload would vary randomly we were farmed out to other groups from time to time. Being the junior man in the gang this would always fall to my lot, so a couple of apprentices and I were detailed to report to the said charge hand. He was a big man, with even bigger feet, and it was rumored that you could go fishing by floating out in his boots. We were detailed to change all the side bearing springs on two bogies (but not the pony trucks) on a 1Co-Co1, so twelve springs and twenty-four auxiliary springs along with spring links etc. One fitter was detailed to show us what to do, and so he started to heave on the nut under the auxiliary spring, which was of course under tension with a huge spanner, before leaving us. I took a look and told one apprentice to fetch a set of portable hydraulic clamp jacks (having seen springs adjusted thusly in the carriage works). With the tension off the nut, it took just five minutes for the spring to be on the shop floor. We continued working around both bogies removing all the springs etc, and then with the crane loaded them up before fetching all the new material. We then reversed the process, clamping the springs down to let us install and adjust the spring links. By 11:30 we had finished.

“OK, job done,” I said to the chargehand.

“What! Not just one spring,” he roared.

“No, all of them, on both bogies,” I said.

He went berserk, shouting and screaming a steady stream of invective before rushing over to the bogies. Upon seeing all the new springs fitted and adjusted he went totally wild telling me to depart in no uncertain terms. We quickly gathered our tools and returned to the ‘Finishing Shop’ where Alf, our chargehand, met us. He was grinning from ear to ear.

“What did you do” he asked, so I explained.

Alf then revealed the reason for the fury. The job we had done in two hours took his men two days and he had no idea how we had done it so fast; he was terrified that the rapid completion would be detected. I was told to lie low for the rest of the day!

‘Number 7’ shop was the very first shop reached when passing over the bridge from Hulland Street, being about a two minute walk, so I was very surprised to be stopped one morning just as the ‘Bull’ was sounding. I was told that I was late and as a result I would be quartered (that is loose 15 minutes pay). I protested that as my clock was in ‘7 shop’ I was not late, but due to their delay I did end up being late. I immediately went to the shop steward and told him what had happened. We went together to the shop superintendant.

“Yes I agree, if you were there when the Bull was sounding you were not late, let me check,” he said.

I pointed out that the group stopping us had recorded the time as 07:42, and a little later I was told that I was not quartered.

Another time that I was glad of the shop steward’s help was when a locomotive upon which we had fitted the exhaust manifolds, failed on test due to a nut being inside a cylinder, causing significant damage. As my mate and I had put the pipes on we were held responsible, but the Shop Steward cleverly pointed out that others had removed the wooden covers, and others may have barred the engine over. Either of these could have allowed the nut to be ingested before we checked, so it was not our fault, but rather sloppy supervision not ensuring that the covers were in place. Consequently the matter was dropped.

One incident that got swept under the rug involved the son of one of the works management; he was a large and rather clumsy apprentice. When he climbed on top of an overhauled power unit under final installation he kicked a wire metal skip full of small items all over the top of the power unit and you could hear the bits dropping everywhere. As a result the engine had to be removed, totally stripped and rebuilt. A specialty of mine was retrieving items dropped into the engine sump, and as from time to time things would slip and drop, they would call for me as I was tall and thin to retrieve the item. With my pockets carefully emptied and being held firmly by the legs I was lowered headfirst into the sump.

As a regular erector, when not attending college, I had to work shifts, usually nights, by then agreement had been made to have four long nights and a short evening on Friday rather than five equal shifts). However we often worked a twelve hour shift on Friday night and sometimes Saturday night too, it was a strange feeling to be just a small group working in an otherwise empty factory. When working days due to college I was often asked to work Saturdays and even Sundays. About this time I met my future first wife, so my days of travelling around the country were suddenly on the back burner. My last trip was to the Oban line in Scotland, visiting Ballachulsh and Killin where I had a ride on the branch on steam locomotive 80092 (a standard 2-6-4 tank). As it turned out this would be my last footplate ride on a steam locomotive in normal BR service.

Part of the duties of being in the engine gang was to accompany the first test run from Derby to Trent and back. In those days the track layout at Trent allowed a round trip from either ‘7 shop’ or ‘4 shed’ out to Long Eaton, then via Trent back to Long Eaton on the now closed loop line. At Spondon Junction we would go through Chaddesden (also now closed) and back around to Derby. These runs were limited to 60 mph and were pretty uneventful, however contrary to regulations there was an army in the cab and I had to take a special tool box with “everything I needed”. However this proved to be untrue when I went on a test run with D57, which had a special up-rated power unit.

When I joined the usual throng in the cab there was a Locomotive Inspector who told the driver that he wanted to see it opened out.

“No,” the driver said, as we were limited to 60 mph and besides the locomotive would only load up if there was a load to pull.

“Just do as I say,” the inspector ordered.

“OK,” the driver said, and then looking round said to everyone else in the cab, “you heard him.”

So off we went and with the loco opened up we were soon dashing along at 90mph. The fly in the ointment was that in the pre-automated railway there was a manually operated grade crossing approaching Long Eaton and as the keeper knew what was coming he had a good idea when to close the gates. Not wanting to keep the gates closed longer than necessary he had a routine of shutting the gates then clearing his signals as we appeared, however by going so fast we surprised him. Despite the driver slamming on the brakes we sailed past the signals at danger and almost killed the crossing keeper, who was frantically closing the gates. Worse was to follow as the brake blocks were new, and having not yet bedded took a great deal of time to settle in. As we approached the sharp curve to Trent it appeared to us that we might be in deep trouble. Luckily the brakes started to bite and we made the curve at the regulation speed.

At this point the driver turned to the inspector. “This is on you,” he said, before turning to us. “Right?”

I looked urgently in the tool box but there was no clean underwear.

In April 1965 I was offered a position in the Electrification Drawing Office of the Chief Mechanical and Electrical Engineers Office at Nelson Street, Derby. While a necessary step for a career in management it was a wrench to take a 50% pay cut, but at least there were no more clock numbers; from now on it would be clean hands and even better, a thirty-five hour week. At this distance in time I think it is appropriate to ask, ‘What could have been done better?’ I think the greatest weakness was that the management function of the workshops was completely ignored, so we were never exposed to all the things you need to know to run an operation.