GROUNDED FOR BUNKING

The superb article by David Wilcock relating to Old Oak Common brought back wonderful memories of that most significant of steam motive power depots. Like David, I gained entry into ‘OOC’ ‘under the wall’ alongside the Grand Union Canal on at least ten occasions. The first will always remain in my memory. In 1957, aged 11, I was living at Marlow and my parents allowed me to travel up to Paddington on my own to go trainspotting. However, my father gave me strict instructions that under no circumstances was I to leave Paddington station. On arrival I met fellow spotters who invited me to join them to bunk both Old Oak Common and Willesden sheds. Within half an hour I was in paradise. The four roundhouses were all full with a wide variety of ‘Kings’, ‘Castles’, ‘Halls’ and an abundance of tank engines. Soon we were across the road at Willesden shed where every locomotive I saw was a ‘cop’, as previously I had never ventured onto LMR territory. I just managed to catch my train from Paddington and arrived home on time. My father always had an interest in steam railways and asked questions about what locomotives I had seen. He then asked to see my notebook. That is when I was well and truly rumbled! “You would not have seen so many locomotives at Paddington, and certainly none of those LMR engines,” was his stern remark. I had no choice but to own up and was grounded for three months, with my Ian Allan Combined Volume confiscated. John W Smith, Gloucester