A steam train driver from Caerphilly has decided to hang up his hat after 65 years of service to the railway.
Jeff Madge, 80, took his final turn on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GSWR) on Tuesday, October 17, but intends to remain actively involved with the steam locomotive department.
Having joined British Railways’ Cardiff Canton depot in August 1952 – aged just 15 – Jeff moved to Old Oak Common in London the following year where he passed out as a fireman. Working his way up the ranks, he returned to Cardiff to be put forward for driving.
“As a passed fireman I enjoyed plenty of opportunities to drive locomotives and did an awful lot of work on freight traffic,” Jeff said.
“I often worked up to Gloucester and sometimes further north over what we knew as the Honeybourne Line, the route over which the present day GWSR operates.
“Unfortunately, although I was due to be passed as a driver, the end of steam came about too soon. Many steam men left the railway then but I decided to continue.”
Mr Madge retrained as a diesel driver in 1983, but after nine years, admitted to longing for a return to steam – “it gets in your blood” – and it wasn’t long before he was back on the footplate in a steam engine in 1992.
He added: “I decided to take an interest in the then embryonic GWSR at Toddington [near Cheltenham]. It was a tiny operation with big ambitions then and I have seen it grow and have enjoyed encouraging youngsters as they start their voluntary footplate careers on the railway.
“They are the people who will keep the dream of steam alive for future generations to enjoy.
“They may never experience the challenge of handling a 700-ton coal train behind a Great Western 2807, which is based at Toddington, or flying along at 80mph or more on a Castle with ten coaches in tow.
“But handling a steam locomotive in today’s safety-conscious world demands the highest levels of skill and professionalism and it is just as satisfying and rewarding. And the engines are much cleaner and better maintained than ever.”
Well done to Jeff, I’m sure his ‘retirement’ will be only partial and he will still be involved in steam locomotion. I am also sure that his enthusiasm and knowledge will continue to inspire younger people who have got the ‘steam bug.’