Nostalgic memories of Law's local history
Share your own memories of Law and read what others have said
For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.
Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.
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Displaying all 10 Memories
The year I spent at Law Junction was, on the whole, a fairly happy one – except that in the winter of 1961 my mum became seriously ill and was admitted to Law Hospital. Sadly, she died there in April. Unfortunately, I never received any time off to cope with bereavement – it was business as usual – and entered the booking office a few days later to light the fire. The booking clerk mentioned my tragic loss to the relief ...see more
To reach Law Junction from my home to begin the morning shift I always caught the 5.17am fish train and smelled like a herring for the rest of the day. One winter's morning the driver took pity on me and invited me to travel on the footplate, an offer I couldn’t refuse, even though it was against the regulations. Soon the engine was clattering noisily and violently along the tracks. All I could see ahead in the inky ...see more
One of the winter duties of a junior porter at Law Junction was to make sure the bothy coalscuttle was kept full, which occasionally meant keeping a lookout for a train waiting in the station and asking the driver if he would refill the scuttle from his tender. One morning, coalscuttle in hand, I approached one particular driver, only to find him swigging from a bottle. Suddenly to my horror I realised he was as drunk ...see more
Another chap I clearly remember in the year I worked at Law Junction was Roy Hamilton who lived in a cottage overlooking the station. Like the old gentleman who was frequently drunk, Roy was also disabled and walked with the aid of two sticks. However, that’s where the similarity ended because Roy was a sober railway enthusiast who spent a great deal of time in the booking office talking to the clerk about trains. Many ...see more
One day at Law Junction the stationmaster was conducting his daily inspection when he called me over and pointed to something white on the track. “Get rid of that woman’s thing”, he barked. I was only 15 years old and had no idea what a ‘woman’s thing’ was. Nonetheless I promptly leapt off the platform on to the railway line, retrieved the object the stationmaster found so offensive and quickly disposed of it. Such were the duties of a junior porter in those days!
On another posting of life at Law Junction I mentioned the passenger who was always drunk on Friday evenings. This elderly gentleman also suffered a severe limp and walked with the aid of a stick. On one occasion, after “Old Andrew” and I had assisted him off the train at Law, the old chap staggered precariously towards the footbridge. Concerned that heavily under the influence he might fall on to the track, “Old ...see more
Two station foremen were employed at Law Junction in 1961: a fellow called Guy, and “Old Andrew” who was in charge of me. Unfortunately both their surnames are lost to my memory, and yet, like the alphabet, I still remember the sequence of stations that “Old Andrew” often called out as he went along the platform closing carriage doors: “Uddingston, Newton, Cambuslang, Rutherglen, Eglinton Street and Glasgow”. On the late ...see more
Law Junction in 1961 was a regular stopping off point for engine crew who would spend a relaxing hour or so drinking tea in the station bothy before swapping trains. I remember one engine driver who was highly skilled at close-up magic and would perform all sorts of amazing card and coin tricks to entertain the staff. One day this driver told me that someone outside was calling my name, which I could clearly ...see more
My first job when I left school in 1960 was junior porter at Law Junction, which sadly closed in 1965. I remember that one of the station foremen, known as "Old Andrew", kept bees on an embankment at the rear of the station, an illustration as to how uneventful Law Junction was in those days. However, a regular duty every Friday evening was to search all the carriages of the commuter train from Glasgow for a certain ...see more
Socially Naïve?