Obituaries 153

Irish Railway Record Society

Obituary

ROY HAMILTON MBE

The death occurred in early November of Roy Hamilton at his native Ruthglen, Glasgow – a long standing member of the Society. Roy was a professional railwayman, having spent his entire career with the former Scottish Region of British Railways and then Railtrack after privatisation. In February 1961, while a 23-year old stationmaster at Cleghorn on the Caledonian mainline, he ran to straighten a door handle which was at half-cock, but he slipped on the platform resulting in him losing both legs. However, with great determination, Roy got on with his travels and work. On returning to the railway service, he spent some three decades in timetabling and service planning and was the acknowledged expert on such in

Scotland

. He retired as Timetabling Manager in 1995. I had many discussions with him on timetabling in such areas as the [Glasgow] ‘Northern Electrics’ and the lines radiating from Glasgow Central.

Roy was a regular participant in Coastal Cruising Association trips as well as rail tours, particularly those of the Branch Line Society. His extensive travels and a good ‘eye’ for photography resulted in a fine collection of railway photographs many of which he had published. For many years, he had a second home at Grantown overlooking the Speyside Railway where he spent many days as a booking clerk. An avid railway ticket collector, Roy ’s collection became one of the most extensive in these parts with many tickets issued from or to long-time closed stations. He specialised in Scottish stations.

On 1 January 1993 , he was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Years Honours List, together with another IRRS member David Lawrence.