Celebration aboard 125th steam trip

A very special passenger was aboard the Met steam train at the weekend. Gordon Hewitt from Premier-Albanian Coaches celebrated his 94th birthday and his family booked an entire compartment on 353 for the return journey from Rickmansworth to Chesham celebrating 125 years. 

Gordon's family ran Watford company Premier Albanian of until the company closed in 2003, with Gordon's father, Ernest Hewitt, starting the Premier Omnibus Company in 1923.

To celebrate the occasion, Friends' Chairman, Barry Le Jeune, presented Gordon with a copy of Laurie Akehurst's Country Buses book, in which Premier is mentioned, as a birthday gift.

Away from the celebrations in 353, Friends were busy stewarding and assisting Museum staff with the passenger marshalling.

The Friends did good business with Met Line diagrams proving popular. At least six new members signed up. And when local resident, Michael Portillo, passed through Rickmansworth on his way to London, he promised faithfully to join the Friends !