
Railway accidents on British Railways
Southern Region
Central Division

MINUTES OF SPECIAL BRANCH MEETING
HELD ON SUNDAY MARCH 5th 1989
Branch Chairman opened the meeting by introducing the two speakers, Bro A. Stanton,
District Organiser, and Bro. J. Davis, E.C. Member of A.S.L.E. &F.
Bro. A. Stanton was given the floor as owing to the weekend rail accident at Purley he need
to get away to oversee events. He began by explaining the purpose of the meeting, having
been called and the two issues being discussed, the machinery of negotiation and the labour
supply South East Area. He gave a breakdown of the present machinery system and then on
the proposed new system, and went on to the fact that B.R. Board was about to be broken up
into new sections also the ending of L.D.C.s and Sectional Council’s as we know them and
ending up with possibility of only one area representative. One example of the new
machinery, was that if failing to reach an agreement, management would implement their
decision after 14 days, he went on to explain the importance of L.D.C.s and Sectional
Councils, and that some senior management have said there was a need for L.D.C.s but still
they are going ahead with their plans, he continued by asking members to talk to others
and that we were never so strong as we are today, a call for one week rest day and overtime
ban area by area, but within national and local rostering agreements. This campaign is a
national federation campaign and meetings were taking place up and down the country to
advise members of the situation. Thanking us for our time, he allowed time for questions
before having to leave.
Then Bro. J. Davis stood and began by firstly talking on the meeting that took place between t
he unions and B.R., the various levels of discussion and A.S.L.E & F. reply’s, it was noted
that Bro. Davis is on record as being opposed to any agreements,
and the lack of leadership, he urged us to lobby the E.C. into doing something more positive.
He then went on to the Labour Supply problem, here in the South and how management seam
prepared to have deals done in secret with individual depots in particular minder drivers, and
that deals like these will become the norm in the future, and depots would be against other
depots because of the earning powers they have. Bro. Davis urged members to go away and
seriously consider the long term effects of the B.R. proposals. He then answered questions.
Having answered many questions the meeting was closed.
The Brighton to London Bridge American Express train worked by Brighton driver Dave Knight (MLV No. 9004). On approaching the M25 over bridge at Merstham on the up Quarry line where the train was held up and it’s contents robbed.

Left - Right: Bedford Phil Cherry & Brighton Dave Knight in Bedford Messroom
The 07.25 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge, on arriving at London Bridge collides with the buffer stops.

Eastbourne Driver Malcolm Court waiting to depart from Seaford
BRIGHTON DRIVER
PHIL PLAINE
A MAN WHO COULD WALK ON WATER
Phil Plaine at the Brighton 2011 reunion
At the August Branch meeting held on the 3rd August 1989, the Brighton Branch made a
special presentation to recently retired branch member Phil Plaine who had taken early
retirement a few months earlier.
All through Phil's footplate career was spent at one of the Brighton Motive power Depots.
Phil had entered the footplate grades as a engine cleaner at Brighton on 11.10.1943. Phil
gained his be promotion through the footplate grades at Brighton to Engine driver. Phil later
decided to opt to go into the "Dual Link" at Brighton, which would see him later transferring
to Brighton Motorman's depot (E.M.U.T.) in 1962.
During Phil’s time at Brighton E.M.U.T. Phil served Brighton No.2 Branch Secretary 1965 ~
1972 and Brighton No. 2 Chairman. During the 1970s and up until 1988 was the L.D.C.
Secretary, H&S Rep 1971 ~ 1988 and Chairman of the A.S.L.E.F. Southern Region District
Council No.1. With the amalgamation of the two depots Phil was re-elected back on to the
L.D.C. and to the position of H&S rep. up until his retirement in the same year.
It was also claimed by a number of Brighton drivers, that Phil could "walk on water" because
he won almost all of his cases when representing fellow ASLEF members. Phil was also
known by some members as "Petrocelli" (a popular American lawyer on the television of that
time, Petrocelli too won all of his cases).
During Phil's period of time on the Brighton E.M.U.T., L.D.C. was to become known as the
P.L.O., being named after the terrorist organisation the Palestine Liberation Organization.
(the L.D.C. was formed of Phil Plaine, Norman Light, Freddie Locke & Laurie Osman)..
When Phil retired, he was to be the last member of his family to work on the railway within
the Brighton area. This ending a long family connection to the railway industry which can
traced back to the 1860s when the Plaine family had moved into the town.
At the 2011 Brighton & Sussex A.S.L.E.F. reunion, I asked Phil, if the claim that he could
walk on water was true or not? Phil just smiled and and started to chuckle to himself, and
there was no answer forth coming to my question. This claim will just become another a myth
of Brighton Branch of A.S.L.E.F.

Retirement & Long Service Awards 1989
Back row left to right John Osborne*, Bill MacKenzie*, Tony Luff (Horsham),
Mike Donnelly (Area Opperation Manager),
Bob Morgan (Littlehampton), Mick Gillam* (Littlehampton), Stewart Fuller* (Seaford).
THE RETIREMENT OF SECTIONAL COUNCIL MEMBER
BERNIE NOAKES
BRIGHTON BRANCH WEST WORTHING E.M.U.T.
Left ~ Right: Ron Lifford (Battersea, Sectional Council Secretary) & Bernie Noakes
(Sectional Council, Brighton (No.2) Branch).
Ron Lifford is presenting Bernie Noakes with a plaque on his retirement in
October/November 1989 at his last Full Council meeting on 15th November 1989. Bernie
was a driver West Worthing E.M.U.T. for many years of his driving career. Bernie
had previously been at depots in the London area (Norwood/New Cross Gate?) and
transferred to West Worthing 1958
WEST WORTHING A.S.L.E.&F. MEMBERS
OFF TO PASTURES NEW
The West Worthing A.S.L.E.F. members remained apart of the Brighton branch after the
amalgamation. In August 1989 West Worthing A.S.L.E.F. members decided that it would be
more beneficial for them to amalgamate with another branch. This was due to the on going
problems that the Brighton Branch was facing with the newly amalgamated Brighton depot.
This move was to end West Worthing's association with the Brighton Branches of the past fifty
years.
The West Worthing A.S.L.E.F. members then became part of the Littlehampton Branch of
A.S.L.E.F. in October 1989, where they remained members of until the Littlehampton Branch
due to the closure of both West Worthing and Littlehampton depots in 1995 when the depots
moved to the new depot at Barnham.
