Train Manager, 84, Says Love of Locomotives Is Why He Hasn't Retired, and His Job Remains a 'Reason to Get Up in the Morning'

Bob Carpenter and his grandson, Nick, both work for the same train company

NEED TO KNOW

• An elderly man is not retiring from his job as a train manager anytime soon, thanks to his love of locomotives
• Bob Carpenter currently works part-time for London’s Avanti West Coast, making him one of the U.K.’s oldest train managers
• The 84-year-old’s grandson, Nick, has since begun a career in the railroad industry too

An elderly man remembers always having a love for locomotives, which is why he has continued working past retirement age as a train manager.

Bob Carpenter currently works part-time for London's Avanti West Coast, making him one of the U.K.'s oldest train managers, according to the BBC and Avanti West Coast's website.

Carpenter, 84, was born in 1942, and he grew up near the Brighton Main Line in South London. His father loved trains as well, and his interest in the mode of transportation grew exponentially after a British Rail representative spoke during a career fair at his school.

"I've loved the railway since I was a kid. Growing up close to the main line between London Bridge and Brighton, I was sort of born into the sounds of trains," Carpenter recalled to the BBC.

Before joining Avanti West Coast, Carpenter spent two decades working in clerical roles for the Royal Mail.

He eventually worked as part of the catering staff for British Railways in 1992, and he was later promoted to train manager, fulfilling a childhood dream of his.

While Carpenter explained that he has "many interests at home," he believes that everyone should have a career they "love doing."

He added that he feels very grateful to have found his calling at such an early age. "I could have stopped work when I reached retirement age, but it gives me a reason to get up in the morning," Carpenter said.

“Looking back, some of my fondest memories are of the Grand National Specials. We used to run in the nineties with volunteer crews," he further explained. "From the moment I left Euston to the moment I got to Lime Street and back again, I just never stopped laughing. As a man of my age at the time, I don't know whether it's working with younger people, but it was the greatest fun I've had in years.”

Carpenter's passion for trains has since been passed down to his grandson, Nick, one of his six grandchildren.

"It was inevitable, to be honest, with my grandad being such a good role model," Nick, 37, told the BBC. (He also joined Avanti West Coast's catering department in 2006 and now works as a train manager.)

"As a child, I'd go to his house with my brothers, and he'd turn up in his uniform at 9 p.m. and tell us, 'I've been to Scotland and back in a day,' " Carpenter's grandson recalled. "That, for me, was magic."

Nick further recalled accompanying his family on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. During the trip, Carpenter bought Nick, who was 10 at the time, a train whistle souvenir.

"It sat in my cupboard of keepsakes for years, and now, it is my whistle for work. I never leave without it," Nick fondly remembered about the special gift given to him by his grandpa.

Years later, Nick got the chance to work alongside his grandfather during his starting role for Avanti West Coast.

“When I finally joined the railway, I remember my first job that I had out on my own was actually working with him as my guard," he said. "We did a Glasgow train on a Sunday afternoon, and it was really busy. He never stopped from the moment we left the platform at Euston until we got to Preston.”

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Carpenter's hard work for the train company hasn't gone unnoticed. Kathryn O'Brien, the Avanti West Coast customer experience director, praised him for being a pivotal part of their "family."

She said, per the BBC, "Bob is a much-loved and highly respected part of our onboard team, who displays an incredible passion for the railway and his job every time he steps on to a train."

“We talk about being a railway family, and for Bob the railway has remained in his family with his grandson Nick inspired to also become a Train Manager," O'Brien continued, referring to the grandfather and grandson duo. "They are both such a joy amongst our Euston colleagues, and Bob truly is a fantastic role model to highlight that you should never give up on achieving your dream job — no matter your age.”

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