LNER locomotive fireman
during the war, duties included working trains over the Whitemoor to
Marks Tey routes. Started work at Colchester locomotive depot in 1940
as engine cleaner, progressed through the footplate line of promotion
to Fireman, Driver and after a number of years to Motive Power Inspector.
Footplate staff were on the reserved list.
The ammunition trains would come to Marks Tey via two routes :-
Whitemoor (March) Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, Colchester.
Whitemoor, Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Bures and Chappel to Marks Tey.
Large Gresley O2 2-8-0 and Riddles 2-8-0 WD's (War department) locomotives
would operate on both routes, and were often worked by Colchester men,
but there were none allocated to Colchester as the depot did not have
the facilities to service them fully.
Unlike passenger and scheduled freight services all ammunition and troop
trains ran as 'Specials' as and when they were required. The Regional
Control office would receive details of what was required, and they
would notify the Divisional Control offices, in our case they would
be Cambridge, Norwich and Liverpool St.. Everyone concerned would be
advised, and the arrangements made.
Loads depended on two factors.
The ability of the loco to haul and control it.
The ability of the line to accommodate it.
To enable those concerned to have the necessary information for ensuring
the safe working of trains , the Chief Civil Engineer published a booklet
giving all routes an availability number, this would be referred to,
and enabled all concerned to make proper
arrangements. Locomotives and all rail vehicles had, depending on its
weight and many other factors, Its route availability number painted
on it where it could be easily seen. As an example, a train being worked
with the loco or any vehicle marked RA6 would not
be permitted to work over a route designated RA5 or less.
Another important factor is the length of the train, Because the refuge
sidings (used for standing slower trains off the main line to enable
faster trains to pass) were of a limited length, the length of freight
trains using the route had to be no longer than the limits
allowed. This information was contained in the 'Load Book'.
All the ammunition trains for this area worked to Marks Tey yard where
they were stabled before being worked a portion at a time by the trip
engine to the unloading points on the Colne Valley line. At this time,
Marks Tey yard and the branch line were open for traffic 24 hours a
day.
Often American service personnel would appear and examine the load,
(sometimes the train would be stopped at a signal for the purpose).
They would then mark any wagons that were to be given urgent dispatch
to an unloading point.
Because the blitz was having a devastating affect on the railway staff
in London he was, in January 1941 transferred to Stratford depot in
East London. He served there until June 1943 when he was transferred
back to Colchester and his involvement with bomb trains began.
Footplate staff were not advised of the details of the load beyond the
fact that it was a munitions train. Each wagon had a label outlined
in red, with the word Explosives on it. For security, its destination
was not shown.
The trains were what, is known as a 'Block Train' they carried only
ammunition, and was worked in it's entirety to one destination.
The footplate men were not unduly concerned about the nature of the
load, but after the horrendous accident at Soham not many miles were
worked without anxious glances being made towards the rear of the train.
To work these trains, Colchester men would be lodged in the train crew
dormitory near March station and would report for duty on receiving
instructions over the telephone. On one occasion when, in the middle
of the night, we were instructed to remain a train at March station
and work it to the port of Harwich, we were surprised to find it consisted
of a low loader wagon carrying a miniature submarine and a passenger
vehicle in which rode armed servicemen who alighted and took up sentry
positions around the train where ever we stopped for any length of time.
On the question of servicemen manning locomotives. There was only one
occasion when this occurred and that was in 1940 when the threat of
invasion was imminent. A huge rail Mounted navel gun came into the area
complete with accommodation in suitably adapted rail vehicles for the
servicemen who manned it. The whole unit was hauled by a 0-6-0 tender
loco of Great Western origin. The loco was manned by R O D men (The
Railway Operating Department of the Royal Engineers). I was told that
it was stationed near Tollesbury where it commanded part of the Blackwater
estuary. The loco came to Colchester depot for its requirements and
returned to its station immediately. It had long since gone when I returned
from Stratford.
As part of the preparations for 'D Day' The Government had a large number
of powerful 2-8-0 locomotives built. They were built as economically
as possible and were nicknamed 'Austerities'. Also at that time American
built 2-8-8s were being imported. From then until D. Day they were handed
over to the railway companies to supplement their ageing and deteriorating
fleets. On one occasion while working a freight train towards March
with an American loco we were stopped at Higham when a passenger train
drew into the station and stopped beside us. A window dropped (as they
could in those days) and a mans head popped out to ask "are you
American" to which the answer had to be "no". One could
understand the queries for, on each side of the huge eight wheeled tender
were the words ' USA Transportation Corp'.
No freight trains longer than 50 wagons would be worked over our main
lines because that was the limit that most of the refuge sidings along
the route could accommodate.
Loose coupled special trains ran as class 'H'. This was the slowest
of the train classifications. Bomb trains carried their loads in simple
ten ton open wagons. These were not fitted with the continuous brake,
they had to be slowed or stopped by careful use of the locomotives brake.
The ten ton open wagon was the most suitable vehicle for bomb trains
for the could go onto the most awkward quay sides, and sidings, and
had no roof structure to impede unloading by crane. They could go over
any route, and had no restrictions.
Another type of ammunition we conveyed were sea mines. We worked these
from the works private sidings near Wrabness. These were taken to London
and worked across onto the Southern Railway. We (my Driver and I) remanned
a train at March one night to find it loaded with bombs that were so
large that there was only one to a wagon. Behind these each wagon contained
the fin. I guessed these were to be dropped onto the German U boat pens
that we heard were being attacked at the time.
Although White Colne and Earls Colne Were busy with the bomb traffic
being ferried from Marks Tey yard during the day, the usual traffic
such as the passenger service, and the scheduled freight service serving
all the yards from Earls Colne through to Haverhill still ran. Never
had the Colne valley line been so busy.
At times during the journeys we made, we would be stopped at a signal.
If the signal post displayed a Diamond sign, it indicated we were standing
on a track circuit and the signalman had an indication in his signal
box that we were there. If no Diamond sign was present, and the train
was still detained, the fireman was required to walk to the controlling
signal box and remind the signalman of the presence of the train. While
there he would have to record his attendance by placing his signature
in the train register book against the entry for the train. (Rule 55)
The arrangements for the running of these special trains came from the
appropriate authority to the Regional Control Office at York who would
advise the Divisional Control Offices involved. In our case they were
Cambridge, Norwich and Liverpool Street. These would then advise all
those concerned of the details and the train would be manned and run.
Another important war time train service was the delivery of aviation
fuel to various storage points. Among these were Chappel in Essex and
Claydon in Suffolk. The trains we worked originated from Thames Haven
from where they were worked to Stafford. Because they were worked up
from the North Thames line and joined the our tracks at Forest Gate
to travel Stratford where we would be coupled to what had been the rear
of the train, it had a brake van and barrier wagon at both ends. This
saved time and effort being wasted transferring the brake van to the
opposite end
