Rush hour dewirement in Kingston

Click on picture [319] for an enlarged version

From: "Ian Dudley" <ian*@olddudders.com>

While I am banjaxed by the whole depth of quality in your astonishing site, the picture of a dewired trolley in Kingston has me on the ropes completely! In January 1961 - I think - I witnessed exactly that in about that spot! The clippie [yes, a lady] stepped smartly off, pulled the pole from beneath the vehicle, and did the biz. Nothing to it – her competence never in doubt!

I then – aged 12 – lived in Betchworth, Surrey. The stop outside our house was fare stage 33 of the 65 – i.e. the middle – of LT Route 414, West Croydon to Horsham. My Kingston reminiscence was on a Twin Rover [8 shillings & 6 pence for adults, 4s & 3d for under-14s] day out with classmate Michael Edward Vernon White, whose love of buses must have endured, as he ended up driving Guy Singles for Tillingbourne Valley! Later that day we carried on to Hammersmith, and then went by trolley all the way to North Finchley [Tally Ho!] and back.

I have recently retired to France after a fulfilling career in British Rail, the last few years working for Silverlink Trains, which gave me max opportunity to grice the NW London that I had known and loved in my trolley days!

Sites like yours are worth all the gold in the world – thank you to all the contributors!