As a child Trevor used his pocket money to explore the rail network and, it’s not clear why, but in 1967
Trevor may have set a record for the most rail miles covered in two weeks when he travelled 11,483 miles
by train in 280 hours!
In 1970 Trevor, and fellow rail buff John Vaughan frustrated by Southern Railway’s lack of special
excursions, hired one themselves for £800 one Sunday. It was a 10-coach diesel express train for nearly 500
passengers from Worthing to Torquay. ‘The West Sussex Railway Touring Trust’ was born, offering tempting
fares two-thirds cheaper than Southern fares, with any profits going to charity. It sold out pretty quickly. And
they were soon organising two such trips a year. In 1974 a record number of 680 passengers travelled from
Hove to Torbay one Spring bank holiday. For the Edinburgh Tattoo passengers travelled overnight in both
directions, and were greeted on arrival by a military band playing the Sussex Anthem ‘Sussex By The Sea!’
Championing passengers – as part of the Arun Valley/West Sussex Rail Users Association – Trevor constantly
challenged poor service. Angry that the 8.43am Bognor to London Bridge trains had only arrived on time
on five occasions in November ‘96 he was in the press railing against Connex South Central, the private
company that had taken over from British Rail some months before. Trevor helped secure the long term
future of railway routes that had been options for closure, using creative thinking to suggest running shorter
trains more often would release rolling stock for those lines earmarked for reductions or closure. Always
devoted to improving people’s lives.
Following his death in 2022, Govia Thameslink Railway commissioned a bench, created for Chichester
station by the Southern Rail West Coastway maintenance team, as a tribute to Trevor.
