Tom Davies

Born 1901 in Penrhyn, Tom (Thomas) Davies was an engineman of Old Company and preservation days. His father, David Davies, and brother Will also worked for the old company and Tom and his brother were early volunters on the reopened FR. Tom worked at the Cookes explosives factory in Penrhyn when the FR closed. He was working there when the railway reopened and Alan Garraway asked him if he would return to the FR. On his wife's advice he asked what guarantee of continued employment there would be on the new FR - to which Alan Garraway replied "no guarantee". Tom sadly had to decline to leave his safe job and worked at Cookes until he retired. Then he was able to go back to work on the FR three days a week as a pensioner. By the 1960s he was living at Bron Madoc, a farmhouse house situated high above Boston Lodge and looking out over the Cob. He and his wife took in young volunteers and Tom worked on the engines. Mrs Davies undertook maternal supervision and encouragement for the young boarders while Tom sucked his false teeth and spoke lovingly of his Prince and of his memories of the railway. Volunteers staying with Tom had the opportunity to look at his excellent photograph albums with pictures of the FR and WHR before closure. Tom often worked with Evie Roberts, another pensioner repairing the fences when the trains were not running. He disapproved of the engines being flogged, especially Prince, and from time to time looked out over the Cob towards Portmadoc with a wistful expression.

In Bron Madoc there were no plumbed basins in the bedrooms so paying guests had jugs of water and bowls not to mention chamber pots for night time emergencies. After a hard dirty day's work Mrs Davies required Tom and volunteers to wash the oil and sleeper tar off thoroughly with a bowl of very hot water placed on at a table standing in the front garden for the purpose. Mrs Davies' packed lunches were filling but the cake rather leaden.

Bron Madoc was a good place for PW and loco volunteers without transport to stay because of its proximity to Boston Lodge and Minffordd. Tom and PW volunteers staying at Bron Madoc were often picked up by the Wickham trolley at Bron Madoc crossing to which a footpath lead down the hill from his house.

One non-locomotive job he worked on was building the viewing table on the hill in Dduallt Spiral in about 1969. It was built of granite sets acquired from some redundant street surface with a slate scenic direction sign on top. Tom acted as the bricklayer while a volunteer wheel barrowed the materials including mixed mortar up the hill from the station.

Tom was a shrewd judge of character and knew how to let young volunteers know if he approved of their work and attitudes or not. If he wanted to encourage a promising young volunteer he would say "he will make a railwayman". He and his wife were chapel folk and he once advised a volunteer to "marry a girl from a chapel, not from an hotel" (presumably he meant pub!).

Tom was the driver of engine involved in the "breakaway" incident in Moelwyn Tunnel related by Boyd

Tom died in June 1971.

See also

• Personalities