Shillingstone Station

A Memory of Shillingstone.

I have always been interested in trains, and Shillingstone Station gives me some great memories.
I did not enjoy the best of health when I was young so spent a lot of my childhood down at the station, even on days when my asthma was bad, in the summer months when the line was busy I would take an old camp bed down and sleep in the signal box. When the last down train to Bournemouth had gone at 9.30 the signalmen would make a drink and then it was heads down untill 3.00am when bells started to ring, which was the first excursion from the north of England on its way to Bournemouth. I would stay there untill the last train up at 11.05 Sat evening.
They were great days of steam. The signalmen who gave me the privilege were Mr Harry Scammel and George Ainsworth.
My father Jack Newman was a lengthsman at Shillingstone and I would go fogging with him in the winter time. The porters at the station in those days were Bert Sherlock, Reg Eaton, Wilf Savoury.
I moved from Shillingstone to Bournemouth after being an motor apprentice for Mr Sloper's garage in the village and had to catch the train to Poole once a week to go to college, which I did not mind. I have many memos of Shillingstone so must stop now or I never will. Brian Newman  {01202749743}