They Told Us It Had To Come

It was inevitable I suppose.

Since World War 2, and the Nationalisation of the 'big four' companies, British Railways had been starved of the essential funding and investment to enable rebuilding and revitalisation of it's shattered infrastructure. Everything was clapped out and well past it's sell by date. When modernisation was announced, it was too late for steam. Some of the locomotives I worked on were well nigh 100 years old. They soldiered on, they had to, but it was hard going and nobody wanted the job any more. As the old boys retired, the heart and the passion went with them. Unlike me, very few of those that were left still felt the commitment demanded by a railway, stripped of all it's dignity.

When the 'Lane' closed as a steam shed, and became a mere stabling point for errant diesel locomotives, Unlike a few of my mates, I did not transfer to Nine Elms to see steam out to the end. I had witnessed it's sad demise on the Eastern section and did not want to repeat the experience on the Western section. I had trained on 'Crompton' diesels, also on 'Drewery' and 08 class shunters, but I had no liking for them and reluctantly transferred out of the Job that I had loved so much.

Then one sad day in 1968, no longer a railwayman, I awoke to realize that the last of the steamers had finally gone, and the railway I grew up with had changed forever.

THE DAY OF THE DIESEL WAS UPON US.