Railway legend retires after 60 years
A legendary locomotive driver has decided to hang up his signature red scarf and grease top - curtailing his career with retirement from the main line.
From junior train spotter to Vintage Trains steam locomotive driver and footplate legend, driver Ray Churchill (pictured) has enjoyed long and illustrious railway career.
Born in October 1941 in Wednesbury, Ray recalls a happy childhood travelling to holiday destinations in his father 's motorcycle and sidecar and his first close encounter with steam, waving to passing GWR Dukedogs at Barmouth.
His first ride brought him to tears - first of fright, being so close to the engine, then delight as he didn 't want to get off. From then he was hooked.
His passion for railways and football continued, funding these led to a Saturday job in a local butcher 's shop which became his full time job on leaving school at 15, but not for long. Railways continued to beckon and a visit to Bescot freight depot landed him with a job as a cleaner for the princely sum of 72 shillings and 6 pence a week in 1957.
He got on well and firing school followed, eventually passing out as a passed fireman in 1966, having experienced several turns on the west coast mainline.
Steam had by then disappeared from Bescot but he was delighted when loco 48195 (8F) was borrowed from Saltley Shed in order that he could pass out on a steamer. Further training took him to driver status in 1972.
Ray continued to work at Bescot through the BR days, driving for various freight companies until he eventually retired from EWS late in 2001.
He was a first aider and regularly took part in competitions. He was awarded a certificate of special merit after going to the assistance of a person electrocuted on the 25,000 volt overhead line system.
Apart from a few forays into heritage steam driving while he was at Bescot, it returned to his veins big time in 2002 when he was approached by West Coast Railways to drive steam specials across the UK network.
Ray describes these years as the 'icing on the cake '. With WCR he 'learned the road ' into Cornwall, his favourite piece of railway, retiring from WCR in 2016.
In 2018 he was approached by the reborn Vintage Trains, now a train operating company, with plans to grow its business in the heritage railtour sector.
Although reluctant at first, a visit to Tyseley and seeing the newly restored Clun Castle twisted his arm and climbed back onto the footplate.
A major highlight for Ray was The Polar Express season where he recalls the huge pleasure and emotional experience he felt from seeing the faces of hundreds of delighted children (and parents).
With Covid-19 curtailing all VT steam operations in 2020, Ray realised that by the time he could take the regulator again he would be effectively starting from scratch with route and rule refreshing plus medicals ahead.
Michael Whitehouse, chairman of Vintage Trains said: “Only recently did I learn that Ray and I first met on the footplate of the very last Harborne Express in 1963. Little did we know then that our paths would cross again in the new millennium.
“His willingness to step out of retirement in 2018 and drive on VT tours was an enormous help in establishing our own operations as a TOC.
“Vintage Trains is a strong, integrated team and the Churchills have been a core part of our operation, Ray delivering some spectacular performances on the main line with his usual finesse and care for his steed, while his wife Nickey is busy on board selling souvenirs to our passengers.
“We wish them both a long and healthy retirement and look forward to seeing them both regularly at Tyseley. I 'm sure that Ray will need no persuasion to take the regulator again on our open days! ”