Bulgill Station Master - John Joseph Metcalfe

John Joseph Metcalfe - By his son Chris Metcalfe who took the photos below

My Father, John Joseph Metcalfe commenced his railway career with the Midland/LMS. His first career was that of a porter mainly at Skipton. He trained to be a signalman taking postings at Eidroth (beyond Settle Junction), Iikley and then settling as a porter-signalman at Foulridge. It was from here he subsequently went on to train as a Station Master at Derby. His first post was that of Bulgill. I would have been about 6 years old and I remember taking a holiday, this time not in a camping coach but in the station buildings of Clifton Junction near Penrith. We travelled I presume with PT holiday runabout tickets around Cumbria and penetrating into Scotland to Annan. It may have been on this holiday that we took a look at Bullgill station house. Not long after we moved there. It was only a three year posting due to closure I think.

The promotion to Station Master incurred a cut in pay because it was a lower grade salaried staff that of porter signalman being higher paid. As a result my mother had to seek employment to keep us fed. She was refused as a Workington carriage cleaner and eventually obtained a job with the GPO becoming I think, the first Maryport post woman. My father’s mother was a Stephenson by birth, born at Arlecdon and from what we can gather related to the Stephensons of Railway fame. She lived with us in the station at BulIgill until she died.

My father was there at the time the diesel rail-cars were introduced between Carlisle and Whitehaven. I remember him commenting that passenger receipts improved on their introduction into service on the line. The CK&P of course having had them prior. They seemed to me the more graceful in appearance of the diesels and certainly looked well in the lake district scenery.

We left Bullgill for a posting at Gisburn on the Blackburn-Hellifield line. He eventually retired from the railways as a booking clerk at Colne. This was due to Station Managers being introduced replacing individual Station Masters.

If you have a story to tell and old photographs you would like to include on this website please send them to me at admin@cumbria-railways.co.uk

Bulgill Station Looking West

Carlisle to Preston Train 1963

Euston to Perth Train 1963

Stabled Princess Kingmoor Shed 1963

Territorial Army Kingmoor Shed

Mallerstang down Thames Clyde 1963

Riddings Junction 1963

Riddings Junction 1963