RAIL

• Home
• »All News

Civility, judgement and tact – Wednesday August 4 2010

Categories: RAILBlog

My old chum Richard Greenwood, Rochdale solicitor, estwhile Worth Valley Railway top man and scourge of Northern in his role as passenger champion these days, is kind enough to copy me on a newsgroup discussion about railway matters in the north west.

I’m thus well up to date with today's rail problems and challenges in the Calder Valley, trains not stopping where they should or failing to appear when they ought, all served with a light stir-fry of Metrolink matters. And jolly interesting it is too. This lot keep Northern well and truly in their sights, so I enjoy earwigging their chitchat.

I once mentioned to Heidi Mottram, in her days as Northern MD, an issue I’d seen discussed at length on the group and mention of Richard’s name sent her eyebrows north at a fair rate. “Oh, yes,” she murmured, “we know Richard….”

So, chaps keep it up. Your monitoring is definitely noticed!

I especially enjoyed this recent posting from Richard:

“The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway General Appendix from which I took the piece on Emigrants Specials has a reference to the GWR Broad Gauge lines, so it must be no later than 1892. Collection and Examination of Tickets occupies two full pages.

“Collection and examination of tickets must be done with civility, judgment and tact."

Some problems don’t change then, given the reception I received at Manchester Piccadilly a week or three ago.

But I especially enjoyed this:

"Dogs intended to be forwarded as parcels are required to be secured by a collar and chain and muzzled if the Company's servants consider it necessary …Dogs addressed 'To be left until called for' must not be accepted for conveyance."

In the 1930s, said Richard, it is said that a porter from Milnrow station was seen chasing a dog through the streets of the town shouting "Stop that dog! It's a parcel!" to the amusement of the bystanders.

Nice one, Richard. Good luck with the local lobbying!