Towards the end of 1998 I took a job working as a member of the Cabin Crew on the trains. I hadn’t actually applied for the job; my father had applied for me, without telling me first or asking if I’d like the job. The first I knew about it was when he told me they’d written back to offer me an interview. I didn’t see how I could get there, as the train station was not in my hometown, but in the city nearest to it and at that time I hadn’t passed my driving test. However, my dad said he or my mother would drive me in for my shifts or I could get the bus, and in need of a job at the time I agreed to go for the interview. The company advertising the vacancy was called Lighthouse Services. The office was down one platform and inside the station wall itself. I didn’t want the job from the start and I remember even asking the woman at the interview what kind of notice I’d have to give if I wanted to leave. However, despite all this they offered me the job and I didn’t turn it down. The job itself wasn’t badly paid as I remember, much higher than minimum wage was at that time, especially for a 19 year old. I’m pretty sure it was £5 an hour, or thereabouts. I started on the Monday after my interview of the week before. A typical shift went like this: I would get to the station 15-20 mins before my shift was due to start and go to the office. If I was on the earliest shift, which would be the 6.05am to Manchester Piccadilly, I used to get there about 5.40-5.50am. With no buses running at that time in the morning it meant one of my parents getting up in the middle of the night to take me in and I think my dad soon started to regret applying for me. Anyway, once I’d let myself into the office, I’d then retrieve a fully stocked trolley from one of the trolley bays, which were a bit like they have in supermarkets like Morrisons. I’d do a quick check of the trolley and make sure it had everything I’d need. I’d look to see there were crisps, chocolate, cans of fizzy drink, wine, beers, sandwiches, nuts etc money in the till, a calculator for me to work out the totals as I was, and still am, hopeless at maths. Then I’d grab a hot water urn so that I could make all my freeze dried drinks, tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc. I’d wheel the trolley down to the platform where I was to get on the train and wait for it to arrive. Once it did I’d stand at the entrance to the train, dressed in my full suit uniform, and ‘meet and greet’ the passengers with ‘Hello, Good Morning’ etc. Once they were all onboard I’d use the train’s portable wheelchair ramp to get my trolley on and was off. I’d sit until just after we reached the first stop, about 10 mins away and I’d then start wheeling my trolley down the train carriages asking each customer if they’d like anything. The prices then were high I felt, even for the railways. I remember charging 80p for a 330ml can of soft drink, cans of lager were about £2 each, tea or coffee were £1.05 a cup and hot chocolate was £1.25. No one complained though, probably because they recognised me as the monkey and not the organ grinder. Anyway, once I’d got to the other end of the train I’d sit again until just after we’d left the next station and then repeat the cycle. I did this all the way to Manchester Piccadilly when I’d leave the train altogether, say goodbye to the passengers etc and go and get on the next train going back to Hull. I only did the job for two weeks but the memories that stayed with me are quite vivid. I remember one of my colleagues got suspended, as the managers accused her of taking her own teabags on board the trains and selling them to the customers for 10p a cup using the company’s hot water to fill them up. I found this rather unlikely as to turn any kind of a profit she’d have to be selling hundreds a day which just wasn’t possible. I was asked just before I left not to talk to her, as she was due to go to a tribunal. I didn’t listen though and did continue to speak to her as we got on well. I also got to know the conductors on the service and would often speak to them. The vast majority were good people, with the exception of one. He would drop things into the conversation in a deliberate attempt to use it against you. Such as criticising one of the company’s supervisors and would then go and tell that person what you’d said. He did it so obviously I never said anything to him. I didn’t need to, I liked all the people I worked with I just didn’t like the job. I always suspected this was who had got my colleague into trouble over the tea bag affair. A lot of the time, particularly at night the train would be quiet, except for when we got near to Leeds and a raucous group of revellers going for a night out would get on. Anything I didn’t sell would be taken back to the office to be put onto another trolley with the exception of the sandwiches that had to be thrown away after a single shift. I always felt this was a needless waste, especially as we weren’t allowed to take them home and it was a sacking offence if you’d been found to have done so. I think I handed my notice in at the end of the first week, my last day to be Christmas Eve. I arrived for work in the morning as usual to find a few boxes of mince pies waiting for me with a note which said: ‘Daniel, hand one of these out to everyone who buys something’. Naturally as this was Christmas Eve and I wanted to increase the Christmas spirit, I just went up and down the train, which was nearly empty anyway, offering each person a free mince pie. Most of them refused with some giving me a look as if to say ‘why are you giving these away?’ I don’t remember when I got back to the office if there was someone there or not, but I do remember the feeling of relief when it was all over and my days as Railway Cabin Crew were behind me. Thanks for reading.
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