1955 - British Railways Locomotive 5222 at Cogan Tunnel during September 1955. [1041] The enlargement has been colourised. Now, I have a confession . . .

During 1960 my friend, Frank, and myself decided to 'mitch-off' for the day from Dinas Powis Primary School and explore the railway line through Eastbrook as far as Cogan Tunnel. We entered the tunnel and stood in one of the workers refuges within the wall whilst a steam train passed on the opposite track. A few minutes later, a pannier tank engine coupled to a guard's van appeared in the tunnel from the Cogan end! Frank and myself decided that it was appropriate to exit the tunnel and make our way, with all haste, up the steep scree slope (in the right of the image) to the fields above, however, the engine stopped just as it exited the tunnel, and the fireman and another man shouted and ran after us. I was rugby tackled to the ground by the fireman. The other man grabbed Frank and turned to me and said I know you, your Bert Carder's son. The man was the stationmaster at Cogan but he also had responsibilities at Dinas Powis station. My father, being a ticket inspector at Cardiff General was not well liked by him and they had often crossed swords in the line of their duties. He laughed when he realised whom he had caught trespassing on railway property red-handed! When he took out his notebook and turned his back to take Frank's details, I flicked the brim of the stationmaster's hat. It left his head and rolled like a wheel possessed down the steep scree slope with gold braid and badge flashing in the sunlight as it rotated and finally landed, upside down like a coracle, in the concrete water drainage channel leading from the tunnel. It had been raining heavily and the flow was impressively fast. The engine driver had to run for a hundred yards or so to retrieve the sodden hat. Mr. Stationmaster was not a happy man I can tell you when he put it back on and it dripped down his uniform and neck! The British Transport Police called at our home in Dinas Powis later that same day. I vanished for a while but I never heard anymore about the incident since my father's position at Cardiff General was well respected and they had his word that there would be no recurrence. Subsequently, there was no recurrence of me being caught trespassing on the railway . . . but . . . !