Lostock Hall engineman John Fletcher dies

John Fletcher, a Lostock Hall fireman who went on to become a well-known main line personality, died on May 27 at the age of 73.

His footplate career spanned more than 50 years, starting in 1962 at Lostock Hall, where he picked up his lifelong nickname of ‘Fingers’ because he was so keen to get his hands on steam locomotives.

He was a top link fireman by the end of steam in 1968, his last BR steam turn being on now-preserved ‘Black Five’ No. 44871 with the Stephenson Locomotive Society railtour of August 4 that year.

Following a brief stint as a guard, he left the railways to start his own landscape gardening business, but returned to the footplate in 1982 – first at the West Somerset Railway, and then the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. He was a driver at the latter by 1986, and became its footplate inspector in 2008, as well as running the fundraising shop at Grosmont shed.

Volunteering with the support crew of ‘Standard 4’ No. 75014 on the ‘Jacobite’ led him to a second main line footplate career with West Coast Railways, together with a later interlude at Fragonset Merlin Rail. He finally retired from West Coast in 2013 and also stepped down from the footplate at the NYMR that summer, his last driving turn being on ‘A4’ No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley.

He leaves his wife, Jacqueline, and two sons, Wayne and John Lloyd, his other son Paul having died last year.

He will be remembered both for his professionalism as an engineman, and for his lively sense of humour.