Dick Finlay, fitter Top Shed and Finsbury Park Diesel Depot

[v3man]

I wonder if anyone remembers Dick Finlay who served his apprenticeship at Top Shed and was a fitter at Finsbury Park diesel depot in the 1960s. His father was my grandfather's brother (making him my 1st cousin once removed!) and I lodged with them at their house in Barnet for a time after moving to London in 1964. Born in 1925 he sadly died suddenly with a heart attack in 1985 at the age of only 60.

While I was stopping with Dick and his parents (he never married up until that time) he took me into Finsbury Park depot one Saturday morning. The Deltics were about then and I had a good look round.

Unfortunately I lost touch with him after his parents died but our family tree has a note that he had moved to Hatfield by the time of his death which was just two years after the closure of Finsbury Park so he may have taken early retirement (or been made redundant)

[Andy W]

Blimey V3man, that post woke me up - I worked with Dick in the 1980's but not at Finsbury Park.

Dick had heart problems in the 1970's and had to come off shift at FP. He moved to the ODM at Wellers Court KX as a fitter in what became the Heavy Repairs gang, working on overhauls and heavy repairs on a variety of equipment all over the KX area. Most of the the ODM moved in 1980 to newly converted accomodation in the northern part of the old steam shed at Hornsey and Dick was based there until his sudden and rather unexpected death.

Dick was a good fitter and like all good fitters could moan a bit (!!) but on the job he quietly got on with it and nobody had to ever go back and re-do his work. He had a keen eye for detail and used it well.

There are two published pictures on Dick, in his younger days, at Top Shed, both taken on the same day by H.G.Forsythe. In his book "Steam Shed Portrait" Dick is pictured in front of No 34, which looks as if it is in for a V&P exam. The caption talks of two fitters discussing running repairs but Dick said the other bloke (who he couldn't remember) wasn't a fitter. Dick is the one on the right.

In the later "The Railway Vanishes" the same pair are pictured on p47 and is a much better picture of Dick, in a pose that I well remember!

I can still see him at Hornsey, in his blue boiler suit with his glasses half way down his nose, giving some piece of kit a beady eye before he set to work on it. A good bloke who we still miss today.

[v3man]

Thank you for that and the lovely comments about Dick. Your email will be added to the family tree for posterity! I've attached a picture of Dick cropped from a family photograph which may just jog the memories of some more of his colleagues.

[v3man]

Thanks again Andy W for the reference to the photo of Dick Finlay in the book The Railway Vanishes. As a result I've just bought a copy off Ebay and look forward to seeing the picture when the book arrives.

[apollo]

Hi v3man
I joined Finsbury Park Diesel Depot in 1961 as an apprentice and after my second year I was assigned to Dick with whom I stayed for the rest of my apprenticeship which was a further 3 years.with a break of 9weeks when I was at Doncaster training
I will never forget the time he spent explaining how to do a job,particularly when we stripped down engine speed governors he always had an eye for detail.
I am now retired but still remember my apprenticeship days,and still in contact with one or two guys who also worked with Dick,he was one great guy.made a good engineer of me.
One of his sayings I have taken with me through life is when he gave me something to clean before assembly he would say every time " Make sure you can see your face in it then you'll know how the rest of the world suffers"I have said this to many apprenticess of my own.
R.I.P Dick
Daryl
ps The photo brings back memories.