Stevie Warren

Stevie Warren, our jovial JCB driver, has passed away. We can hardly believe it, his larger than life personality, his friendship, practical advice and unparalleled knowledge of our railway has left a big hole in our railway community. Stevie was struck down quite suddenly last Christmas by esophageal cancer, leaving him only months to live at the tender age of only 55. What a loss.

 

Stevie was a local man. He was born and bred in Winchcombe, living in Vineyard Street. He was a well known character in the town, as was his father Fred. He went to three local schools, and lived in Winchcombe all his life. As a lad Stevie used to help his father, a general farm worker, at Hailes farm where they used to have pigs, potatoes, rhubarb and arable. Later he branched out into taking on digger work. He played skittles in Winchcombe with one of the farmers' teams that played at Dumbleton club, so he knew lots of farmers around the county. Stevie had the best knowledge and working relations with all the farmers and neighbours along our line. He used to drive the combine at Hailes farm every year for local farmer Mr. Idiens - it was like a busman's holiday for him, a break from driving a JCB .

We were astonished to hear that the character we knew as Stevie was actually known as Freddie by many in the Winchcombe community. Who knew? Fred, also a local 'character', was his father, so when a son eventually appeared he became 'Little Freddie', and Freddie stuck with many later on. 

Although Stevie spent most of his life in and around Winchcombe, he did spend a short while working in Australia.

In his mid thirties Stevie settled down with his partner Zoe and they raised three children, two girls and a boy. His children were the whole world to him, and he was very proud indeed when his eldest daughter gained a place at university, the first in his family to do so!

While working in the farming sector initially, Stevie eventually also did work for local contractor GP Morrison Ltd, and this is how he came into contact with the railway. Stevie's deep knowledge of our railway infrastructure was built up from almost 30 years of regular work with us, and he knew the railway better than anyone. His work for us was for such a long period that the exact start date is now uncertain, but is believed to date back to the early 1990s. In the earliest days of the railway the GWSR had its own JCB, driven by Ivor Dixon. When that venerable machine eventually stopped working, Ivor was advised to contact local contractor GP Morrison Ltd, and that is how our working relationship started. Stevie was with us so frequently that many thought he was a volunteer like the rest of us. The earliest memories we could discover were of cleaning ballast at Gretton, then of clearing the trackbed through Bishop's Cleeve. The earliest pictures we found see him in his trusty JCB south of Bishop's Cleeve, and certainly from there on Stevie laid every single rail through to Cheltenham Race Course and beyond, north from Toddington to Laverton, and then in 2015 the final push to Broadway. His contribution to the railway was immense. He was with the Permanent Way team every Saturday, but also worked mid week on his own, and often solved problems that appeared one Saturday, and were gone the next. He also worked with the S&T department, on drainage, fencing (which he hated), and of course played large role in the construction of Broadway station.

Stevie was always cheerful, and we loved him for it. He would bound into the mess coach and immediately light up the room. He was a real pleasure to work with, and his approach to building the railway was always pragmatic, nothing was ever a problem. He tucked enthusiastically into the steaming hot 'comfort food' meals served up in the mess coach, liked the doughnuts shared out in the morning, and enjoyed a beer with some of the lads after work in the Royal Oak and the Pheasant. After he confessed that he had been asked to go on a diet we teased him in the mess coach at doughnut time. Surely he was on a diet, wasn't he? 'Not really.....'  came the whispered confession. 

We have happy memories of working with Stevie on ballasting the Broadway extension. Every morning he would greet us with a cheery 'Ow are yer, Jo-Jo, ow are yer?' and he would then spend all day loading 9 ton dumpers which ferried thousands of tons of ballast out along the new line. Any queries were always answered with the reassuring '' Don't worry about it, it's not a problem' and you knew you were in competent hands. He was a safe JCB operator, you felt comfortable in his working environment, and he always knew who was round about his machine. His JCB skills were such that many saw the machine as an virtual extension of his own hands. 'There is so much that would not have been achieved without the wizardry of his hands', was a typical comment we heard. Stevie was loved and respected by all that worked with him.

Trawling though our archives we have found many photographs in which Stevie featured, as he was involved in so many of our track and construction projects. Below is a selection of photographs featuring Stevie in particular, doing all sorts of things on the railway that he loved. We hope they can convey an impression of his life with us.

Enjoy the memories, we miss you, Stevie!

Stevie on ballasting duty

Demonstrating his practical competence, where a track on the mini digger has come off.

Loading and transporting the Hayles Abbey halt shelter, which also gave rise to the cover photograph on this blog.

'Our Steve was larger than life, always cheerful, backed up by his inimitable pearls of wisdom on many subjects railway related'. Quote from a railway volunteer.

Demonstrating his skill in the mini digger on a steep slope. (This was firmly attached to an anchor at the top!)

Discovering the photographer, on the Winchcombe relay.

 

 

Problem solving on the Telehandler at Winchcombe.

 

Replacing drainage covers on the Winchcombe tunnel approach.

 

 

Stevie wasn't afraid to get out of his digger and get his hands dirty.

 

Sharing pearls of wisdom with Jim at Hayles Abbey halt, which he helped to build.

 

Happy to leave his cab, to make sure the cables weren't damaged.

Loading rail, carefully balanced, without specialist equipment.

Enjoying a breakfast doughnut with the Hayles Abbey gang.

A pause for thought during the Winchcombe tunnel approach relay.

The earliest picture we found of Stevie, taken near Bishops Cleeve in 1999.

Flagging down the dusty ballast train at Little Buckland.

Discussing the finer points of ballasting with a board director.

Watching the 'Shark' ballast plough at Laverton.

On board the 'Shark' ballast plough.

Taking rails to the construction site - with his young son on board, on fatherly duty.

Lifting in rails on to sleepers, a delicate exercise.

Discussing the day's progress with a member of the gang.

Stevie, during a quiet moment in 'his office'.

'It's not a problem', explaining how we need to do it to members of the Pway gang.

Always time for a friendly chat, here with a delivery driver on a ballast lorry.

A larger than life presence, with Rod from the Broadway construction gang.

Stevie getting his hands dirty again, this time heaving the roller up the platform slope at Broadway.

At the limit of performance the JCB could rear up on its hind legs, but Stevie always knew what he was doing.

Another 'It's not a problem' moment, here at Broadway north.

The man and his machine, a moment of great concentration to get the job done.

Caught on camera, eating a doughnut. Oi!

Laying the last rails at Broadway, having previously magicked the buffer stops there from Winchcombe.

Sharing cakes with the gang in our 'welfare facility' - the open air at Pry Lane.

Perfect balance displayed at Childswickham.

 

Jim tells it to Stevie like it is.

Lunch at Broadway, with another Steve.

A great cameo moment with the sleeper laying gang on the Broadway extension. Stevie was part of a great cameraderie in the team.

Stevie on his own, jungle bashing at Childswickham.

Listening to old jokes with the Hayles Abbey gang

Watching the PWay goings on from his 'office'.

During a celebratory lunch with the PWay gang at Hayles Fruit Farm

Moments later, on the same occasion.

Ever practical, and omnipresent - on top of things at Hayles Abbey halt.

Collecting the tools on a Saturday morning.

Building a new turnout at the south end of Toddington, one of Stevie's last major jobs.

 

Stevie on the far right, definitely part of the PWay gang - the first train into Broadway, 24.12.2017.

 

Stevie, doing his famous 'tweaking' of the track at Broadway. Can you imagine how any men on bars that would take?

 

Watching one of the last rails being cut on the Broadway extension, in which he played such a large part.

 

Andy Stratford captured this shot with Stevie (R) in the group laying track at Peasebrook.

 

In the setting sun on one of the final track laying days into Broadway. Stevie is on the far right, always a part of the gang.

 

 

Got a problem? Send for Stevie Warren, he'll sort it out. Lifting the Landie out of a hole at Broadway.

'I've got the whole track laying kit, where d'ya wannit, mate?' Sleepers and rail in one load at Broadway.

Stevie in profile, while dealing with ballast suppliers at Broadway.

Adjusting the curve by the old Broadway goods shed.

Stevie didn't just drive a digger, he also built stuff, like this track drain at Broadway.

Stevie was inseparable from his faithful dog Gypsy.

Checking the fence line by the Broadway goods shed with Brian, who also died of cancer recently.

Equally happy at the controls of a JCB, a large 360 digger, or a 9 ton dumper, just inches from the edge of the platform.

Great minds think alike - checking the layout of the points at Broadway.

Stevie laid the ballast bed on the entire Broadway extension, and can be seen here working out the height required, so that the sleepers and rails together ended up at the right height.

 

Another rail height problem, this time in the shed at Toddington with Dave Davey.

 

And a road height problem, which needs close inspection on hands and knees to get the level just right. And it was!

 

Stevie gave his advice and opinion on all sorts of things quite freely! Here at the Toddington yard turnout rebuild.

 

An (unsuccessful) attempt was made to persuade Stevie to join the golf playing community...

 

With Steve Long, another stalwart from the very early days. Toddington south turnouts.

 

With board director Alan Miller, on the station road bridge at Broadway, prior to laying in the foot crossing panels.

 

The Usketeers too were grateful for Stevie's assistance and practical advice, here on clearing the ground for the new platform and foundation slab.

 

On the same job Stevie taught Neil how to use the laser level on the goods siding that he helped to rebuild.

 

Sorting out a pile of old rails with Dave Davey at Stanton.

 

Stevie bursting into the mess coach on a Saturday morning immediately raised the mood, especially if there was a bag of doughnuts on the table.

 

 

Lengthy shaggy dog stories could lead to puzzlement though.

 

The clear delight of finding an adequate supply of cakes on arrival in the mess coach.

Stevie would muck in when required, and we were happy to take a rest and watch.

At work with the mini digger at Broadway while fitting the northern barrow crossing.

 

Not entirely convinced of the levels on the Broadway forecourt (but see earlier picture)

 

More ballast please - whoa !!! Gotherington skew bridge relay.

Enough already - ballasting the new turnout at Toddington south.

Diggers large or small, they were Stevie's element.

In the video below you can see the skill and self confidence with which Stevie worked the mini digger up the steep cutting slope at Broadway:

 https://youtu.be/1cNDMgUQEQI

In a reflective moment with Ivor Dixon, who introduced GP Morrison and Stevie to the railway in the 1990s.

Relaxed in leisurewear, on site at Toddington with Neal Cooper.

The Telehandler was another vehicle in which Stevie was perfectly at home - Toddington south turnouts.

 

Casing a critical eye over the supply of doughnuts in the mess coach - would there be enough to go round?

 

In an expansive mood, while waiting for lunch in the mess coach on a Saturday.

 

Helping to erect the Broadway footbridge steps in a mini digger. Stevie could be called upon to help with any sort of mechanical assistance, nothing was too much trouble for him.

 

During a picnic lunch in the PWay 'Welfare Facility' - sitting outdoors on a cold rail.

 

As here at Toddington during a yard relay, Stevie was always accompanied by his dog Gypsy. Gypsy went everywhere with him in the digger, until she could no longer jump up due to old age. She then spent the time waiting for him while Stevie was on the job in the passenger seat of his little white van, eating the seat squab. If we got a lift on site with him in the van, we had to sit in the large hole in the seat, with Gypsy cowering unhappily between our legs. Happy memories!

Sharing another al fresco meal with the track gang, surrounded by the friends of many years.

'Don't worry about it, you'll be foine...' And we were.

 

The construction of the Broadway track extension is Stevie's monument. We couldn't have achieved it without you, Stevie.

 

With thanks to Chris, Bev, Graham, Andy Stratford, John Lees, and all the members of the gang who shared their memories.

Our sympathies go to the family that Stevie left - our pain is shared with you.