DAY RETURN TO 1969: The Railway Career Of A Career Railwayman

by Stephen Cornish

Forty years of working on the railway has provided the author with an enviable wealth of experiences. He started out selling tickets and climbed up the management ranks to work with such iconic names as The Flying Scotsman, the Orient Express and (sssh!) The Royal Train. This intriguing book offers unique glimpses into the many milestones of his life as well as the history of Britain’s railways. Starting from the swinging sixties, take a look at how the railways tried to manage modernisation whilst keeping one foot firmly in the past, when tickets were still printed on cardboard rectangles, pigeons were still allowed to travel by passenger trains, and station platforms were still lit by oil lamps. The author shares the gritty reality of working for good old British Rail in the 1970s and ‘80s, with the old-school managers with huge egos who ran the show, the health and safety nightmares, and then the politics of privatisation and the impact this had on the workers during the 1990s. From highs, lows and tragedies to featuring on the front page of the Daily Telegraph and meeting a whole procession of colourful characters, this is one memoir you won’t forget in a hurry. Written in a friendly and entertaining style, this book recounts a career that is no longer a possibility. So if you have a penchant for history, railways and a well-told life story, make sure you grab your copy of this book today.

341 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 14, 2021

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen Cornish joined British Rail in 1969 as an 18-year-old trainee ticket clerk. Over the course of a 40 year career he rose to become a senior manager in charge of operating special trains over the, by then, privatised network.

As you’d expect there are a lot of railway related anecdotes here. However the book doesn’t shy away from the inefficiencies and idiosyncrasies of running a large organisation. If ever you’re tempted to hang onto the idea that things were always better in the old days this is a book to help change your mind.

There’s perhaps a bit too much detail in parts and there’s more than a smattering of typos. Overall though this is an entertaining and engaging memoir and proof that part of the key to a happy life is doing a job that you love.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written and interesting account of one mans life in the railway

An amusing, well written, easy to read and interesting account of one mans life on the railway.
It's easy to see how he was able to rise so far within the industry

[David Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account

Most enjoyable read from me as I too worked on the southern region and this book just resonates with me. Funny in p!aces and very interesting from a very different point of view to most accounts of railway careers.

[J S · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating and enjoyable

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this fascinating autobiography, of, as Stephen puts it, a real railwayman. And told with a wonderful self deprecating humour.

Highly recommended.

[Martin Tiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!