On the record.

I was in the Links Centre at Kirkby Stephen this morning to meet up with Carole Lloyd. Two former employees from the Locomotive Department at Kirkby Stephen East, Ivan Dobson and Colin Walker, came in to let Carole record their reminiscences of working on the line, and I was also able to sit in on the conversation.

It was a very interesting session and I really enjoyed listening to their yarns, some of which involved old workmates of theirs that I knew myself as a youngster fifty years ago. I was keen to see how Carole organised a meet-up like this - we are very good the the UK at the techniques of recording oral histories.

Fun too. Once everyone had relaxed we forgot all about the camera and microphone and just chatted away about old times. I hadn't realised that Ivan was on the footplate of the Q6 63355 in the famous incident when it derailed at Smardale in May 1955. A real piece of Stainmore history!

If you have any memories of the line, either as an employee or a passenger or in any other way, and you would like to put them on record, please get in touch with us. You can click on my e-mail link here and I will forward your message, or drop in at Kirkby Stephen East any weekend and we will put you in touch with Carole. It is completely painless, in fact very enjoyable, and your memories will have been shared with future researchers.