A railway booking office clerk from Buckinghamshire has uncovered an extraordinary 150-year connection between her family and the rail industry, as revealed in the latest edition of London Northwestern Railway’s (LNR) On The Rails podcast.
Eileen Rogers, who has worked in rail for three decades, began her career in first-class catering for Intercity trains. She now runs the ticket office at Wolverton Station, a location that has played a central role in her family’s remarkable rail legacy.
Her great-grandfather, Robert Johnson, started work as a coach builder at Wolverton Works in the 1870s, home to Queen Victoria’s royal train. His son Charles – Eileen’s grandfather – followed in his footsteps at the same site.
Eileen’s father, Douglas David Johnson, entered the industry in 1930, cycling daily to Northampton for training. He later became foreman, then works manager at Wolverton Works, retiring at 60. Even after retirement, he remained involved in the industry, building miniature steam trains for children at the Newport Pagnell steam railway club.
Eileen said:
“Growing up just outside of Wolverton Works, I remember waking up to a sea of flat caps outside my window each day. It was my dad who convinced me to start working on the railway.
He said I had itchy feet as I couldn’t seem to find a job I enjoyed, so when a position came up listed in the local paper, he told me to go for it. I’ve worked in the industry for going on thirty years now, and I’ve truly loved it. Now, coming back to work at Wolverton, it feels like I’ve come full circle.”
The podcast episode also includes interviews with other rail workers who share long-standing family connections to the industry, as well as a feature on rail apprenticeships and future career paths.
You can listen to the full episode via www.lnr.uk/podcast.
