B.R.S.A. club bar talk.

[52A]

Tappers is still there and going strong.

[Mickey]

Deleted

[bricam5]

Still got the old card 2d (Twopence in old cash) per week.

[Andy@34F]

I appreciate that this thread has been dormant for some time, but...

Grantham Railway Club (formerly Grantham BRSA Club) is 60 years old this year. The club was opened 10th October 1955 by E.D.Trask.

To celebrate we are holding a party weekend (9th - 11th October). Events planned include a Charity showcase night, Charity Darts Event, BBQ and entertainment.

Memories of the club and any photographs are welcomed. Please contact me by pm.

Andy H
Club Chairman

[sandwhich]

I will not hold my hands up in horror, but we must all agree that the Transport & Works Act 1992 was right, what we got away with was sometimes quite staggering. Even after the Act became law there were people who thought they could carry on as though nothing happened but after some well publiced sackings we all soon came to the conclusion that the times were indeed changing. It was time to draw a line under the old days and turn the page over. Many of todays railway people were not on the railway before 1992 and it is drummed into their heads that alcohol on duty must not happen. Many BRSA clubs closed down not just because of privatisation but because "peoples social habits were changing", thats one way of putting it.

[Mickey]

Nice timing sandwhich bringing this topic back again.

While travelling on a 390 'Boris bus' 2 days ago part of the 390 route passes through the Kings Cross area around the one way system and along the front of Kings Cross station on Euston Road anyway while travelling along the Caledonian Road part of the route heading south near the bottom where the Pentonville Road crosses 'the Cally' there is a pub which during the 1990s & 2000s was named The Flying Scotsman until recently but i noticed the pub has now reverted back to it's old name it had during the 1970s and probably had for many years (or decades?) before the 1970s it's now gone back to being called-

THE SCOTTISH STORES

Mickey

[52D]

I was on a mission tonight to take a pic of the sign at the club in Mexborough but when I went to get my phone I had picked up the one without a camera LNER SPORTS AND ATHLETIC CLUB.

[earlswood nob]

Good morning all

When I was younger, I used to be a regular at two pubs near the local Station/Shed/Offices, and they used to be full of railwaymen and postal workers (as there was a depot adjoining the station).
I heard so many stories of behaviour in steam days. An ex-GWR fireman told of stopping a freight train with the cab under a signal and hanging a bucket on the signal arm, before going into the nearby pub. When the signal changed the bucket fell onto the cab roof and alerted the footplatemen.
There was a local B.R.S.A. club in Earlswood, which is now a housing development, together with the adjoining Goods yard etc
TImes have changed.

Earlswood nob

[Mickey]

It was a different era 40 years ago but drinking 'on the job' was a fairly normal thing back then with some bloke's but nobody went over the top with it just a pint or two.

A nice little job back in 1974-75 i remember as a secondman at Kings Cross was a weekday 'Cambridge job' that left Kings Cross around tea-time although i can't recall which train it was now but you would leave Kings Cross sometime around 5:00-5:30pm with a Brush class 31 with a rake of 8-9 B.R.Mk1s behind the loco and arrive at Cambridge sometime around 6:30-7:00pm and after 'unhooking' the loco the loco was put in a siding road right outside the open back door of Cambridge B.R.S.A. club!!.

Anyway on that particular diagram you and your driver had a couple of hours or so to kill before the return part of the job back up to Kings Cross which left Cambridge sometme around 9:15-9:20pm or there abouts so in the meantime i'd go into the club and watch 'The Last Of The Summer Wine' (it had only just started back then) on the telly in the club television room with a nice pint of lemonade and a bag of crisps.

I can remember being in the Kings Cross B.R.S.A. one day while on duty amongst other locomen when one of the loco running foremen at 'the cross' came in looking for a crew to work something or other?!?!. That was a bit unusal to be honest lol ha ha ha...

Mickey

[giner]

My band used to play gigs at the Hatfield BRSA back in the mid-70's. It was only a glorified hut of sorts located west of the down slow platform. Some great nights in there, and the barmaid would always cash our fee cheque.

[Mickey]

My band used to play gigs at the Hatfield BRSA back in the mid-70's. It was only a glorified hut of sorts located west of the down slow platform. Some great nights in there, and the barmaid would always cash our fee cheque.

I always wanted to go in that place (giner) but never did it had a big rear window that overlooked the north end of Hatfield station and the club it's self at onetime stood nearly behind the back of Hatfield No.3 box until that box closed at the end of 1969. Usually on passing the club on a passing train especially on a Saturday night there always appeared to be a fair old crowd in the place.

I don't know when that club was closed maybe sometime during the 1980s but theres no trace left of the building these days.

Meanwhile back at 'the cross' in that BRSA club a pint of keg bitter in 1974 cost £0.14p yeah you read that correctly £0.14p!!. A number of times i went out on a Saturday night with £5.00p in my pocket and had about 7 or 8 pints of bitter then at the end of the evening made my (unsteady) way down Pentonville Road to the chip shop that use to be there and bought a hamburger & chips then went home and next morning after waking up still found i had a couple of quid change left in my pocket!!. Those were the days folks.


Mickey

[giner]

You're right, Mickey, the place was very well attended. I don't think the capacity was even a hundred, but it often seemed more than that on a Saturday night.

I never got to know anyone particularly in there, but there was one old regular there who'd sit right at the back near the entrance door - we used to joke with him about him being the bouncer and he'd put up his fists, crack a smile and would say, "Forty year ago boy, I wouldn't care who you were" in a broad Hertfordshire accent. And we'd all laugh. You don't seem to get those old characters these days. Happy times.

[Mickey]

Yeah like most clubs anywhere they had there regular crowd that were always there come rain or shine, at the Kings Cross BRSA a bloke called 'Yorkshire' Harry was the guvnor of the club who was an ok bloke who had about 6 or 7 other regular staff below him mainly barmen.

Usually on a Friday & Saturday night at the Kings Cross BRSA back in the 1970s they would have live music on the small'ish stage which usually would be provided by a safe 'middle of the road' family friendly band playing 'all the old favourites' that everyone knew except on one night i remember someone had booked a full-blown heavy rock band complete with amped up electric guitars, a Keith Moon clone on the drums and a front man vocalist strutting his stuff!!. Cheers!!.

Mickey

[Jimmye]

The BRSA Club in Forth Banks opened November 1957 it shared premises with British Railway Institue, which had been established for many years. The Institute povided excellent facilities, 3 snooker tables, a fine library, table tennis room (it once staged an international match with Norway!). However, it had no Bar or Bingo, hence the emergence of the Club to cater for this culture!
The Club did start a football team, provided swimming at Northumberland Road Baths once a week, and provided Tennis courts at Leazes Park Newcatle once a week.
As a 19 year old, I followed all of the activities, even Bingo! And enjoyed every minute!
I never worked on the Railway, but most of my relatives did, so I was allow to join as an associate member.
The demise came with Railway Privatisation and the Fire Door mentioned earlier, which was a thorn in the side of the Railway Management who used privatisation as an excuse for cancelling the tenancy of the premises in 1991!
Happy Days.