A common practice at Head Wrightsons, Thornaby was for the shunter man to ride on the end of the wagons. He did this by placing his shunting pole over the buffer and under the hook in the middle and he then sat on the rest of the pole. These shunting poles were made of Hickory which was a very strong strait grained wood. Wouldn’t be allowed with todays ‘Health and Safety’ rules. There was a chap there, a shunter who had a false leg and it was said that whilst riding the wagons, fell off the pole and under the wheels of the wagons.
A common practice at Head Wrightsons, Thornaby was for the shunter man to ride on the end of the wagons. He did this by placing his shunting pole over the buffer and under the hook in the middle and he then sat on the rest of the pole. These shunting poles were made of Hickory which was a very strong strait grained wood. Wouldn’t be allowed with todays ‘Health and Safety’ rules. There was a chap there, a shunter who had a false leg and it was said that whilst riding the wagons, fell off the pole and under the wheels of the wagons.