Ron Lester
Ron Lester joined the FR's staff on 10 November 1959 to work as ganger on the Permanent Way. For at least some of the period of his employment he lived in part of the Minffordd station building where his quarters were named Ogof which is Welsh for "The cave". He was a keen pipe smoker. Ron did not believe in hurrying a job but rather would suck hard on his pipe while sizing it up for some while before organizing the gang to make a start. An example of good solutions was turning PQR rails at Old Coed-y-Bleiddiau cutting which had been dropped off for relaying the wrong way round. He organised trollying them down to the bridge by the cottage where there was more space. He later became PW supervisor but left the FR at the end of October 1975 to work for Portmeirion where he was the night porter at the hotel. He died 7/9/90.
