The Bristol Railway Archive

I lived in Monks Park Avenue, and so my local station was Horfield, but we were definitely NOT allowed on to the platforms and so had to stand on Bonnington Walk bridge.

Those of you who know Horfield will remember that the usual offices were at road level, and there was a longish walkway down to the footbridge. Now, alongside this walkway was a very appealing grassy bank which was rather nice to sit on if we could get past the stationmaster - which we sometimes did.

Unfortunately, one of them was extremely bad-tempered, and having received his boot up my backside I decided not to risk it again. Perversely, on one of the few occasions we had an adult with us, and were on the platform, the Brown-Boveri came through; it was my first ever sighting of a diesel, and I thought that the end had come!

Were others banned from platforms? Certainly, in my many railway books there are plenty of photos with spotters happily sitting on the platforms in various Western Region locations.

Yes at yatton we were allowed to go into the up platform waiting room the booking clerks kept their eye on us But we must not touch the open coal fire Ah those were the days 1944-1948 then I had a better view from the signal box as a booking boy .

In the late 1950s there was a grumpy person in the ticket office who would not let any youngsters onto the platforms at Oldfield Park. Fortunately everything could be seen through the fence.

Nearby Green Park goods yard staff were generally tolerant of us youngsters going up onto "The Hump" but one guard could be guaranteed to move us on.

Times change ... or do they??

As a kid on the platform, I have got to say yes, we were. Well at Snow Hill and New Street station in Brum and when we went to London all the platforms of the mainline stations there too, well there were plenty of others there to. plus I must say we were all fairly well behaved as if you wern't you would get told off.

I must admit this was in the late 1950's early 1960's so perhaps we were lucky?

Actually, we had no trouble with Temple Meads - platform ticket and you were on. The ticket might have said that it was valid for an hour, but we didn't take too much notice of that. I think that you could get on the larger stations without too much difficulty.

Actually, we had no trouble with Temple Meads - platform ticket and you were on. The ticket might have said that it was valid for an hour, but we didn't take too much notice of that. I think that you could get on the larger stations without too much difficulty.

Late 60s/early 70s it was generally possible to stay all day on TM with a one hour platform ticket. I think they were 3d. But *very* occasionally one of the platform staff would decide to have a purge and check the platform tickets and throw anyone off who had been there over the said hour (which was most of us).

Not sure whether the management instructed staff to do these purges as the numbers were getting out of hand, or whether it was just the individual staff members being difficult or bored. We didn't cause any trouble, other than pestering drivers to get a "cab" - a rare event to be successful, but not totally unknown.

There were two answers to counter the platform ticket issue: just go out and get another platform ticket, or even more ingenious, buy a single to Lawrence Hill (for 6d I think), then you could "legally" stay on all day

Things must have got stickier in the 60s and 70s, Jules. The period I'm talking about was 1954-60, and I am not aware that any one of us was thrown off because our ticket had expired. Buying a ticket to travel though, would have been the answer.

Come to think of it, we could have done this at Horfield to get on the platform. I suppose that we just didn't have the money in those days!

I used to catch the train to TM on a Saturday morning from Montpelier. Never bought a platform ticket; bought ticket for return trip on the train. (I don't think you could get returns on the 'Beach line in those days (c1968-73) for some reason.