A sight that was common until the 1980s on the railways was mixed freight trains and at the rear of every train was a “brake van” commonly referred to as a guard’s van.

When I was a child I would see my father and other footplate men working hard at the front of the train.

But I would often see guards sitting comfortably in the corner of their open van, and think to myself they had the easiest of jobs.

In each van a hand brake was fitted to help slow down or assist the driver to “control” the train, this means keep the wagon couplings taught to prevent them snapping. This could easily happen with steam trains, as they could jerk or snatch, especially if the train was at the bottom of a long gradient, when the first coupling between the first wagon and the locomotive took all the strain of the train which could be 44 wagons, plus the guard’s van.

Each wagon was gently pulled forward until they were all “hung” or “strung.”

If the driver got this wrong then the train would “cannon” – move violently back and forth causing wagons to come off the track or break free. The guard would have to apply the handbrake to prevent the runaway train running back down the gradient.

In some cases another locomotive was placed at the back of the train in case this happened as the handbrake would never hold a heavy runaway.

The vans were constructed to be heavier than their size implies to assist with this braking task.

Steam trains were usually “unfitted” or “partially fitted.”

Unfitted meant that they did not have a continuous braking system fitted to the train and partially fitted usually meant that only the first 12-20 wagons might be fitted with a continuous braking system.

The guard was responsible for noting down all the wagon numbers, names and details of each wagon in the train, which was often 40 plus.

He had to know all the signals and ground frames to work signals and points into marshalling yards.

The guard would also carry detonators, which were placed on the track and exploded as a train passed over them to warn the driver of danger.

The guard had to make sure that all the wagons were sheeted down properly and all the closed wagons locked and secured.

In the van was a spare shunters pole – a long stick with a hook on to help with hooking and unhooking wagons on and off the train.

There would also be “scotch blocks” and “sprags” to either wedge wheels or to pin down each wagon’s brakes to prevent the uncoupled train running away.

Apart from checking and lamping the rear of the train correctly they signalled to the driver that the train was clear when entering, leaving or “setting back” (reversing into sidings and loops).

Guards carried a whistle and two flags, one red and one green.

On the move they were constantly on the lookout to ensure that the trains’ wooden brake blocks and wheel bearing boxes were running free as wheel bearings were lubricated with animal fat, so running hot could cause a fire.