Quite often I would go to Portreath via the 6:10 goods train to Carn Brea yard and walk the three miles to Portreath, at least that was what I was supposed to do, but I would put my bike in the guards van, ride on the engine, do the fireman’s work and sometimes drive, depending on the driver, then if the weather was fine I would cycle straight home from Portreath thus finishing much earlier. One rainy day I caught a passenger train from Carn Brea station and the Guard wanted me to pay for my bike. I refused and he reported me. I had to see the Divisional Supervisor. He said if I did not pay it would be deducted from my wages, to which I replied ‘It will be my last wage packet then.Why should I pay for my bike which was help in my work when on my Foreman’s orders I have sent hundred weights of potatoes and cauliflowers to Newton abbot for you and your staff free.’ The Divisional Supervisor ordered me out of the office but I never heard any more about paying – I guess they paid themselves.

My task at Portreath was to fire a stationary engine which pulled trucks of coal up a terrific incline by means of a wire rope, a descending empty truck also assisted the upward bound loaded one.
I would get an extra shilling a day basket money for this work.
The coal boats from South Wales would discharge their cargo and two horses would do the shunting of trucks finally bringing the loaded trucks to the bottom of the incline where they were attached to the wire rope. A similar procedure took place at the top where another pair of horses did the necessary shunting, dealing with empties and forming a loaded train which the ‘tank engine’ took to Carn Brea yard. The driver of the horses scarcely spoke to them for they knew exactly what they had to do and it was quite amazing to watch them plodding along stepping over the rails and stopping at the right spot.
At this time (middle twenties) all the tin mines in the Camborne / Redruth area were working. One, Dolcoath, boasted of having the deepest shaft in the world, hence a Cornish personal saying ‘he’s as deep as Dolcoath’
I also relieved the Helston and St Ives Branch Shed men; this was quite a task for a stranger.
I had to go to Helston first, winter time, no Sunday rail service so I caught a bus, enquired my way to the shed, not having been before, cleaned out the engines’ fire box, re-lit it for I had to raise steam to get the Loco outside to bunker it from the coal stack. By the time I had completed the many other essential items such as clean out the ash pan (underneath the fire box), smoke box,(under the chimney) snatch a cuppa, clean up etc the driver and fireman arrived.
We worked a forty eight hour week with one week annual leave a year so even a day off was greatly appreciated. Not so long before I joined the railway the staff worked ten hours a day and originally it was twelve. They certainly had their pound of flesh in those days.