Among Others, a Madrassi Gentleman Remembered

摘要

The following is a transcript of an article describing life in India in the early part of World War II. Quite apart from its railway interest, it is hoped the article gives an insight into life in India prior to 'Partition' -Ed. Boys who are interested in driving railway engines must nowadays be a rare breed. The modern boy, I imagine, looks upon driving diesel and electric trains as little more exciting than driving tramcars. I was fortunate to be born in the early twentieth century and one of my first memories is being allowed to stand on the footplate of a North Eastern Railway 0-4-4 tank engine for a few minutes, inhaling the wonderful aroma, while the train awaited departure for Whitby. More than twenty years were to pass before that experience was repeated. Some lads were luckier. I had an acquaintance in the 1930s, Bobby Hutchinson, who used to arouse my envy with his accounts of firing and driving heavy goods trains out of Tyne Dock to places then unknown to me; Stella Gill and Waskerley are two that come to mind. He knew some neighbourly enginemen who took him with them on night rosters. Those were the days of goods engines, goods vans, goods yards, goods agents etc. I see that the ugly marine term has supplanted the good old word. Are the venerable Jones and Dean engines now known as the Jones Freight and the Dean Freight? It was not until military service took me to India in the last war that I got my first footplate ride.