Thinking about the recent disruption to rail services by a little bit of snow, as posted on this board. Many refer to difficulties of staff getting to and from work, because of road conditions.
This reminded me of my astonishment to discover that many of the signalmen at Liverpool Street
IECC▸ drove to work because they no longer got free travel by rail to work.
Thinking back to the winter of 62/63 which was my first working for
BR▸ it was far worse than this has been so far. I don't recall that after the intial snow had been cleared members of staff had much difficulty getting to work.
Of course once at work there were many heroic deeds done to keep the trains moving. including 32 Nelsons on Hazelmere bank (3 trains 2*12, 1*
and wrapping parrafin soaked rags round the injectors and setting fire to them to unfreeze them. Pus it proved that Merchants can steam of half house bricks when they had to use the coal stacks at Nine Elms and Feltham.
This was probaly for two reasons, firstly there were far more staff so absences could be covered, e.g. every shed had a spare link of drivers/firemen to cover and most stations probaly had at least 3 staff.
Secondly most lived near a station. or shed, think
OOC▸ village so could walk or even cycle to work. Plus once at their tation tehre were staff trains early the morning late at night. usually
ECS▸ workings and there were several staff pltforms such as at Dursford Road which these trains served.
Now we think nothing of travelling by car well over 10 miles either to our local station or work place and this applies to rail workers as well others.
So our dependance on road transprot to get rail staff to work means that the railways cannot provide the allternative transport that they ought to be able to do very effectively in bad weather.
The other thing I'm surpised about is that we haven't heard about any shortages of diesel for trains because of the difficulties of getting road tankers to the refuelling points. Don't say they've reverted to rail tankers, that would be far too logical.