Not exactly about railwaymen themselves, but possibly a little bit of social history about the railways.
This link goes back to 2008, with the photograph taken in 1998. The mail trains were withdrawn in 2004.
https://web.archive.org/web/20080113...tcoastline.htm

Very interesting to read that the first TPO train ran on 20 January 1838!
https://www.lightstraw.co.uk/gpo/tpo/
If I'd been asked for a date I would probably have said the 1920s/1930s because I know that's when W.H.Auden wrote his famous 'Night mail' poem.

Somewhat off-topic, but let's hope we don't get weather like this this winter. Though I can't see any of today's workmen digging without gloves on. https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=-ugIoMD495E&t=26s

Pam