TRIBUTES have been paid to a retired railway worker who shared his memories of long-lost lines with younger generations.
Graham Darby, who has died aged 93, worked on the railways for more than 40 years, including at Mangotsfield Station before it closed in the 1960s.
He later volunteered at Warmley signal box on the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.
Graham, who lived in Fishponds, came from four generations of railway workers, starting with his great-grandfather who worked for the Midland Railway in the late 1800s.
Aged 15, he joined the Great Western Railway as it was nationalised in 1948, as a telegraphist (or ‘booking boy’) at Bradford Junction Signal Box, near Trowbridge, helping keep a log for the signalman. Four years later, he became a signalman himself, a job he returned to in 1954 after National Service.
Graham, his wife Pauline and baby daughter Beverley Jane moved to Fishponds in 1961.
He became a relief signalman at Mangotsfield Station, covering sickness at various boxes.
Stopping passenger services at the station ended in 1966 and trains stopped using the line through Staple Hill and Mangotsfield in 1969.
Between 1969 and 1972, Graham was employed as a freight guard at Bristol, Bath Road loco depot and often worked trains into the private sidings at Fry’s chocolate factory in Keynsham.
He continued to work for British Rail in Bristol until his retirement in 1993.
For 11 years, Graham was a volunteer at the Grade II listed Midland Railway Signal Box in Warmley, where he had once worked. It officially reopened in 2013 as a heritage site, following a refurbishment in which Graham played a huge part.
The railwayman took part in many events at the signal box, including the centenary event in 2018, the Chocolate Train Heritage Day, the Platinum Jubilee and King’s Coronation events.
In 2017, Graham received a South Gloucestershire Community Award in recognition of his volunteering.
He also spent a great deal of time researching the Midland Railway Workers’ Roll of Honour, which commemorates those who served and lost their lives in the first and second World Wars.
Even after retiring as a volunteer in 2022, Graham was a regular visitor on Saturday afternoons when the box was open.
Ros Pyle, of Warmley Signal Box and Community Garden Group, said: “Graham gave a unique insight into the way the Warmley Signal Box worked.
“He was well-respected by his railway family but leaves a wonderful legacy, through his work at the Warmley Signal Box, for future generations.
“A rose bush and commemorative plaques will be placed on a bench and memorial board in his memory.”