Railwaymen
Between 1979 and 1981 I worked as a Station Coupler at Euston station in London. The job entailed uncoupling the engine from the carriages of an incoming train, then walking up to the other end of the train and coupling on another engine to take it back out again. This used to be done by the firemen on steam engines but became necessary with the advent of diesel and electric engines operated by a driver only. The couplers were part of the shunting department which was based in the Yard Supervisor’s office at the end of platform 18. The senior men were the Trip Shunters, in charge of backing complete trains in ‘trips’ from the downside shed to the station. The department was run by a shift Supervisor assisted by a Chargeman.
The job was dirty, boring and statistically the second most dangerous on the railway after the permanent way repair crews. However, it did have a degree of independence not enjoyed by the platform staff, in that a coupler was given a list of trains to cover and was not looked for unless a train was missed.
The job was dangerous because you had to climb down between the engine and the carriages to unhook the coupling and detach the brake hoses and power cables. Often the coupling was pulled tight and the easiest way of undoing it was to get between the engine and the coaches, isolate the brakes and shout to the driver to 'ease up’. He would then push the engine into the coaches to slacken the coupling which you could then unhook. You were meant to get out from between the engine and the coaches during this operation, but we never did.
Although there were officially three shifts (early, late and night), the job was deliberately understaffed and we all usually worked 6am-6pm early turn or 6pm-6am nights, covering the late turn on overtime. This meant that the basic wage of £64.80 per week was raised to a more reasonable amount by overtime.
During my time there I didn't take many pictures, I was too busy doing the job. Now I wish I had shot more since I think it is some of my best work.