penfriend
the newsletter for railway pensioners
Summary of
accounts 2010
Readers’
letters
Reader discussion
group 2011
Iconic railway
buildings
d
penfrien
0
ER 201
N/WINT
AUTUM
ioners
sletter for
the new
pens
railway
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AUTUMN/WINTER 2011
penfriend
contents
AUTUMN/WINTER 2011
The editor
Pension news........................................ 3
You can barely turn the TV or radio on these days without hearing the
word ‘pensions’ mentioned and usually it seems to be gloom and
doom. Indeed, according to a recent survey by the Prudential, a fifth of
all those who planned to retire in the UK this year had no occupational
pension to supplement what they got from the State. If you are
reading this, however, you are one of the lucky ones - you are receiving
benefits from a very good occupational pension scheme.
Summary of accounts 2010 ........ 4
Before I go on, I must apologise for a misprint in your Spring issue
of Penfriend. In the article entitled ‘Power of Attorney’ we published
the wrong telephone number for the Office of the Public Guardian in
England and Wales. The correct number to call is 0300 456 0300 and
I am sorry for any confusion this may have caused.
Questions about tax? ...................... 9
After the Spring Penfriend went to press the Office of the Public
Guardian also closed down its website for England and Wales, however,
if you go to the web address we gave you, you should see a message
telling you where to go to find out more information. The website
of the office of the Public Guardian (Scotland) is still at
www.publicguardian-scotland.gov.uk
I have been asked by the RPMI Payroll team, to remind you that if you
change your bank or building society account you must let RPMI have
the details of your new account at least two weeks before your
pension is due to be paid, to give us enough time to process your
payment. If you are unable to give two weeks’ notice then please make
sure you keep your old bank account open to avoid any delay in your
pension reaching you.
Please continue sending in your contributions to all our regular
features. Your letters and stories make Penfriend the magazine it is,
keeping you and your former railway colleagues informed and
entertained across the UK and far beyond.
Finally, if you have internet access please do take a few minutes
to complete the online survey to let me have your feedback on this
magazine; that way I will know how to improve future issues. Just
go to www.railwaypensions.co.uk, click on ‘Pensioners’ and then
‘Penfriend’. The link to the survey is in the bottom right hand
corner of the screen under ‘Quick Links’.
I hope you enjoy this issue.
Tales from down the line .............. 6
Reader discussion group 2011 ...... 8
A year to remember ...................... 10
Readers’ letters.................................. 11
Off the beaten track ...................... 12
Life after retirement........................ 14
Iconic railway buildings ................ 16
Travel update .................................... 18
Competition ...................................... 20
Railway industry
memorial
British Transport Pensioners' Federation (BTPF)
sincerely thanks all Penfriend readers who made
generous donations towards the railway industry
memorial. Sufficient funds have now been raised
to achieve our objective. The memorial will be
dedicated on Tuesday 22 May 2012 at 1400;
more details will follow in the Spring 2012
Penfriend.
Robin Lee, editor
Cover illustration
The painting on the cover of this issue of
Penfriend is the work of the late Mrs B. C. Wylde.
We would like to thank her son John for sharing
it with us.
penfriend contents
friend02
Pension news and legislation
In this section of Penfriend, we highlight
developments in the government’s
pension policy and any other pensionsrelated news which may be relevant to
you as a pensioner with membership
of a railways pension scheme.
Pension increase measure to change
from RPI to CPI
In recent issues of Penfriend we have
mentioned how the inflation measure
used for pension increases has changed
from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the
Consumer Prices Index (CPI), as a
consequence of government policy
announced in June/July 2010. This
change also reflects the fact that the
rules of the RPS provide for pensions to
be increased in line with Orders made
under the Pensions (Increase) Act 1971
and the 2011 Order passed by the
government in March referred to
increases based on CPI inflation, as
a consequence of the government’s
policy announcement in 2010.
It is also reasonable to expect future
Orders to be set based on the CPI
measure of inflation, as we are not
aware of any further change in
government policy in this area.
Therefore, it is expected that the 2012
pension increase will be based on the
September 2011 level of CPI inflation.
This is not available at the time of
writing, but might be around 4.5%
based on recent levels of CPI inflation.
The Trustee took extensive legal advice
on the implications of the government
policy changes and their impact on the
rules of the railways pension schemes
and wrote to the Secretary of State for
Transport to see if he would support
railway employers reverting to the
RPI inflation measure by a rule change.
The answer we received did not support
such a change. The Trustee has kept
Pensions Committees informed of its
actions.
Changes to the State Pension Age
You may have read in the press that
there has been some debate about
proposed changes to the State Pension
age (SPA), in particular those changes
relating to women currently in their
50s. If you are already receiving your
basic State Pension, you will not be
affected by changes to the State
Pension age; however, if you are below
State Pension age, we thought it would
be useful to set out what the changes
may mean for you. At the date of
writing, those who have not reached
State Pension age are broadly men born
after September 1946 and women born
after January 1951.
Potential changes to the level of
State Pension
There has also been press coverage
in recent months about a potential
change to the level of the basic State
Pension, with the possible introduction
of a flat rate pension of £140 a week
(in today’s prices) for everyone reaching
State Pension age in the future. The
government has recently been
consulting about the State Pension
changes and, if the change to a higher
State Pension goes ahead, it is expected
that it will only apply for people
reaching State Pension age from a
future date, which is expected to be
no earlier than 2015 or 2016.
For men, the State Pension age is due to
remain at age 65 until December 2018,
when it will then increase to age 66
over the period to April 2020. For
women, the changes are more complex
but still involve a transition to a State
Pension age of 66 from April 2020. The
graphic with this article shows what the
State Pension age is expected to be for
pensioners aged over 50.
Once we have further information from
the government about how they will
proceed with their State Pension reform
plans and when these will apply from,
we will cover these details in a future
issue of Penfriend.
It should be noted that, if you took
a level pension option at retirement
under the RPS, then the terms of this
were based on your State Pension age
at your date of retirement. Therefore,
if your State Pension age has changed
since then, you may find that there
is a gap between when your increased
level of pension ceases under the
level pension option and the
commencement of your basic
State Pension.
Public sector pension changes
Finally, a further pensions item that has
been covered widely in the news is the
proposed changes to public sector
pensions. As the RPS is not a public
sector pension scheme, it is worth
noting that any changes to public sector
pensions would not have any impact
on benefits payable from the RPS.
What State Pension age will be for people born in the 1950s
State Pension age
news
pension
pf
Men’s State Pension age
State Pension age for men and women
Women’s State Pension age
Date of birth
03 pension news penfriend
SUMMARY OF ACCOUNT
This is a summary of the full
investment report which is
published in the report and
accounts for 2010. RPMI advises
your Trustee and the Pensions
Committees on investment
strategy for all sections of the
RPS. Each section of the
Scheme is required to maintain
a Statement of Investment
Principles (SIP) in accordance
with the Pensions Acts.
Copies of the full report
and accounts can be obtained
from www.railwaypensions.co.uk
by clicking on ‘Library’, or ringing
the customer services helpline
on 0800 2 343434.
2010 market commentary
This is a summary of market
performance during 2010. A
commentary of developments in
2011 will be provided in next year's
Autumn Penfriend.
The world economy ended
2009 on a strong note and this
continued into 2010, as global
industrial production and world
trade increased. Government
intervention, introduced in response
to the events of 2008/9, supported
economic growth and helped to
boost financial markets, with
global share prices rising during
quarter one.
However, concerns over European
government debt were intensifying.
In May a rescue package was
agreed to help Greece make
payments on debt and the
European authorities agreed to
help any further ‘distressed’
countries. This weighed on global
financial markets.
Economic data over the summer
months was mixed. Some recorded
a slowdown in activity and signs
of a renewed weakening. By the
start of September, however, shares
began to recover. This probably
reflected two factors. Firstly,
although economic data slowed,
it was still consistent with modest
growth. Secondly, there was
increasing optimism that the
US government would increase
the amount of money in
circulation, in order to support the
economy and reduce the relatively
high unemployment rate. The
anticipation that this would occur
helped drive equity markets higher.
By the end of the year, the US
government did indeed start
to intervene, and shares rallied
strongly in the fourth quarter.
The bail-out of Ireland due to
ongoing debt problems did cause
market weakness, but this proved
short-lived, as in general, stronger
penfriend feature 04
economic data became apparent
towards the end of the year.
The fourth quarter was also notable
for a sustained increase in food
prices. Having risen by 16% in the
previous quarter, the United
Nations World Food Price index
rose by a further 14%, and
surpassed the previous high
recorded in mid-2008. This, along
with rising non-food commodity
prices, sharply pushed up inflation
in emerging market economies.
Overall, 2010 was a volatile year
and the European government debt
crisis reminded investors how
fragile parts of the global economy
still were. Policymakers in the US,
Euro area and UK took action
during the year in order to help
underpin the recovery and support
financial markets.
Pooled Fund update and
performance
July 2010 saw the launch of the
Growth Pooled Fund. This Fund
invests in a range of assets to target
a return above UK inflation of 5%
per annum over a market cycle. The
Fund invests in a number of existing
Pooled Funds (including Global
Equity, Hedge Funds, Property,
Commodities and Non-Government
Bonds) and also with some
additional fund managers.
Performance of all the Pooled funds
over 2010 was positive as financial
markets benefited from the
improved economic environment.
In addition to good absolute
performance, the majority of the
Pooled Funds also achieved positive
performance compared to their
benchmarks.
The Global Equity Pooled Fund
had a return of over 13% and
outperformed its benchmark.
The Private Equity Pooled Fund
returned in excess of 19% in 2010,
ahead of benchmark. The return
NTS 2010
for 2010 in part reflects the
recovery in asset values that
occurred in the latter part of 2009.
The Infrastructure Pooled Fund had
a modestly positive return for the
year but was behind benchmark.
The hedge fund industry generally
benefited from the improved
environment for return-seeking
assets. The Hedge Fund Pooled Fund
reflected this, with a return for the
year of 9%.
The UK commercial property sector
recorded a better year for asset
values in 2010 and this was
reflected in the performance of the
Fund’s property assets. The return of
the Property Pooled Fund was over
15%, outperforming its benchmark.
In July 2010 the Global Bond
Pooled Fund separated into
Government and Non-Government
Pooled Funds. Overall, global
bond markets recorded positive
returns during 2010, although
some European markets were
hit by increased concern over
government debt. The Index Linked
Pooled Fund also experienced
modest gains over the year, with
the management of the Index
Linked Pooled Fund changing to
a passive basis from July 2010.
Section returns
There is a range of investment
strategies among RPS sections,
reflecting the diversity in terms
of membership and liability
profiles. In 2010 all section asset
portfolios showed positive returns
between 9% and 12.5%. This
reflected the positive returns seen
in all the major asset classes over
the year.
While recent performance has
been good, the investment
returns of RPS sections over three
£million
Net assets on 1 January 2010
Income
A copy of the Statement of
Investment Principles (SIP) for your
section is available on request from
the Helpline on 0800 2343434.
Total scheme membership
16,368
Contributions
Transfer values received
Total income
Expenditure
and five year periods are still
affected by the negative returns
experienced during 2008. Most
sections have returns of between
minus 3% and plus 4% per annum
over three years. Over five years
the majority of sections have
experienced modestly positive
returns of between 2% and 7%
per annum.
655
56
711
Scheme benefits
Transfer values paid
Administration expenses
(853)
(19)
(56)
Total expenditure
(928)
Net returns on investments
1,702
Net assets on 31 December 2010
as at
as at
31/12/10 31/12/09
Active
members
84,304
86,747
Preserved
pensioners
109,138
108,252
Pensioners
145,118
144,340
Total
338,560
339,339
17,853
05 feature penfriend
Tales from
down the line
Thank you again for all the
wonderful ‘tales from down
the line’ that you have sent
in; if only there were space to
publish them all. Our first
contribution this issue was
written by John Philip Poole,
who sadly passed away last
year. His beautifully evocative
poem really does make you
feel as though you are on that
engine with him as it passes
through the stations and I
would like to thank his wife
and three sons for sharing it
with us.
The journey: a Railman’s tale
from Crewe to Carlisle
By John Philip Poole
I climbed on board the footplate,
of a loco big and bold,
to work the train to Carlisle on a
Winter’s night so cold.
The guard, he blew his whistle, and
I gave the loco power,
to start us on our way, as the clock
chime struck the hour.
Over the points we clattered, and
the speed began to rise.
at 100 miles per hour we sped,
through the countryside.
On we rushed through Winsford,
past the old salt mines,
over the river Weaver, where the
night anglers watched their lines.
On past towns and villages, whose
lights shone bold and bright,
our first stop, Warrington, then
came into sight.
penfriend feature 06
We are on our way once more, as
the snow begins to fall.
We speed on fast through Wigan,
through Standish and Leyland too.
Carlisle glimmers in the distance,
it’s time to apply the brake.
Our journey ends at Citadel as all
the passengers awake.
And now we stop at Preston, just
for a moment or two.
The clock strikes midnight, and we
continue on our way,
when suddenly I realise, it’s the start
of another day.
The train thunders through the night,
the passengers asleep, while all
around the snowflakes settle, white
and crisp and deep.
Steam dreams
By Karen Collibee
Christmas trees in towns and
hamlets,
whose lights shine bright on this dark
cold night.
They send a message to you and me,
telling us the time is near,
to celebrate the birth of God’s son so
dear, when he came down to Earth.
We journey on past Lancaster, and
on Morecambe Bay,
past Steamtown and its engine shed,
where all is quiet and still.
We are in the fells of Cumbria, whose
hills are dark and steep.
Here and there, beside the walls, are
huddled flocks of sheep.
We are climbing now, past
Oxenholme and Kendal Castle too,
Whose ruins stand out against the
dark, guarding a town asleep.
The engine now is working hard and
Shap at last we reach.
The work is done, no climbing now,
it’s downhill all the way.
Past Bessie Ghyll and Penrith the
speed is constant still.
This is an account of my personal
recollections from a steam train trip
in 2010 with a former colleague to
mark the end of two railway careers
totalling 62 years…
Our day began at London Victoria,
Platform 2, on a damp and drizzly
June morning. A neon display
announced that the train service to
Bath and Bristol was for special ticket
holders only.
“That’s us,” I said to my former
railway colleague, Stephen Knightley.
Stephen left Network Rail in
November 2009 after 35 years’
service to pursue other interests.
I’d also left the same month, having
spent 27 years with the company.
Both of us had elected to take our
pensions early.
Stephen’s leaving gift was vouchers
for a nostalgic train trip and he’d
asked me to accompany him. I was
thrilled. We’d worked together in
the early 1990s and built a strong
friendship. When our careers took us
in different directions we kept in
contact, meeting regularly to chat
over a glass of wine.
As the 6201 Princess Elizabeth
locomotive pulled in, we admired the
engine which had been restored to
its original Crimson Lake livery.
We took the high step up into Coach
A. In Premier Dining our table was
covered in a crisp white linen cloth
decorated with ivy leaves in stark
contrast to the rich wood panelling.
The sweet scent from vases of white
freesias filled the air.
As the train pulled out we waved to
the crowd that had gathered on the
platform, their cameras poised for
action. We settled back into our
plush seats, shades of blue checked
squares, with wing back head rests.
White antimacassars announced in
green letters that we were on The
Cathedrals’ Express.
Through the draughty metal
windows, adorned with red and
white triangular ‘No smoking’ signs,
a sooty, chalky smell filled my
nostrils and I saw clouds of steam
swirl into the air.
We had a champagne breakfast,
which was a new experience for me,
and the sound of click-clack on the
track told us we were building up
quite a speed. On arrival in the city
of Bath we took the open bus tour.
A few droplets of rain descended
from the sky, but didn’t dampen our
spirits.
Some of the houses we saw along
the route had bricked-up windows.
Our guide explained that this was
because of a window tax imposed
back in 1696. This was where the
saying ‘daylight robbery’ came from,
he said. All around Bath there were
colourful lions on display. “It’s an
exhibition, Pride in our city,”
someone told us, “there are 100
of them. It’s to raise funds for local
charities and to make people smile.”
They certainly did that.
After four enjoyable hours in Bath
we headed back to the railway
station and boarded the train. As we
built up speed, the crockery rattled
on the table and the train swayed
from side to side as a gourmet four
course dinner was served.
We arrived back at London Victoria
at 21:10 hours, three minutes early.
The trip had been a fitting tribute
that marked the end of our railway
careers. I turned to Stephen and said,
“pride. I think that’s the word that
sums up our railway careers.”
“Yes, you’re right Karen,” he said as
we walked towards the underground
station.
“As one journey ends,” I said, “a new
one begins…”
Advertisement
The presence of this advert in Penfriend is not an endorsement by RPMI.
07 feature penfriend
Reader discussion
group 2011
This year’s Penfriend reader discussion
group was held at Bannatyne hotel,
a charming Victorian townhouse in
Darlington. As I am relatively new to
RPMI, the company that administers
the railways pension schemes, this
was my first reader discussion group,
and the editor Robin Lee explained that
this annual event is a valuable
opportunity for us to meet some of
our readers and listen to their views on
how we can continue to improve
Penfriend.
discussion groups. Andrea Walker
chaired a 20 minute discussion on the
pensions Helpline and Jonathan Clark
and Ashley Birrell-Riley talked about
some of the innovative work the
Communications team is doing.
Another of the tables featured a talk
about Darlington’s iconic Stooperdale
offices, which mark their centenary this
year, having played an important role
in the history of the railways. You can
read more about this in the article on
page 17.
It was a pleasure to meet the people
who attended, many of whom had
travelled great distances to be there, and
their enthusiasm for Penfriend helped
make the event a great success.
The fourth table was hosted by
RPMI’s Head of Group IT, John Day and
the Web Manager, Neil Jollie who gave
a demonstration of the next generation
in computers, the I-pad, which generated
a lot of interest and prompted a lively
debate about the merits of new
communications technologies, which
continued throughout most of the day.
Robin welcomed everyone on arrival
and introduced the morning session,
which involved four ‘round table’
penfriend feature 08
During the lunch break everyone had
the chance to mingle and exchange
stories with fellow Penfriend readers,
and a topic of particular interest was
the importance of reminding active
members of the pension scheme of
the value and benefits of membership.
A group photo was taken in the hotel’s
garden so that those in attendance
would have a memento of the day.
The afternoon session was all
about giving readers the chance to air
their views on Penfriend and make
suggestions for what could be included
in future issues. The ideas included:
introducing a section dedicated to
younger readers of Penfriend; including
features on travelling beyond the UK;
and it was suggested that an article
setting out what spouses or dependants
should do in the event of a member’s
death would be useful.
As always we appreciate all ideas and
contributions towards Penfriend so
please keep sending them in, but we
can’t include everything as we only have
limited space available.
Feedback from the event was extremely
positive with members appearing to
enjoy the opportunity to talk to RPMI
staff as well as the ‘round table’
discussion format. I would like to thank
all those who attended this year’s
discussion group. Make sure you look out
for details of next year’s event in your
Spring 2012 Penfriend.
Craig Griffiths
Communications Consultant
Questions about tax?
For your information RPMI is
automatically advised by HM
Revenue and Customs of the
tax code to operate against a
pension and we can only
implement a tax code change
when advised directly by
them.
If you have any questions regarding
tax, you should contact the tax office.
For UK tax please
contact:
HM Revenue & Customs,
Sefton Area, The Triad,
Stanley Road, Bootle,
Merseyside, L75 1HW.
Telephone: (0845) 3000 627
Please quote your National Insurance
number and tax reference 083/BRX1
For Irish tax please
contact:
Irish Tax & Customs,
Dublin Paye 1 Division 57,
9/15 Upper O'Connell Street,
Dublin 1, Ireland.
Web: www.revenue.ie
When contacting them, please quote
your National Insurance number and
tax reference 0065120
For Overseas tax please contact:
Financial Intermediaries and Claims
Office, Fitz Roy House, PO Box 46,
Nottingham, England NG2 1BD
Telephone:
(from UK) 0845 070 0040
(from overseas) 44 151 210 2222
For Guernsey tax please
contact:
States of Guernsey Income
Tax, Income Tax Office,
PO Box No 37,
2 Cornet Street,
St Peter Port,
Guernsey, GY1 3AZ.
Telephone: (01481) 724711
email: [email protected]
Please quote your National Insurance
number.
09 feature penfriend
A year to remember
A year to remember takes a
nostalgic look back through
the years to pick out some
memorable events and
defining moments in the lives
of Penfriend readers. As we
are now in 2011, this issue
recalls memories from years
which ended with a 1…
This year was also a significant one
in the development of the Cold War,
with construction work beginning
on the Berlin Wall, Fidel Castro’s
Cuba adopting Communism and the
infamous ‘Bay of Pigs’ affair, which
saw the CIA fail to overthrow the new
Cuban leader. New American President
John F. Kennedy even advised US
citizens to build bomb shelters as it
seemed the world was sliding towards
inevitable nuclear war.
1941
Penfriend reader Barry Cox started
work this year as a booking clerk at
Feltham – then the nearest station to
Heathrow airport. In the booking office,
he recalls, there was a Douglas Walters,
who lived in Hampton and who, he
believes moved to East Anglia in recent
years. So Douglas, if you are reading
this now, Barry would like to get in
touch and if you contact the Penfriend
editor, he will be happy to pass on your
address details to Barry.
This year marked an important
milestone in the Second World War,
with the Japanese bombing Pearl
Harbor, which brought the Americans
into the war. Britain was meanwhile
stoically enduring the German ‘blitz’
bombing raids and Penfriend reader
Rodney Crawford, who was
nine years old and living in Clapham
Junction, remembers missing many
days of schooling as a result.
1961
1961 saw the farthing coin go out of
circulation and betting shops legalised.
Tottenham Hotspur became the first
English football team in the twentieth
century to win the double of the
league and FA Cup, beating Leicester
City 2 – 0 in the cup final. Elsewhere
the Avengers were hitting TV screens
for the first time and the Beatles
performed at Liverpool’s Cavern club
for the first time.
penfriend feature 10
Meanwhile, Rodney Crawford had by
now been married five years and was
working for British Rail at the Nine
Elms Locomotive and Freight Depot as
a Depot Relief Clerk, a role which saw
him cover many positions. Rodney
also regularly played both Rugby and
Cricket at the Southern Railway Sports
Ground at Raynes Park.
1971
In 1971 the prestigious Rolls Royce
firm went bankrupt and became
nationalised by the government and
the BBC’s Open University was
launched. Tragedy struck in Scotland
as overcrowding led to 66 people being
killed when the two giants of Scottish
football, Rangers and Celtic, met at
Ibrox. In the United States the South
Tower of the World Trade Center was
completed at a height of 1,362 feet,
making it the second tallest building
in the world at the time.
Back in London, our old friend Rodney
Crawford was busy purchasing his first
house, a three-storey Victorian terraced
building in Clapham junction for the
sum of £2,500. He had to let some of
the rooms to help meet the mortgage
payments. Following the closure of the
Nine Elms depot in 1964, Rodney had
been promoted and was working in the
SW Divisional Office in Wimbledon in
Personnel. He had retired from Rugby
by this point, but was still playing in
the inter-departmental cricket league.
2011
And here we are in 2011. This year
has so far seen the first anniversary of
Britain’s first coalition government for
several decades and a Royal wedding,
with Prince William tying the knot with
his fiancée Kate Middleton. Further
afield, a huge earthquake and tsunami
brought terror to Japan and Al Qaeda
terrorist Osama Bin Laden was found
and killed in Pakistan after a decade
on the run, following his involvement
in the destruction of the World Trade
Center back in 2001.
Now 79 years of age and married for
55 years, Rodney Crawford keeps his
brain active as the Volunteer Chairman
of the Hospice Fundraising Group and
keeps his body active by playing golf,
which he took up in 2001.
2021
As for the next year ending in a ‘1’,
that will be 2021 and on that subject,
Rodney says “who knows? Will update
later…”
Readers’ letters
Dear Penfriend
Many of your readers will have heard
of the Aldersbrook House Eastern
Region Hostel at Ilford, where more
than a few of them (possibly hundreds
even), will have stayed during the 1950s
and 60s. A few of us met up recently
at Peterborough for a pilot reunion
and the topic of how we may reach
a wider audience of ex-residents
came up. Penfriend was the obvious
answer.
As Penfriend editor, I receive
many letters from readers, and I
try to read as many of them as
possible, but unfortunately I am
not always able to reply. These
letters cover a wide range of
subjects and can be anything
from a message that someone
wants to communicate to fellow
ex-railway workers, to someone
trying to trace former colleagues
who they have lost touch with
over the years.
On a number of occasions in the past
I have been asked to forward letters from
one reader to another, however, this
new letters page will enable readers to
publish their own contact details if they
wish, so that other readers might see
them and get in touch. Alternatively,
you might want to use this page to
announce an event, comment on
something in the news or share a
thought or opinion with your fellow
readers for example.
So next year’s gathering is in
Peterborough on the afternoon of
Friday May 18th and tickets costing
£5 (which includes a buffet) can be
obtained from Malcolm Bell on 01733
569507 or 07818420179 or email
[email protected]
before 4th May.
Regards
John Abson
Aldersbrook House resident (1964 – 69)
[email protected]
Dear Penfriend
My name is Alan Bowron and I worked
at Shildon Works all my life. I ended up
filling various management posts before
the closure. I am no spring chicken now,
but someone out there in cyberspace
might like to remember me. If you’d like
to get in touch, my email address is
[email protected]
Dear Penfriend
I would like to hear from anyone
working at NEWPORT GOODS
from 1961 to its closure in 1971. Please
contact me by email at
[email protected]
Many thanks
Dave Dunford
If you have something to say, please
write to or email me at
[email protected] and mark your
envelope (or email subject box)
‘Penfriend readers’ letters’.
Advertisement
The presence of this advert in Penfriend is not an endorsement by RPMI.
11 feature penfriend
Offthe beaten
track
4 Beccles
© Copyright Colin Park
3 Saxmundham
© Copyright Adrian Cable
2 Wickham Market
© Copyright Adrian Cable
1 Woodbridge
penfriend feature 12
© Copyright Ashley Dace
In this issue of Penfriend, guest writer Zoe Hitchen brings
you some suggestions of interesting places to stop off when
travelling on the Ipswich to Lowestoft East Suffolk Line, which
winds its way up the East Anglian coast, opening up all sorts
of sightseeing possibilities.
1 Woodbridge
Woodbridge sits beside the river Deben
and its station is one of the most
picturesque to be found on the East
Suffolk line. Incorporating a tourist
information centre, the station also has its
own guest house (01394 384 831) and
‘Whistle Stop Café’ (01394 389 320)
should you want to prolong your stay. The
Fynn Valley walk can be found from the
station and provides a beautiful view of
the National Trust area of Kyson Hill. The
town itself boasts around 100 locally
owned shops, a marina and Tide Mill, all
within easy reach of the station.
2 Wickham Market (Campsea Ashe)
This tranquil station is situated in the
peaceful village of Campsea Ashe, just two
miles outside Wickham Market. Wickham
Market is found along the B1078 from
Campsea Ashe and it has several
restaurants, clothing/textiles shops, post
offices and many other attractions. The
‘Dog and Duck’ pub is a stone’s throw from
Campsea Ashe station, and there are a
variety of pleasant walks through Deben
Valley and Alde Valley leading off directly
from the station.
Bentwaters Cold War Museum is three
miles east of Campsea Ashe in an old RAF
base, but be aware that it is only open on
selected Sundays. The War Operations
room and Battle Cabin have been restored
and the museum also offers souvenirs to
commemorate its days as an active RAF
base, such as scale models of aircraft from
the Bentwaters Base. There is even
information regarding a local UFO incident
in Rendlesham Forest, which lies just
outside the Base.
3 Saxmundham
Less than a minute’s walk from
Saxmundham high street, the railway
station is also the place to get a bus to
local attractions, including Framlingham
Castle, Snape Maltings, the Long Shop
museum at Leiston and the seaside towns
of Thorpeness and Aldeburgh. The station is
also the gateway to the Alde Valley and
Garden of Suffolk walks. The town itself is
full of shops, pubs and restaurants, and an
outdoor market is held every Wednesday.
You can hire a boat to explore north
Suffolk or south Norfolk through the
Broads and Beccles also offers a heritage
trail, which highlights many historical
buildings throughout the town, and which
introduces you to many pubs and
restaurants along the way. Walks from
Beccles station include the ‘Adrian Bell
Country’ and the ‘Angles Way’.
4 Beccles
The station of Beccles is in a beautiful
location, just 10 minutes’ walk east of
Beccles town centre. Beccles is situated on
the bank of the River Waveney at the
southern end of the Norfolk Broads.
Where have you been?
If you have discovered an interesting place worth visiting, that you would like to recommend
to other Penfriend readers, why not drop us a line with the details. The only rule is, it must be
on or easy to get to from a train line. Similarly, if you have visited any of the places featured in
‘Off the beaten track’ do write in or email us to let us know what you thought of it.
13 feature penfriend
Life after
retirement
This feature aims to inspire Penfriend readers into making the most of
their retirement, by sharing stories of the interesting things they have got
up to since retiring. Why not drop the editor a line to let him know what
you have been doing?
EWS has clearly had its fair share
of people with talents beyond the
workplace as two of its former
employees are featured in this issue
of Life after retirement.
Chancellor's Advisory Committee,
and in 1999 was elected Chairman.
In 2003 Granville was elected Deputy
Chairman of the Bench and in 2005 he
became Chairman, a post he held for
two years.
Take Roger Morgan for example.
Since retiring in early 2000, Roger’s
passion for singing has been able to
blossom and he has become a stalwart
of the Wallingford Parish Church Choir,
which you may have seen featured in
the news for winning a competition
organised by Classic FM. The prize
was a recording contract with Decca
and their Hymns album is in the
Classic Charts.
Among his duties, Granville was
responsible for the provision of
sufficient Magistrates, from a
complement of approximately 300
(one of the largest and busiest
Benches in the country); and for
ensuring the smooth running of 10
courts, held daily.
Roger also manages to find time to
chair his local big choir, Benson Choral
Society, as well as being a Magistrate,
which leads us on quite nicely to our
second former EWS employee.
years were spent in the supervisory
grades, as a controller, clerical officer
in the Planning Department, Traincrew
Supervisor at Bradford and Leeds and
Team Leader at Doncaster.
Granville Dobson (pictured above
right) took early retirement from EWS
in 1994 after 41 very happy years on
the railways. The first 14 of those years
were spent as a fireman at Low Moor
Motive Power and the remaining 27
He had already been a Magistrate for
two years by this point, having been
appointed to the Bradford Bench in
1992. This role soon became almost
a full time (unpaid) occupation. In
1996 he was appointed to the Lord
penfriend feature 14
In 2007, aged 70 (the compulsory
retirement age for all Magistrates),
Granville decided to complete a
project which he had been researching
in his spare time. The project took the
form of a book entitled 'Old Flames'
and it is a history of Low Moor Shed
and the characters he feels he was
fortunate enough to come into
contact with during his time on the
footplate. In his spare time he and
his wife are keen gardeners and keep
their own allotment.
Another reader, Barry Cox, retired
in 1996, having lost a lot of his sight.
Following a lot of searching by his
wife Anne, he was able to find a ‘Sight
Centre’ being run for visually impaired
students as part of Hull college, where
he would have the opportunity to take
courses in anything from computer
skills to cooking with talking
microwave ovens!
Barry has always been interested in
railway art. Back in the sixties, as a
youngster, he admired the BR posters
that featured the railway and shipping
paintings of Terence Cuneo, and he
later became a Friend of the Guild of
Railway Artists, despite the fact that
by his own admission, his painting
expertise was limited to ‘a four-inch
brush and a tin of emulsion’.
The problem was, Barry lived down
in Folkestone, Kent - some 250 miles
away from the college. Nevertheless,
he began making the return journey
up to Hull every week, relying on the
help of station staff at King’s Cross,
Doncaster and Hull, who he says were
fantastic. He never (well hardly ever)
got on the wrong train, but eventually
Barry and his wife decided to move
up to Yorkshire which enabled him
to resume what he calls ‘some sort
of normal life’.
Following a lot of searching by his wife Anne,
Barry was able to find a ‘Sight Centre’ being
run for visually impaired students as part of
Hull college
About three years ago, Barry was
amazed to be approached by one of
the country’s leading railway artists,
John Austin, to help him prepare a
book of his paintings.
Over a period of two years, Barry and
John met many times to put together
John’s story and Barry took the
opportunity to research the various
locations and classes of locomotive
depicted in the paintings.
Barry would particularly like to pay
tribute to the staff in the ‘Search
Engine’ at the National Railway
Museum, who he says were ‘superb!’
The resulting book, entitled ‘Smoke,
Steam and Light’, was published earlier
this year. John Austin is really proud of
it and Barry remains grateful for being
asked to help out with the project.
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15 feature penfriend
Iconic railway buildings
Herne Bay convalescent home
In the Spring Penfriend, I asked if
anyone could shed any light on
what became of the Passmore
Edwards Convalescent Home for
Railwaymen in Herne Bay, an old
photo of which was featured on the
cover of the magazine.
Penfriend reader Brian Druce had
sent the photograph in and he was
interested to know if the building
was still there. Thanks to the many
letters and emails from Penfriend
readers, I am now able to provide a
little more of the story of this iconic
building, which has played a part in
the lives of so many railway people
down the years.
The building was the brainchild of a
man called John Edwards Nichols,
who was a cashier of the London,
Chatham & Dover Railway. Nichols
wanted to build a home for railway
workers to rest and recover from illhealth. Designed by an architect called
Sexton Snell, the project was made
possible through the ‘means’ of the
Cornish born newspaper owner and
philanthropist John Passmore Edwards
(1823-1911), with the foundation
stone being laid on 12 June 1899 by
the Rt Hon Earl of Amherst.
During the First World War the
building’s proximity to the Channel
coast made it a prime location for the
War Office and it was temporarily
converted into a military hospital and
the same happened again during the
Second World War, with the home
re-opening as a convalescent centre
in 1946.
penfriend feature 16
Penfriend reader Mr O. C. Lafford was
convalescent there in 1948 (see photo
below) and wonders whether any
other Penfriend readers happened to
be in this picture.
In the early 1970s the home
closed down for major refurbishment
and never reopened. In 1980, after
struggling with financial problems,
it was leased as a residential home
for the elderly, called Heronswood.
But just 15 years later it went
into receivership and again closed.
The building as it looks today
The building is now known as Elliott
House and is once more a residential
home for the elderly. In fact one
Penfriend reader is actually living
on the site now. Part of the rear
grounds were sold off for new houses
about 10 years ago, Adrian Hall tells
us, and he moved into one of them in
2002. For those of you who visited
the building when it was still a
convalescent home, Adrian believes
his home was built on the area near
where some greenhouses once
stood.
‘Buckingham Palace of the North’
marks centenary
The Stooperdale offices in Darlington, where RPMI administers your
pension, reached the grand old age of 100 this year and a fayre was held
for staff and local residents to mark the occasion. Why is this worthy of
note? Because Stooperdale is not only an iconic and grand building, but it
has also played an important role in the history of the railways.
Variously described as ‘a handsome
addition to the architectural amenities
of the district’ and even ‘the
Buckingham Palace of the North’,
Stooperdale was designed by William
Bell and built for the North Eastern
Railway Company (NER).
locomotives. The Chief Mechanical
Engineer’s staff stayed in the
building right up until 1955, when
the offices became home to the
British Rail Pension Funds
Administration team and the British
Railways Savings Bank.
The NER was interested in the original
estate because of its proximity to the
railway and the ever-expanding local
shops and the building was first used
to accommodate the Chief Mechanical
Engineer, Sir Vincent Litchfield Raven
and his staff, who were responsible for
designing and building some 200
Things evolved over time, with the
most significant change being the
privatisation of the railways in the
1990s, but one thing remained the
same, the railways pension schemes
were managed from this building
throughout and they continue to be
even today.
As the current owner of Stooperdale,
RPMI is extremely proud of the
building and its association with
railway heritage and we would love to
hear from you if you have any
personal stories or recollections about
Stooperdale offices, which you would
like to share with us.
If you know of an iconic railway
building and would like to write
a feature on it for a future issue
of Penfriend, please send it into
the Penfriend editor at the usual
address.
17 feature penfriend
Travel
update
Eurostar Guide / Update
To help staff get the best out of Eurostar facilities, Rail Staff Travel Ltd and Eurostar have
compiled the following notes.
Summary of entitlements
Unlimited number of special rate* journeys, seat
reservation compulsory, no standing
Which documents to use
Staff Travel Card or International Reduced Rate
(FIP) Card
Main issuing office
IPTIS (telephone 08444 997171 or
[email protected])
Which booking form to use
If Eurostar only, by telephone. If part of a longer
journey, RSTL 6544
How long before travel to book
Minimum one week before travel
Availability, quota
Generally better availability in Standard class,
Mon-Thur. Allocations released 120 days before
travel on a rolling basis**
Restrictions
No staff travel in/out St Pancras/Paris/Brussels
between 17.30 and 19.00 on Fridays
Autumn 2011
Safeguarded
retired staff only
Current prices
• *Staff travel is priced to cover Eurostar’s unavoidable charges, ie seat reservation fee,
tunnel toll plus meal in Standard Premier ie 1st Class.
• New longer routes introduced since privatisation carry a small supplement – this is
applied to all staff travel, all FIP journeys, even Eurostar’s own staff.
• Standard class fares increased slightly from 24 May 2011, by £2 single/£4
return ex UK and £2.30 single/£3.60 ex Continent respectively. There is no
change to the Standard Premier fare.
• Revised fares for travel from this date are available from the Travel Section.
Booking Periods & Other Booking Hints
• The earlier you book (maximum being 120 days before travel on a rolling basis**),
the more likely you are to obtain your first preference.
• ** Exceptions to the 120 day booking period are as follows:
1. Ski trains are bookable from July.
2. Avignon trains are bookable from December.
3. Disney trains are bookable approximately 8 months before each seasonal opening.
• Prices (as also for public seats) never go down as departure approaches.
• Unused quota/allocation (eg from travel trade) might, however, be released back,
usually up to around 14 days prior to travel.
• Staff entitled to 1st class travel but who have only been able to obtain a Standard
reservation for their chosen journey can ALWAYS request and, if available, pay for an
upgrade to Standard Premier EITHER at the ticket office OR on the train. In these
circumstances, a meal cannot be guaranteed but will be offered if possible.
• Staff who have wished to travel 1st class and been unable to secure such a seat
should be aware that there is an “additional 1st class service” called Business
Premier. This is the most expensive Eurostar public ticket. While there is no
difference in seating, there is a difference in service levels. Apparently empty “1st
class” seats could therefore be part of Business Premier quota, not normal rate
public and hence staff quota.
• For preference, leisure travel should be booked via IPTIS DB-UK, as RSTL pays the
booking fee. They can be contacted on 08444 997171 or [email protected]
• Leisure travel may also be booked at other agents, eg Rail Europe; but you should
note that in most cases you will need to pay any booking fee charged.
• Finally, leisure travel may also be booked directly at any Eurostar station.
penfriend travel update 18
General Information
Don't forget if you change address it is
essential that you let us know so that
when your Staff Travel Card is issued
at the end March 2012 it goes to your
correct address. It is also helpful if you
quote your Staff Travel Card number or
national insurance number when
contacting us.
Please note
If you have just recently started to draw
your pension this does not mean that
you now automatically qualify for travel
concessions. If you were eligible to retain
travel concessions when you left railway
service these would have been issued to
you at that point.
Cards endorsed for an Attendant
(Blind or Disabled)
It has recently been brought to our
attention that some staff who have their
cards endorsed for an attendant to travel
with them are able to travel alone. Please
note that if you have your card endorsed
for an attendant to travel with you this
endorsement means that you are unable
to travel alone and your attendant must
accompany you whenever you travel. If
you are able to travel alone your card
should not bear this endorsement.
Catering Vouchers
available to retired staff
travelling on East Coast
Services Update
Standard Class
Retired staff travelling in Standard Class
may buy at station Travel Centres a “£4 for
£5 East Coast Buffet Voucher” (ie you pay
£4 at the station but it is worth £5 on
board). Refreshments are then available at
the on-board Café-Bar. There are no
complimentary refreshments.
Special concessions available to retired
staff who would qualify to purchase a
Senior Railcard
Safeguarded retired staff who are
eligible to retain their travel facilities upon
leaving service, their spouses/partners or
widow(er)s who would be eligible to
purchase a Senior Railcard can avail
themselves of any special offers made
to Senior Railcard holders.
Additionally, they may purchase tickets for
up to four accompanied children aged 5 or
over and under 16 (standard class
accommodation only) at the flat rate
applicable (normally £2 return, however, in
some instances the only tickets available
would be £2 in each direction). Proof that
they are eligible to purchase a Senior
Railcard must be produced when tickets
are purchased and used.
Application Forms In order to streamline,
simplify and rationalise the audit trail for
our work, we need to ensure that only
RSTL’s official forms are used for the
request of rail staff travel facilities, and also
that only the current versions are used.
the oldest date of any of these forms is
currently 1 January 2011. They will be
refreshed at least annually, and more often
if necessary. Please therefore destroy
any stocks you may hold and use only
the latest version.
With effect from 1 January 2012
(retired staff only), any form received
that is not an RSTL official form bearing
a current date will not be processed but
will be returned to the sender together
with the correct form to be completed.
Although we do try to keep you up to
date with travel changes and updates
through the two editions of Penfriend we
do sometimes get additional information
throughout the year. If you have a specific
journey in mind mid-year it may be wise
to contact us to see if there are any offers.
If you visit the travel area of our website
www.railwaypensions.co.uk you will
now be automatically linked to the ATOC
website for all travel updates and
application forms.
These are all always kept up to date online,
at http://www.atoc.org/about-atoc/railstaff-travel/forms ; or they are available
from the Travel Section. You will see that
board Café-Bar. These are subject
to availability and valid only on that
particular train. You then present the
voucher to the guard/on-board crew.
• However, light refreshments of tea,
coffee, soft drinks, biscuits and crisps are
available on a complimentary basis.
First Class
Complimentary food and drink appropriate
to the time of day, the day of week and
the length of journey are available to all
First-Class customers on East Coast. This is
provided as an at-seat service.
The following arrangements therefore
apply for staff:
1. Retired staff using First Class free
travel facilities (Status Passes or a
dated Staff Travel Card etc) can
choose between two options:
• For the meal option, you must
first buy a £5 voucher at the on-
2. Retired Staff who are travelling on
paid for privilege tickets, or a dated
Staff Travel Card/free tickets but have
paid the Weekend First upgrade when
it is available, may partake of the new
First Class offer without the need to
purchase a £5 voucher.
How to contact the Travel Facilities Section
RPMI
Travel Facilities Section
PO Box 125
DARLINGTON
County Durham
DL3 6UX
Office hours:
Monday to Friday
08.30 – 17.00
Telephone: 0800 2 343434 (option 4)
+44 1325 342800 (option 4) if calling from outside the UK
(some calls may be recorded)
Email: [email protected]
ATOC website: www.atoc.org
(click the ‘Rail Staff Travel’ link)
Please note that although the office is manned over the lunch period this is with a limited number of staff.
19 travel updates penfriend
Competition
To be in with a chance of winning £60 of high street
vouchers, take part in our Pairing Rhymes puzzle. The
object of this competition is to find a pair of rhyming
words, starting with the given letters that will satisfy
the definition provided.
For example: the answer to FB= Comical Rabbit
would be Funny Bunny.
1
SG = Bashful Man
2
DC = Awful Singers
3
SC = Two Lithe People
4
LD = Cruise Ship Restaurant
5
KF = Medieval Tournament
Send in your answers along with your name and
address to, Penfriend competition, RPMI, room 39,
Stooperdale Offices, Brinkburn Road, Darlington, DL3
6EH or email your answers to [email protected]
The winner will be drawn at random. Please send in
your entries by 31 January 2012.
Congratulations to Allan Milligan from
Inverness who correctly identified the
following countries in relation to their
capitals in the Spring Penfriend competition:
- Ottawa is the capital of which country? Canada
- Havana is the capital of which country? Cuba
- Stockholm is the capital of which country? Sweden
- Vienna is the capital of which country? Austria
- Kathmandu is the capital of which country? Nepal
- Bern is the capital of which country? Switzerland
Pension
queries
Pensioners’
freephone helpline
0800 2 343434
If you are calling from a BT
call box we would advise
you to dial 01325 342800.
Please be aware, however,
that calls would be charged
at BT rates.
If you are phoning from
outside the UK you will need
to phone +44 1325 342800,
which will be charged at the
normal overseas call rate.
Please note: some telephone calls may
be recorded.
Address:
Customer Services Team,
RPMI, PO Box 300,
Darlington DL3 6YJ
Don’t forget
our website:
www.railwaypensions.co.uk
Open:
Monday to Friday
08.00 – 17.00 hours
2213-009 / Autumn/Winter 2011
Written, designed and produced by
RPMI, Stooperdale Offices, Brinkburn Road, Darlington, DL3 6EH.
Cert no. SGS-COC-003456
DNV quality assured firm to ISO 9001.