Two Years to Remember

Harry Watson is the resident artist in Children’s Corner at The Railway Age, Crewe Heritage Centre. Harry spent 31 years in BR service, retiring in 1984. His first 2 years were spent at Whitchurch where he was a telegraph clerk. It is of this period (1953–1955) that Harry writes here:

When working nights I travelled to work on the 9.42pm train from Crewe to Shrewsbury, calling at Nantwich and Wrenbury, arriving at Whitchurch at 10.09pm. We ‘handed over’ and had a brew with the afternoon clerk who left at 10.30pm.

In the tiny, gas-lit, scruffy telegraph office was just me, and mice, for most of the night. Before the booking office closed at 10.00pm, the booking clerk brought a huge fare book, excess fare tickets to be written out as required and a ‘float’ of pound and ten shilling notes, and silver. The telegraph clerk issued and collected tickets during the night. First train to be dealt with was the 5.15pm Cardiff to Crewe. After departure of that train at 10.30pm, the shunter from the goods yard turned off all the gas lamps, and the station was left black and deserted, save for the telegraph office. Here the clerk would occasionally be reporting trains from and to Crewe, Shrewsbury and Craven Arms using ‘sounder’ equipment (that’s the needle telegraph tapper ).

A quiet period this, and I might well be drawing and painting, which is when the illustrations here were done . The 1.25am Crewe to Cardiff, TC 11.45pm from Liverpool Lime Street and 11.55pm from Manchester London Road, would tear through the station with lots of smoke and sparks flying, as if celebrating the completion of the long haul up Wrenbury Bank.

There were signs of life at about 2.15am. The gas lamps were turned on, and at 2.38am, the 9.50pm York to Swansea (SX) Hereford (SO) steamed in. The odd passenger would join or leave, often fishermen loaded up with tackle and basket. There was lots of activity now, unloading and loading of mail, newspapers, parcels and livestock. The shunter was busy uncoupling the Aberystwyth portion. The Swansea left at 2.43am and the Western Region engine for the 3.15am Aberystwyth left on the Up main line. Loading up continued, but finally it was ready and departed at 3.15am down the Cambrian branch. First stop was Ellesmere, then Oswestry and on to Aberystwyth, arriving 7.05am. The inspector from the goods yard would come to the station to supervise activities and give the ‘right away’ , and I would call Shrewsbury on the ‘sounder’  and report the departure time of the Swansea.