Michael Alexander (Jock) Carlin

An amazing character.

Jock lived in Balcombe and was the Porter/Signalman at Rowfant for a number of years. I first met him in late 1966 just as the line fell victim of the Beeching Axe . Universally known as Jock (probably due to the fact that we came from Glasgow) he was a country-man at heart and was a dab hand at setting traps for rabbits (for which he had a permit) and pheasants (for which he didn't).

Just down the road from the station was Rowfant House which at the time was being used by he Latvian Lutheran church as a combined retreat and retirement home as the community here in the UK were unable (unwilling?) to return to the Baltic State then under Soviet Control. What attracted Jock was the fact that there was a licenced bar. I have the feeling that rabbits and pheasants were traded for alcohol!

But what attracted me was that I would get to run the signal box for a couple of hours of an evening.

After Rowfant closed Jock transferred to Balcombe Tunnel Junction (which was a hell of a cycle ride from East Grinstead - but I managed it quite a few times on late-turn Saturdays.

But drink was to prove his downfall; he was caught one evening under the influence of drink and was removed from signalling duties. He was saved the ultimate disgrace of being sacked by being allowed to transfer to the engineers department as a track worker. In May 1973 he was knocked down and killed by a train whilst walking back to his work-gang carrying a kettle of water to make a cup of tea.

He gave me a love of signalling for which I remain eternally grateful. As a manager it taught me the need to know your people and to look out for signs of alcoholism.