Riding Down Memory Lane (The Coventry Line)
by
Senior Fireman Denis O. Grogan, LMS
as related to his son

The memories are many... to bring them all together would take a book. Remembering one line at a time makes more interesting reading. This article is about the “Coventry Line”

When I had reached 65 years of age in 1982, I applied for, and received a Senior Citizens pass from the Birmingham City Council. This pass allowed me to travel freely in the West Midlands area either by British Rail or by the Midlands Bus Service.

As soon as the pass arrived, I took the opportunity to travel by train from Birmingham-New Street over the old LNWR rail network. I had travelled this same network many times as a fireman, firing both passenger and goods trains. This network ran to the North over the Stow Valley line and then to Wolverhampton, Walsall-Rugely, continuing over the Sutton Line to Litchfield.

As I travelled around the West Midlands area on my pass, many memories of incidents long times ago came flooding back. The Coventry Line was no exception...

After leaving school in the 1930’s, I realised my earnest desire to work on the railway following my Father’s footsteps to the footplate. Martin Grogan, my Father, was a driver at Monument Lane sheds during the Great Depression. As his son and because the stated policy and preference of the Railway Company to employ sons of the employees, I was given a job as a “call boy” at Aston Loco.

I was no stranger to Loco sheds. In my schooldays I was very much a “steam buff” being able to access Monument lane sheds on the weekends when my father was on duty.

This access on Sundays allowed me to “practice” with a coal shovel and help my father “light up” many a locomotive for Monday mornings duties. My poor mother! She was continually having to wash the grime out of my clothes demanding that I get in the galvanised tub (to take a bath) and “…stay away from those dirty engine sheds”. I never did…(smile!)

Promotion was rapid for me at Aston MPD; I was soon an engine cleaner. This did not last too long as I quickly became eligible for “firing duties”.

Firing for me came as an easy task, my past experiences as a schoolboy at Aston Loco helped me greatly. Sometimes, helping my father at Monument Lane, (when it was “quiet”) would allow me to completely fire up a “Jinty”, leaving the real fireman sitting on the wooden bench!

While using my rail pass on a journey to Coventry, those memories of earlier days at Aston Loco came sharply into focus….

The day soon arrived for me to fire up my first passenger. First, I had to be “passed out” by a footplate Inspector. The train was to be the 7:34am to Coventry and as always, the engine was to be an 0-6-0 Class 4 freight built by Fowler. As always, we were to travel “tender first” to Coventry, working a local goods pick-up back to Stetchford. The footplate inspector had selected this train for the “passing out” of any cleaner moving to “firing duties; it was a combination of both goods and passenger.

My father knew that the engine I was about to fire was this Class 4 Fowler loco. Knowing that I had never fired one before, he told me to feed the back corners and sides of the grate. “The grate slopes don’t feed under the brick arch... keep it thin there, the fire will be dull under the brick arch”. What my father had to say was not to be ignored! He was secretary to the local engineman’s improvement class and this only reinforced his need to be a “solid” railwayman. He added “Don’t forget you are tender first! Oil your front and rear couplings! Should your driver forget when coupling the train, make that coupling tight! When its Winter, open all the valves on the engine otherwise there will be bursting!”

I arrived at Aston Loco and did everything that had to be done; cracked all the coal on the tender so none could blow back while “tender first”, filled all the sand boxes, cleaned all the ash and sand off the frame, built the fire up and, last but not least, checked the boiler water gauges... all of these tasks were in a fireman’s profile.

My driver was Jack Davis, a main line driver. The job diagrammed for him was a light duty one, mainline links usually had a week off mainline work. The footplate inspector, Jack Birch, arrived just as we were due off the shed-light engine to New Street. After filling our tank with water, I swept off the footplate with a hand-brush... I could see that Inspector Birch would miss nothing.

At New Street I hooked onto our local train; Jack Birch stood on the platform watching us depart dead on time according to the station clock.

We followed the 7:30am to London. Our train left at 7:34am and, hoping for a clear run to Coventry,  I fired as my father had, six or seven shovelfuls at a time. Fortunately for us this engine had a tarpaulin sheet; it kept the wind off the footplate, especially travelling tender first. After each firing I opened up the fire-hole to admit secondary air to burn up the smoke, this action reduced the amount that would drift over a station... these actions were very necessary (I thought) to pass my test and, of course, impress any driver!

Upon arriving at Coventry, Jack Birch spoke to me for the first time and questioned me on the Rule Book. He particularly wanted to know about Rule 55, the Foreman’s Rule, reporting a train occupying a line in the Signalman’s section. He had to go to the signal box and sign the logbook, time and date and see a link place over the lever to remind the bobby not to pull the signal off while a train was in that section. Rule 55 was protection rule!

Jack asked me “Aren’t you Martin Grogan’s Son”? Yes, I said. “Aren’t you and you father members of the improvement class”? Again I replied “yes”. At this point Inspector Birch said “I’m satisfied with your work, you will receive confirmation in writing”. At this point he left.

My driver, Jack Davis commented that it was unusual for Inspector Birch not to return to Stechford with us. He felt that Birch must have been satisfied? This episode meant an increase in wages on every firing turn to 2 pounds, seventeen and sixpence weekly when 317 firing turns had been completed, and there was the possibility of becoming a registered fireman.

I could not wait to tell my Dad... he would be really pleased!

My ambitions were now turning towards being a driver. Of course so were all the other cleaners/firemen in the shed. You had to “shine” to every driver. The last thing you needed was a bad comment from them.

At a later date I transferred over to Monument lane, by this time I was a registered fireman and this shed was close to home. Added to this fortune was the fact I was doing far more passenger work than goods. Promotions came far more rapidly. The Coventry Line initial experience had not hurt me.

It was on the Coventry Line that I had an unforgettable experience during the war years (1939-1945). During this time period I was in mixed links, both goods and passenger. The date... October 16th 1940. Our train was the 1:03pm to Leamington Spa. This was two days after Coventry was bombed and Coventry station was reopened for traffic. For the record, by this date, the LMS railway had suffered 197 attacks by the Luftwaffe.

I was taken ill at Hampton-in-Arden and in terrible pain causing my driver Ted Lamb to take over my firing duties along with his driving. Ted arranged with the bobby at Hampton-in-Arden for the train to be met at Coventry, Vaguely I recall being carried to an ambulance already full of casualties of the Coventry air raid. Coventry General was full and unable to cope with more injured. We all ended up at Kearsley Hospital. I was operated on immediately for a ruptured appendix. When I left the hospital, I reflected on how lucky I was!

The Coventry Line was a very fast line, especially for London trains. I have fired many a compound and Jubilees along with baby Scots that were on loan from Bushbury. Bushbury’s baby Scotts were the best that one could fire.

In concluding my memories of the Coventry Line, I reflect on the station at Lea Hall...

Lea Hall was a station very close to New Street, being built in the 1930’s to serve a new housing estate.

When I first became aware of Lea Hall it was because of the vandalism that had wrecked the station on past occasions. Footplatemen had been the targets for pellet guns fired by these vandals. They were aimed at the passing loco’s often shattering the glass windows in the coaches.

On one occasion, I was firing a Black 5 as a newly promoted Top-Link Fireman on the London Line. We were working the Sunny South Express from Rugby to New St., having the train working divided between Monument Lane and Rugby MPD. We had arrived at Rugby and a crew had taken the train over to Willesden where the Southern crew had relieved the Rugby crew. This took two loco’s, one from our shed and one from Rugby to work the alternative days; Rugby crews booked off at Willesden. On this day we worked the train from New Street with engine No. 5390 and were relieved by a crew at Rugby. As we waited on the platform to run the Sunny South into New Street, in rolled the beautiful Black 5, fresh out of the Crewe Works!

After the usual verbal exchange between drivers, me and my mate climbed onto the footplate and set sail for New Street.

My driver loved to travel fast and he certainly did on this trip, only reducing speed to stop at Coventry! After Coventry we “sailed” up the gradient and down through Berkswell. I noticed that the speedometer was indicating 75mph! At Hampton-in-Arden my mate shut it down with enough forward speed to make it into New Street.

At Berkswell, I stopped firing, the firebed was sufficient enough to make it. It was a bright sunny day, I would be able to keep my ever-wary eye for activity at Lea Hall station. It is well to note that at this time Lea hall was mostly unmanned, only occasionally was a porter there on weekends.

As we approached Lea hall, I spotted several vandals on the footbridge, grouped together, holding a large object. My driver loosed the engine out and I put the blower on the push fire out of the chimney to deter these yobs! Unfortunately for us, the large object that was dropped was a coping stone. which struck our lubricators, breaking the covers and sending oil over the frame.

We stopped at the next station, Stechford. My mate reported the incident to the Stationmaster where we expressed concern over the incident and demanded action be taken. NOTE: Denis Grogan was to experience several similar incidents in his career some of which injured himself and his drivers.

Continuing on to New Street, the Rugby engine had to be withdrawn to repair the broken lubricators. A compound was substituted for the Black 5, allowing the Sunny South Express to be worked. That day, Monument lane had only two Black 5’s, at no time was there a “spare”, a Compound was always used for emergencies. Working the train that day, the Rugby crew expressed their displeasure with the old, dirty, replacement compound. After an explanation of the incident, their anger abated. Black 5’s were hard to beat! These are some of memorable incidents that occurred during my career.

Footnote: Denis Grogan passed away in 2002 after short ill health. Admired by his son and daughter who have come to particularly respect the often low-paid efforts by railway workers, especially during the steam period ending in the 1960’s. While serving in the British military during the late 50’s and early 60’s, I was often picked up at the side of the road by returning drivers, while thumbing a “lift” home from camp. After announcing that I was the son of Denis Grogan, the drivers would recount personal incidents involving my Dad, particularly the Second World War years. I have come to realise the unsung personal sacrifices these people had made. After a long tiring shift, my father, with many others, would put in a nights duty as a Home Guardsman with the 33rd Birmingham (LMS-Railway) Home Guard, protecting these hubs of transportation, so vital to the war effort! Make a point, when greeting one of these men, to thank them for what they did!

Tony Grogan.April 2005.
Tryon. North Carolina, USA.