'Fag Ash' of Kings Cross

[Mickey]

Anyone on here remember a Kings Cross shunter who went by the nickname of 'Fag Ash' (real name unknown?) who was a common sight around the north end of Kings Cross station during the late 1960s and into the first half of the 1970s for the train spotters standing on the end of no.10 platform where he would usually hangout in the 'shunters lobby' underneath the old 1933 Kings Cross signal box. 'Fag Ash' looked like he may have been on the railway for quite a long time maybe since the end or even before WW2 and as his nickname implied he would usually be seen with a 'fag in his mouth' while coupling up or uncoupling locos to & from coaching stock and wearing a peaked railwayman's hat also I believe that he briefly appeared for a couple of seconds in the film of the 1968 40th anniversary non-stop run from Kings Cross to Edinburgh of 4472 Flying Scotsman although not having seen this film for at least 30 years I can't confirm that he does for certain but I have a feeling that he does?.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

If he's the fellow I'm thinking of, he's tall and thin.

manna

[Mickey]

From memory he was the opposite manna and a rough estimate of his height from looking back over 45-50 years I would have said he was around 5ft-5 or 5ft-6ins tall?. He wore old dark railwayman's clothes and a railwayman's dark blue overall jacket and a railwayman's peaked hat and usually carried shunters rubber gloves around with him and usually had a 'fag in his mouth' hence his nickname. If anyone has the BBC film of he 40th anniversary non-stop run of 4472 Flying Scotsman in May 1968 from Kings Cross I have a feeling that the scene at Kings Cross when 4472 backs onto it's train there is a brief shot of 'Fag Ash' either about to 'go between' and couple up or has just coupled up?. If someone has the film and can make a 'screenshot' and post it then a number of people on here would probably remember seeing him around Kings Cross in the 1960s and the first half of the 1970s if you was standing on the end of no.10 platform spotting?.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I do remember a shunter dressed like that and with a fag, but I thought he was taller, mind you, I only seem to remember seeing him from leaning out of the window of a Brush 2

manna

[Mickey]

I didn't think he was that tall maybe he was a bit taller than 5ft-6ins maybe 5ft-7ins or 5ft-8ins although I am only guessing?.

I presume being a shunter at Kings Cross during the steam or first generation diesel era with loco hauled rolling stock was a fairly arduous job coupling up and uncoupling locos all day and through the night and having to be at either end of the station for the arrivals and departures and around the suburban platforms as well?.

As secondmen at Kings Cross we use to have to hook up & unhook when we were on the 'Cambridge jobs' from Kings Cross on arrival at Cambridge and after running round the loco because on the GE it was normal practice for the fireman to do that job not like on the GN where we had shunters to do that job.