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SMR had two owner/operators throughout its history - Frank Schwab, and Alex Schwab. In steam days they were assisted by a variety of helpers, including many engineers both professional and amateur. There is no doubt that the active work of Henry Greenly on the line (present in the area because he was working on the slightly newer Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway) is SMR’s single greatest claim to world-class staff members! From the start budding junior engineers also assisted, and photographic evidence shows boys helping to organise stations and water locomotives.
When the line re-opened in 1974 Frank Schwab was long deceased, and there were no longer other interested miniature railway enthusiasts in the village. So for the 13 years of electric operation, Alex Schwab was assisted by a team of boys who sold tickets, kept train logs, managed the station, and provided extra muscle in the event of a derailment. This team was led by a Traffic Manager, who was an older teenager. The Traffic Manager was paid (in my own time it was the princely sum of £3 per week - £156 per year) and his duties included not only staff management on open days, but also a range of duties each Saturday throughout the year, including track cleaning, path laying, grass cutting, hedge clipping, cutting clearing, tunnel cobwebbing, and other general maintenance.
On public open days (which happened during all three school holiday periods - Summer, Christmas, and Easter) the Traffic Manager supervised the younger boys, and ensured that the traffic logs were accurate - these recorded the start and finish time of each train, the total loading, and the total ticket sales. The boys were provided with “afternoon tea” at around 4pm on each operating day. This consisted of a plastic jug of water, and a white and brown tin containing chocolate bourbon biscuits. The Traffic Manager ensured that everyone got their share!
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