Bob Harris
Bob served a six-year apprenticeship with Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds (GKN) Darlaston. He was a volunteer P.W. ganger on the Welshpool & Llanfair Railway from 1959 to 1962. In 1962 he began to volunteer on the FR permanent way, working with Ron Lester, and in Boston Lodge with Paul Dukes. Ron had trained Bob in PW work at Llanfair and Ron took Bob back to the Welshpool for a working weekend occasionally, in lieu of a transfer fee.[1] In June, 1964, Bob joined the permanent FR staff at Boston Lodge as a fitter. He shared a caravan in Boston Lodge Top Yard with Roger Goss for four years.
In 1965, Bob, along with FR staff Roger Goss, Anthony Massau and two regular volunteers, Tom Baskcomb and Steve Coulson, purchased Britomart, an ex Pen-yr-Orsedd quarry Hunslet locomotive, which they restored in their spare time.[2]
On 25th May 1968 Bob married Christine Coulson, sister of Steve Coulson.[3] In 1969 the FR Magazine congratulated them on an addition to their family.[4]
Bob was heavily involved in converting the steam fleet to oil firing in the early 1970's. He also designed and manufactured parts for the conversion of one of the Vale of Rheidol engines in the late '70s. He wrote an article about the conversion of FR locomotives to oil firing in the Spring 1973 FR Magazine. [5]
By 1971, Bob was Assistant Works Manager, Boston Lodge.[6] In autumn 1974 he had been on the sick list.[7] On December 21, 1974, while driving Blanche on the 19.15 special, he slipped while watering the engine at Tan-y-Bwlch and spent an unhappy Christmas period in four different hospitals. [8]
Bob left the FR in October 1978 after 15 years and followed ex-Boston Lodge colleague David Baskcomb to Canada. Before leaving he married Frances Lockett who had been brought up in Canada but worked on the FR in the previous few years.[9] In Winnipeg, Bob worked with the Bristol Aerospace Company as a Rocket Technician. He volunteered for many years on the Prairie Dog Central Railroad in Winnipeg, co-ordinating the maintenance and full rebuild of ex-CPR engine #3, built by Dubs & Co. in Glasgow in 1882, the oldest operating coal-fired steam locomotive in North America.
Bob maintains his ownership and Interest in Britomart and he and Frances have made regular visits to the railway over the years. In 1986 he spent a week on the Railway in early August while on holiday, Britomart was steamed so he could play and an evening special was run to Tan y Bwlch.[10] Bob has shared his memories by contributing a number of tales of life at Boston Lodge to the Heritage Group Journal. [11] He contributed to the obituaries in FR Magazine of Ian Smart, Roger Goss, Paul Anderson and Phil Girdlestone. He has a good memory and has become a "go to" source for information about the FR in the 1960s & 1970s. He follows FR Facebook pages quite closely and is liable to come up with historical pearls. For example he was the source of the information on The Peckett Festipedia page that the dent in the back of the cab was caused loading it in Harrogate, or at least that was what Paul Dukes maintained.
References[edit]
- ^ "Introducing the Staff: Boston Lodge", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 27, page(s): 8
- ^ "Introducing the Staff: Boston Lodge", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 044, page(s): 7
- ^ "Staff News", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 41, page(s): 7
- ^ "Staff News", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 045, page(s): 7
- ^ "Over to Oil", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 60, page(s): 014
- ^ "Who's Who at Portmadoc", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 55, page(s): 10
- ^ "Staff News", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 63, page(s): 7
- ^ "Staff News", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 68, page(s): 10
- ^ "Staff News", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 82, page(s): 10
- ^ "Personnel", Ffestiniog Railway Magazine, Issue 115, page(s): 11
- ^ Heritage Group Journal No. 116, page 7