{"id":204704,"date":"2025-04-23T20:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T10:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=176826"},"modified":"2025-04-23T20:48:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T10:48:00","slug":"railway-worker-uncovers-over-100-years-of-family-history-linked-to-the-rail-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=204704","title":{"rendered":"Railway worker uncovers over 100 years of family history linked to the rail industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A senior conductor based in Worcester has spoken about his family\u2019s 100-year association with the railway industry on the latest edition of West Midlands Railway\u2019s (WMR) \u201cOn the Rails\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n

The podcast celebrates Railway 200 \u2013 a campaign marking the 200th<\/sup> anniversary of the modern railway.<\/p>\n

Alan Holtom has worked in the industry for over fifty years, experiencing the evolution of British Rail to Central Trains to London Midland and now West Midlands Railway.<\/p>\n

Alan\u2019s grandfather, Thomas Allen, started working for the railway industry in 1916, where he worked as station master at Hampton Loade. He went on to work as a signalman at Highley signal box before transferring to Chipping Campden on the Cotswold Line. When he was drafted to serve in the first World War, the railway was one of the few industries to restore workers\u2019 positions, so Thomas was able to return to his role once the war ended. When he finally retired in the 1960s, he\u2019d served over 45 years.<\/p>\n

Alan\u2019s mother, Marion, followed in her father\u2019s footsteps and took a job working at Chipping Campden booking office, where she worked from 1940 to 1955. That\u2019s where Alan\u2019s parents met, as his father Geoffrey Holtom worked as a relief clerk in the Worcester area from 1936 to 1983 with a gap in the war years as he served from 1940 to 1945.<\/p>\n

Continuing in the family industry, Alan\u2019s daughter Charlotte Holtom joined the industry in 2018 and is now a senior conductor based in Worcester.<\/p>\n

Alan Holtom, senior conductor at West Midlands Railway, said: <\/strong>\u201cWhen my dad told me to get a job at Worcester Shrub Hill, it was as simple as speaking to the Area Manager and asking for a role. I was lucky as well as my mother knew the HR officer at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe railway has been a major part of my family\u2019s life, going back over 100 years, so I didn\u2019t question whether I wanted to join too \u2013 it was already part of me. Now my daughter is a senior conductor at Worcester, and I couldn\u2019t be prouder. She worked hard to get the job, and now she\u2019s thinking about becoming a driver.\u201d<\/p>\n

The full podcast episode, which also features other interviews with rail workers with long family histories and a look at future careers in the industry through apprenticeships, is available to stream and download via\u202fwww.wmr.uk\/podcast<\/a><\/p>\n

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Image credit: West Midlands Trains<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A senior conductor based in Worcester has spoken about his family\u2019s 100-year association with the railway industry on the latest edition of West Midlands Railway\u2019s (WMR) \u201cOn the Rails\u201d podcast. The podcast celebrates Railway 200 \u2013 a campaign marking the 200th\u00a0anniversary of the modern railway. Alan Holtom has worked in the industry for over fifty [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8221,47,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-204704","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","category-rail-news","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t