January

DRIVER ROBIN PRINCE M.B.E.

Robin, known as “Bob” to his friends and colleagues, has been a career-long railwayman who has undertaken various jobs during his working life. Bob joined the railway at the age of 15 in 1963 as a Junior Porter at Clock House Station. Bob transferred to Hither Green Motive Power Depot as a Cleaner 1964 followed by promotion to Fireman at the same depot. A transfer to Gillingham (Kent) mixed traction depot was next on the cards for Bob followed by a transfer to West Croydon EMU depot in 1971 which saw Bob promoted to Driver after his arrival there. A move back to Gillingham in March 1975 saw Bob going for traction training on Class 33 diesel locomotives. In the early 1990s, Bob saw yet another promotion to become a Traction Inspector at Gillingham and then when privatisation happened, Bob joined EWS as Traction inspector at their new Hoo Junction depot. In 1997, Bob took voluntary redundancy from EWS, went on holiday and enjoyed himself.

After the holiday Bob and his wife Sheila got a seasonal job as Assistant Wardens at a Caravan Club site in Chichester. When the first season at Chichester was over, Bob got a job at Strood Station as a Ticket Collector and a chance encounter with an old friend led to Bob’s last job on the railways with a small company called Victa Railfreight. Bob joined Victa Railfreight initially as part of the shunting and driving team and as the company developed, Bob took on the role of Operating Standards Manager looking after all of the company’s staff to ensure that all work was performed safely and that all staff were trained to the same standards and that regular assessments were made to ensure compliance with group standards.

As well as being a railwayman, Bob has also been a Justice of the Peace and he was very proud to be playing his part in the community.

Bob’s health has suffered since the mid 2000s and he has gradually become more office-based looking after the increasing amount of paperwork that his job brings with it. Bob ruled the office in his own way with staff of all ages working together like they had known him years.

Bob has made so many friends over the years and indeed he has supported our efforts to restore and run 37254 with helpful advice and numerous items donated to our sales stand to help us raise money to fund the project. Bob visited the Spa Valley Railway in August 2008 and had a cab ride on our locomotive and we were very proud to show him that all the effort was worthwhile and that we got there in the end!

It was announced in the Queen’s New Year’s Honour List on the last day of 2008 that Bob had been awarded an M.B.E. for his service to the railway industry. On hearing the news of the M.B.E., Bob said “I am delighted and privileged and would like to accept the award on behalf of all railway people for their continuing efforts to keep Britain’s railways moving, especially given the unsocial hours involved and the little recognition most railway people receive these days.” All of Bob’s friends and colleagues have said that this award is well deserved and they are very proud of him.

Members of The 37254 Locomotive Group have discussed, over the years, the possibility of naming the locomotive if and when a suitable occasion occurred, and have agreed that Bob’s award of the M.B.E. would be an ideal occasion to name the locomotive – in line with the long-standing railway tradition of naming locomotives after railway staff who have completed meritorious service. Bob was asked if he would be agreeable to the proposal, and said that he would be very proud to have the locomotive named after him. The nameplates (one for each side of the locomotive, and being funded privately by present and former colleagues) are already being
manufactured and will bear the inscription “DRIVER ROBIN PRINCE M.B.E.”

The 37254 Locomotive Group thought that it would be a very fitting gesture to name 37254 after Bob – a gentleman who has put so much into both the railway industry in his professional capacity and into other sectors of the community in his private life.