I was a maintenance electrician
with the ODM, later to become the P & ME Department. My grandfather Frank Shaw
was a driver and my father became a driver. His nickname was Gobbles.
My brother worked in the loco and became a fitter. I
knew many of the names you stated plus a few more, like Freddy Bardon, Dave
Bromwich, and Vic Page etc.
I remember Shonker Golding well! When the overheads
started to be erected a lot of material was stored in the yard. The weather was
rather warm and Shonker kept a bottle of lemonade in a wagon in the sidings, but
every time he went for drink there was some missing.
He found one of the overhead workers was pinching it, so he laid a trap. He half emptied the bottle and then peed in it. He kept watch and was highly delighted when it worked and the guy had a big drink of his pop and then put it back in the wagon.
Shonker went strolling across and said to the guy had
he seen any one drinking his pop because whoever it was would be in for a shock
as he had peed in it. He stood and watched as the guy to blame was violently
sick and Shonker walked away laughing his head off.