Video recording of an interview with Elliot Ironside and Robert MacMillan on Mallaig station on 15 May 2010, made as part of the filming of the DVD ''When the Fishing Was On''. The Jacobite steam train has just arrived and the sound of the locomotive is prominent at the beginning of the recording. Elliot talks briefly about his experience working as a steam locomotive driver on the railway. Robert discusses his childhood in Mallaig as the son of a railway guard. Elliot explains how his parents came to Mallaig, following the fish trade, and the jobs done by his father, eventually a fish buyer. Elliot then talks about how he began his career on the railway as a cleaner, then as a fireman. Both discuss the railway's role as a source of coal for private houses along the line. Elliot talks about the fish traffic and how it was handled at the harbour and shipped by the railway. Robert mentions the importance of the railway station as a social focus for the village. Elliot talks about his other job as a prawn buyer. Robert talks about the changing fortunes of the harbour in the 1970s. length: 26 minutes Interviewers: Paul Thompson and Andy Attenburrow

Year made: 2009

To find out more about this item contact us