A FORTNIGHT ago we took a trip down memory rail with a piece on reminiscences of the Portland branch railway.

Much to our delight, Don Mintern, 87, a former train driver on the line, paid a visit to the Looking Back offices.

He said: "I'm probably the last surviving Weymouth driver of the train to Easton. It was a jolly good job.

"I drove steam trains, then diesel and then electric. We had a lot more fun in the steam days. It would be nice to have a mate up front with you.

"My daughters used to ride with me if they were going somewhere, sometimes up in the cab."

Mr Mintern drove the train between 1947 and 1995. He mostly did goods runs transporting Portland stone and taking empty carriages up to Easton for stone to be put in.

Mr Mintern said he remembers the difficulty of driving up to Rodwell because there was an extremely steep bank and the engines would struggle to cope!

There could sometimes be disruptions when he drove the train to Portland, Mr Mintern said.

"Sometimes on the way back with the stone the trains would have to wait. If there was a a prisoner escaped they would go through each carriage looking for him!"

Thanks to Mr Mintern for his memories which will no doubt be much appreciated by the Portland Rocks project, which is collating peoples' memories of the railway line.