One of Northern’s longest-serving team members, Craig Neild, has officially stepped down after an incredible 53-year career dedicated to keeping Manchester’s trains moving.
Craig, 70, worked as an outstation fitter at Manchester Piccadilly, where he was a familiar face to generations of train crews, station staff and engineers. He hung up his tools for the final time earlier this week, marking the end of a journey that began back in August 1971.
“I’m going to miss it,” Craig said. “I liked the challenges of the job and got on well with all the drivers, conductors, station staff and maintenance teams. I always took pride in the role I played – keeping the trains running and keeping the passengers happy.”
Craig started his career with British Rail, joining Longsight Electric depot as an apprentice when the days of steam had only just ended. After four years of training, he moved to Newton Heath depot, where he worked for more than 15 years before joining a small team of mobile fitters responsible for keeping trains operational at Piccadilly and across the city.
His role as an outstation fitter required fast thinking, independent working and strong technical know-how. Whether it was a tripped circuit breaker, a faulty headlight, or something more complex, Craig was the go-to man on the ground.
“Sometimes I only had a few minutes to take a look, diagnose the fault and make a decision,” he explained. “You want that train to run, but you have to make sure everything is safe. If I couldn’t find a fault, it would really annoy me – I never liked to be defeated.”
As someone who’s seen the railway evolve over half a century, Craig said he was always learning. Now, in retirement, he plans to swap his toolbox for gardening, dog walking, plane spotting, and a well-earned holiday with his wife.
Andy Jukka, Projects and Outstation Traincare Centre Manager at Northern, paid tribute to Craig’s dedication:
“We’re going to miss Craig as he heads off to enjoy his retirement. Throughout his career, he turned up to work with an excellent attitude and used his wealth of experience to help everyone around him. We thank him for 53 years of outstanding service.”
Craig leaves Northern as the operator prepares for its biggest-ever fleet upgrade, with plans to introduce up to 450 new trains to replace some of the oldest units still in operation. It’s a new chapter for the railway – but one that owes much to the tireless work of people like Craig Neild.
Northern operates 2,500 services a day to over 500 stations, safely transporting tens of millions of passengers each year across the North of England.
