Nine Decades on Track

Nine Decades on Track: East Midland Railwayman’s Rise Through the Ranks by David Kirk.

David’s interest in railways began in the early 1940’s when taken by his mother on the short ride from Ilkeston Junction Station to Ilkeston Town Station. The book also includes some highlights of trainspotting in the 1950’s.

However, the bulk of the book charts his railway career from 1954 at Eastwood and Langley Mill Station as a Junior Clerk. After nine months David was transferred to Pye Bridge Station as a Booking Clerk, followed by National Service. In May 1958 he was appointed as Booking Clerk at Ilkeston North Station followed by Station Master/Goods Agent at Draycott and Breaston Station three years later. Over the next five years he was Station Master at Pye Hill for a year, then into Northamptonshire as Station Master Brixworth and Relief Station Master Northampton. Later he became Yard Inspector at Chaddesden Yard, then in charge of the Limestone Quarry trains at Wirksworth-now the Ecclesbourne Railway. After five years there he was appointed Traffic Manager at Coalville, in charge of the 32 miles of railway between Burton on Trent and Leicester. This involved being in charge of Coalville Depot, Marshalling Yard, six Signal Boxes and the movement of 100,000 tonnes of coal per week from eight collieries. He was also in charge of movements into and out of Drakelow Power Station and Bardon Hill and Cliffe Hill Quarries.

He became part of the Management team at Derby in November 1984 and worked on the passenger and parcels operations controlled from Derby before moving to Rail Express Services Head Quarters in Ryedale House, Euston Station in London in 1989. By 1993 at age 55 David Kirk was asked to finish with the onset of privatisation. Two years later David was back, but in a different role and this was checking charter train proposals for feasibility both steam and diesel hauled around the country.