Published on: Thursday, 20 December 2012
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Greater Anglia’s Chas Bellchamber is retiring after an astonishing 61 years of service on the railway.
Chas – a ticket examiner based at Norwich station - was inspired to join the railway by his father Sidney, who drove steam trains on the Great Eastern Mainline between Norwich and London.
Chas Bellchamber joined the railway in 1951 as a fireman, stoking steam trains, running in and around London, while also qualifying as a passed driver. Later he became a guard and Senior Conductor.
Chas briefly retired at the end of the 1990s, but soon returned as a ticket examiner, as he missed the railway so much.
Andrew Goodrum Greater Anglia’s Customer Service Director said:
“Chas has an enormous level of experience and a huge pride in his job, his enthusiasm, no matter what the time of day is remarkable. I think it is safe to say that we could get Chas to do almost any job on the station and he’d get on with it well. It’s a fantastic achievement in this day and age to have reached 61 years in the job. We all wish him a very happy retirement.”
Chas is now 77 years old, he is a keen sports fan and is looking forward to having a bit more time to watch cricket, especially watching his grandsons play.
Chas will keep in close contact with the railway as both his sons work for Greater Anglia, John as an Operations Manager and David as a Train Driver. His grandson Devin, also works as a Conductor, Devin and Chas recently worked their first train together. Between them the Bellchamber family has served the railway for almost 180 years.