SandyBrook
knowlegable brummie
I've just added to a thread about Metro Cammell but mentioned that I went from there to a newly set up centralised paybill office (wages to you and me) in Lloyd House in November 1963. I think we were officially the Midland Region CPO and dealt with station and loco sheds in the area from Brum and down to the Welsh coast around Dolgellau and Barmouth as well as around Gobowen and Oswestry
I'd also been offered a job as shed clerk at Saltley but this one was going to use computers and that seemed the more exciting way to go. Vastly different to how we view computerisation today and there were 2 (?) dedicated programmers who used to have to do arcane things with plugboards and lots of wire jumpers when any change was needed.
We had both clerks and keypunch operators who came from a variety of railway locations - mostly ex Western region to start with - Stourbridge, Shrewsbury and Oswestry spring to mind. Although the railways had been in Groups since 1948 I remember that we were still quite parochial and were a bit nonplussed when ex Midland people from Derby etc started to appear.in the office.
We had about half of the third floor in Lloyd House (the Midlands Criminal Record Office had the other half - long before their take over of the whole building). Some of the floors were empty and in quieter moments we'd go for a ride from bottom to top in the lift. Got stuck in one of the lifts for a while one day but that's another tale.
Some of the smaller stations were still sending in manual payrolls which we also dealt with.
I lived with my parents in Brum when I started but after marriage moved to Wellington (in Salop in those days none of this Shropshire nonsense because it was similar to an impolite French word)- teehee!). I just used to cross the road to Snow Hill and could be home in about an hour..
As part of the common railway internal political wrangling and changes we got transferred to the Midland region and with Beeching beginning to do his stuff. The office was moved to Broad Street while the train home was from New Street - with a change at Wolverhampton onto a DMU that was either late or non existent.
Time for another change!
I do hope someone else may be able to contribute to this thread.
Sandy
I'd also been offered a job as shed clerk at Saltley but this one was going to use computers and that seemed the more exciting way to go. Vastly different to how we view computerisation today and there were 2 (?) dedicated programmers who used to have to do arcane things with plugboards and lots of wire jumpers when any change was needed.
We had both clerks and keypunch operators who came from a variety of railway locations - mostly ex Western region to start with - Stourbridge, Shrewsbury and Oswestry spring to mind. Although the railways had been in Groups since 1948 I remember that we were still quite parochial and were a bit nonplussed when ex Midland people from Derby etc started to appear.in the office.
We had about half of the third floor in Lloyd House (the Midlands Criminal Record Office had the other half - long before their take over of the whole building). Some of the floors were empty and in quieter moments we'd go for a ride from bottom to top in the lift. Got stuck in one of the lifts for a while one day but that's another tale.
Some of the smaller stations were still sending in manual payrolls which we also dealt with.
I lived with my parents in Brum when I started but after marriage moved to Wellington (in Salop in those days none of this Shropshire nonsense because it was similar to an impolite French word)- teehee!). I just used to cross the road to Snow Hill and could be home in about an hour..
As part of the common railway internal political wrangling and changes we got transferred to the Midland region and with Beeching beginning to do his stuff. The office was moved to Broad Street while the train home was from New Street - with a change at Wolverhampton onto a DMU that was either late or non existent.
Time for another change!
I do hope someone else may be able to contribute to this thread.
Sandy
