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Arthur McGugan interviews George Bird, Sam Renouf, Joe Shenton and Don Pallot, four men who worked on the old Jersey Railway from the 1920s onward. Includes: working conditions; details of their jobs and tasks performed; wages were low - Sam Renouf paid 3/9 for working a 52 hour week; apprentices weren't allowed to work unless they brought a towel and big bar of soap; workshops; maintenance of locomotives; checking the line for faults on a Sunday morning; coaling; lighting of carriages and locomotives; rolling stock used - 4 engines, various cars, carriages and vans; gauges used; 60 - 70 people employed by the railway; Mr Philip Dixon was the managing director, George Todd was the foreman, Ben Shenton and Tom le Brun also worked there; carpenters - Jack Vilton and Walter de la Course; no ticket collectors; porters - Bert Hafey, Winter de Veulle, Jock Chaney; office workers - Mr Bonaster?, Edwin Gibaut, Raymond le Brocq - secretary, Mr Poinchester - became MD when Mr Dixon retired; passengers, in 1925 - 1926 carried over a million passengers; mainly tourists in the summer, in the winter just a few locals; buses were taking over; fares from St Helier - 6d return to St Aubins, 1/9 return to Corbiere; timetables and frequency of trains; own telephone system for communication; two engines used if there were a lot of passengers; 'La Moye' engine very powerful; track was mostly a single railway line with a couple of passing loops; details of stations, platforms, level crossings; very busy on holidays and race days - engineering staff came out onto the line to help open gates etc; details of freight carried, especially from quarries and gravel pits; during the First World War German prisoners of war carried from camp at Les Blanches Banques to the harbour to work; transporting the Jersey Militia c1910; railway workers were exempt from militia service; first and second class carriages existed; details of various accidents involving trains including suicides and attempted suicides; anecdotes - Mr Fisher and his false leg, a blind man called Wally Bagnel who played the barrel organ; in 1924 competition was introduced from the new bus company; gradual decline of the railway service; minimal washing facilities provided for workers. Recorded 25/03/1992. Good sound quality throughout, but drops dramatically at end. Running time 46 minutes.

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