Underground Characters

I was at PG from 1979 to 89 apart from a short time at Neasden on the Jubilee, I remember the name Harry Mason although I can't place the face however I definitely remember Lou Lawson, as you say a great character I worked as his guard quite a few times, I remember him joking that he'd fired train down one day and got lost outside the station and that was how he ended up on the Underground.

There was certainly some tea drinkers at PG and plenty of well seasoned tea cans though my rostered Motorman Steve Earle took me to one side on my first turn with him and insisted it was coffee only.

I was at PG in 1984 until it went one man and remember the yardmasters, Two of whom were black and one was old school gentleman and the other, Basil I think, often nearly came to blows with the drivers which he used to be. PG never had a caged counter as in some depots. The depot railman was mercilessly treated by certain trainmen. He lived in a penthouse apartment over looking the river Wandle, ie top floor council flat in Wandsworth.

Basil Humphries, not a well liked Yardmaster could be particularly nasty just for the sake of it I agree I don't know how he never came to blows, Felix Alphonse was the old school gentleman a very nice man to work for we all called him Felix but he would always call you by your surname, Len Preston was the third Yardmaster with Bert Gill the depot clerk, Ossie Baird used to cover from Earls Court for YM's leave.

I remember the depot railman short chap with glasses he came from the Northern Line IIRC, lived at the top of one of the Arndale blocks he often used to joke about putting Tchaikovskys 6th on sitting on the window ledge with a Vodka contemplating jumping, he was a good bloke though.

There was a man with a voice like an opera singer at Liverpool Street in the late 60s early 70s who gave out announcements with a very clear voice and I seem to remember him singing on occasions.

John

I think during my time on the Met most of the characters must have left but I certainly remember the Tibbles. However I do remember two DSM'S (Duty Station Managers0 with somewhat of a reputation, I won't mention any full names but one of them had the initials C.A.T. He was known as "Cut Away ****. The other DSM if I remember hated crowds so why he joined the combine I will never know.

I worked with all of them and a few other relief yardmasters.

I just remember the Depot railman's name was Brian although he was called the depot skivie or drama queen by certain drivers, one of whom became a Duty Manager after the company plan.

One day a woman came into the office saying she could not sell her house because a pair of trousers were stuck in bushes on the embankment behind her house (lowering the tone and value of the neighbourhood) and I was sent along the track and halfway down the bank to collect them.

Ticket collectors were other characters I worked with. One at Whitechapel was an ex boxer, big, broken nose, cauliflower ear. Passengers did not argue with him. Another at Mile End had a false leg and if a passenger ignored him he would swear at them until they come back and he would put the station master right in it.

Another station master at Aldgate East was often the worse for drink in the afternoon.

Another Station Master was nearly arrested by the transport police at Upton Park when he wanted to make sure all the football fans had bought railway tickets coming back from the match.

Another station master would walk alone through Watney Street market Shadwell to the bank with his uniform hat on and everyone knew he was carrying the station takings. Station Masters and Relief Clerks had plain buttons and a poachers pocket, unlike station inspectors who had griffin buttons, so they were not obvious railwaymen.

I recall Ralph England when I was a relief signalman on the District Line, he was Station Inspector at Dagenham East, which was were I had to take my time record each week when we were paid weekly and in cash.

Prior to the company plan and when I joined there were Class 4 and class 3 booking clerks who were the basic ticket sellers. Class 2 and class 1 were senior clerks and chief clerks. the grades were determined by how busy a station was. The pay scale for a bc4 started at 18 and rose every years until a top rate at 27. If you were older you started on the 25 year old rate. So for young staff to get off this pay scale you needed to go to a busier station at the class 3 rate and promotion was on seniority.

They were always reviewing grades and booking office staffing. A big change was 4 an 3 became 2 and 1 and 2 and 1 became A and B . C was created and were Divisional Chief Clerks

At some big stations with more than one ticket office you could have class 2 in the smaller office class 1 in the busier office as the ticket sellers. You could have class A chief clerks working early and late shifts with a class B nine to five. This was in the days when the book keeping was manual daily, weekly, four weekly and 12 weekly. Banking was taken away from the Station Master and given to the Chief Clerk who not having a uniform was provided with a briefcase to carry the money to the bank. A Chief Clerk could be responsible for two three or four station ticket offices and was graded accordingly.

Each grade of booking clerk had coverage normally by the same grade but sometimes by a higher grade. Rest Day Covers paid 5% extra, Annual leave covers paid 7 and 1/2% extra although they did cover sickness when they would get travelling time as the covered the whole line.

Releif clerks class 1 A and B were a uniformed grade covered sickness and anything else. They were trained as Station Masters and qualified to work at least one signal cabin on the line and one depot as a yardmaster. They only did this when no Relief station master was available, often at weekends

Another related grade was the Depot Clerk who did the wages and adjusted train crew hours to reflect the many changeovers. The time book was a work of art for every black figure there would be a related red figure. they often with the yardmasters would work out coverage of holidays and book staff on duty and occasionally give spare crews trains to pick up because at a Depot like Parsons Green the yardmaster could be called to deal with a station incident.

The lowest of all was the booking office apprentice who if he started at 16 would after qualifying, in the first five weeks, spend up to nine months with a chief clerk, four months with a depot clrek and usually do all the courses at the Railway Training centre and time at the divisional offices. At Earls Court they could often be found in the exhibition offices supplementing the booking clerks. They could not officially work alone or before 0600 and after 2200 and did one day a week at a further education college.

Apprentice were not allowed on trains and signal cabins just as thr Railway Operating apprentice could not go in ticket offices. The BOA was paid slightly more than the ROA.

The Relief Booking Clerk and Relief Clerk are the same. They were paid 10% more maybe 15% by the company plan. They could cover any BC grade including Depot Clerk who were equivalent of a Chief Booking Clerk A.
Trying to remember I think the RBC 1 was done away with in one reorganisation. I was a RBC1 in my early twenties and when I covered Station Masters I wore my glasses to make me look older!!!.

The Relief Booking Clerk was the route to Station Master and Divisional Inspector/Area Manager. Train drivers usually progressed via Station Inspector until the salary levels through one man operation did not make it worthwhile for them. Many relief clerks/train drivers were instructors at the training centre, another route to DI/Area Manager.

Relief Clerks and Leave Cover Clerks could be sent any where on the line which due to historic reasons was Upminster to Hounslow West/Heathrow and South Harrow not including the BR stations and stations such as Victoria that was transferred to the Victoria Line. Relief Clerks could occasionally be sent to Piccadilly staffed stations which was Knightsbridge to Cockfosters not including stations staffed by other lines such as Piccadilly Circus, Holborn, Kings Cross.

A colleague of mine was a RBC1 I certainly don't remember him covering depot clerk positions or station foreman. He did become a CBC A. However this may well have been after some reorganisation, he eventually joined me at Goodge Street as a SSMF 2. We certainly had a Relief Clerk at my end of the Met that as far as remember. I was aware of him covering CBC A grades though. Perhaps there were some reorganisations that I was never aware of. apart from "Action Stations" and ultimately the "Company Plan" during which a lot of VERY experienced booking office staff were lost, Including some at Euston. That was where I ultimately finished up trying to sort out there book keeping.

There was Ginger the P.Way ganger at Hainault Depot for years.It was alleged that he got a call from one of his bosses"Farquar"said the voice"you can f*** off too"replied Ginger.