Callpoint Operator at Parson's Green

He died in 1969 whilst still working at Parson's Green. He was only about 39 but had been at LT for years, apparently. I have notebooks of his detailing what looks like circuits etc. and I remember going with him to his hut at the side of the track - guess that was against the rules but hey-ho! I am guessing he was on call to repair broken down trains then?

If he was the call point examiner at PG, he would have got that job after working in a depot first, so he was probably at Ealing Common to begin with. Staff in that grade started as cleaners usually and then got promoted on seniority after some training. He would have been on a gang doing "7-daily" exams in the depot, where trains were given a first-level maintenance check, new brake shoes (if necessary), drain reservoirs, test doors, traction, lighting and brakes etc. This was a 2-shift job.

From there he would have moved into 3-shifts doing daily inspections, testing again, checking reported faults etc. The call point job would have been the next promotion, probably starting as a cover for staff on leave or sick. That's why he was known at all the different locations. He would have worked there from time to time before getting a fixed post, presumably the one at PG.

He wouldn't have driven trains on the main line but he would have known how to and they were allowed some limited movement for testing but not over points IIRC.

If you still have his notebooks and diagrams, please keep them safe. There will be valuable information in them which may help people like me who are interested in the circuits and systems on trains. There is also the chance that they could help the Q Stock restoration project. If you would be in a position to let me have sight of them, please PM me.

Tubeprune is absolutely right. They could well be virtually the only copies left and hence very valuable (not in a cash sense, but historically). If you haven't got the facilities to do scans I'm sure one of us can help. They do need preserving though

Yuo could also contact the LT Museum they are very interested in the history of LT and preserving it.

Thank you for all your replies - the picture is now becoming much clearer but if anyone thinks of anything else please let me know. I am really not sure if Dad's notebooks would be of interest to anyone else as they are just that - notebooks!!!. I have scanned and attached some random sample pages here. Please let me know if you think they would be of use to anyone.

Thanks again

Lynda

Lynda, Thank you for showing us these pages. I think your Dad has left us a legacy which will be very useful and, if you are able to scan the other pages, it would give us a lot of interesting information. If there are a lot of them and you need help, as you can see from our messages there are some willing helpers around.

The second page is very interesting because it shows part of the operation of a Metadyne equipped train (P Stock). The District only had a few of these so your Dad must have been specially trained on their operation around the end of the 1940s.

The last page is not about PCM equipment; it's the BTH electro-magnetic power circuit contactor sequence as used on Q and H Stock. Standard Stock was very similar. We (as trainmen) were supposed to learn the contactor sequence off by heart.

Are there any drawings or diagrams in your Dad's collection?

If you do decide to offer them to the LT Museum, there are some of us here who visit the museum as researchers or "Friends" on a regular basis and we can arrange for them to be collected and passed to the curator. I wouldn't trust them to the post!

Thanks, I am sorry they are so big but any smaller and they would not be legible (plus I could not work out how to make them any smaller!!!)

Echo Phil here, there is no problem with the sizes whatsoever.