It was Christmas Eve in 1993, that we took our two daughters on a Santa Special at Tenterden. As the train rumbled along, the Railway's Volunteer co-ordinator was promoting the idea of being a volunteer.

After a short conversation, I took a flyer and in the follow up telephone call, I decided to train as a guard.

This required five classroom days, plus twenty-four apprentice days on board over two years with different guards. As a schoolteacher, I was able to put in more days and by December, 1994, I had passed the Railway Inspectorate oral and practical tests.

The following week I was assigned my first shift only to find another guard with me. Apparently, I had only completed 23 days and Health and Safety regulations had to be observed.

My first solo train out of Tenterden was on 2nd January, 1995 on a cold miserable morning. I was on the vintage set feeling excited by the whole experience except my first trip had NO passengers!

I set up a website called "Guard's Eye", which somtimes got me into bits of bother for being satirical and sarcastic. It was simply a diary of my shifts and gossip from the messroom! Some "old f**ts" thought I was being disloyal to K&ESR volunteers and should be thrown out of the society. I reported embarrassing incidents but not being vindictive and it showed the lighter side of life of being a volunteer. One incident, I reported on a train I was guarding was about a trainee fireman being tested. He was known as "Geordie" and somehow he ran out of steam on the steep Tenterden Bank, which meant we were towed into the station by a class 08 diesel. The following week, I noticed a sign on Tenterden Bank TRAINS FOR NEWCASTLE STOP HERE!

We would stop in various sites on the line to let the group to set up their cameras and would run up and down several times. These usually were close to water. Pictured above is a photo from Steam Railway magazine, of the train crew having breakfast at Wittersham Road. I am the character in the middle, by the way!

We would get up to Tenterden for a short break to take out the 10.30 public train to Bodiam. The photographers could amuse themselves until returning to Bodiam with further photo stops with the sun having moved round for different lighting, shade and water reflection.

One school holiday running "Thomas and Friends", the Fat Controller phoned in sick and I was volunteered into the role. I enjoyed the day but I was not any rush to repeat the experience.

Due to a life change, I left the railway in late 2000.