Characters

Cecil Parkin
(Jeffrey Holland)

Cecil Parkin

Mr. Parkin is the new station master at Hatley who appears midway through the first episode. He is a perfectionist, who is determined to make the station the best on the line. On the surface, he seems refined, but it turns out that he knows the station's buffet manageress because they had a passionate affair, which was going on behind her boyfriend, later husband, Jack Skinner's back. He still has lecherous thoughts about her, and tries to get her to leave Jack.


Jack Skinner
(Paul Shane)

Jack Skinner

Jack is the station porter and the deputy station master. He is deeply in love with his beautiful wife, May, and gets very jealous whenever she comes into close contact with other men, especially Mr. Parkin. He heartily dislikes Mr. Parkin and shows it. He is an ex-soldier with a limp from a wound he received during the war.


Ethel Schumman
(Su Pollard)

Ethel Schumman

Ethel is in charge of the booking office. She is scatter-brained, and often muddles her words. She gets frustrated with Jack for his unreasonable jealousy of May. She is also a flirt and has a grown-up son from her marriage to a now deceased soldier named Earl.


Harry Lambert
(Stephen Lewis)

Harry Lambert

Harry is the signalman. He is eternally miserable, because trains only come through Hatley two or three times a day. To keep himself busy, he operates numerous sidelines from his signal box; growing vegetables, mending bikes and clocks, rearing farm animals for the staff's dinners, and taking bets.


May Skinner
(Julia Deakin)

May Skinner

May is buffet manageress and Jack’s wife. Years ago she had a passionate affair with Cecil Parkin behind her husband’s back.


Vera Plumtree
(Barbara New)

Vera Plumtree

Vera is the station handywoman. She helps the staff, by cleaning their homes and washing clothes for them. She has quite a bit in common with Ethel; she too muddles her words, and frequently talks about her late husband. She is passionately in love with Harry, but it is unrequited.


Wilfred Schumann
(Paul Aspden)

Wilfred Schumann

Wilfred is Ethel's son. Most of the time he comes across as extremely stupid, but occasionally shows unusual signs of intelligence.


Gloria Skinner
(Lindsay Grimshaw)

Gloria Skinner

Gloria is Jack and May's grown-up daughter - a rebellious teenager who is very fond of short skirts and the company of older men. She has a crush on Cecil Parkin, the new station master.


Percy
(Terry John)

Percy

Percy is the guard and the main station flirt. He flirts with every woman he comes into contact with, except Vera.


Arnold Thomas
(Ivor Roberts)

Arnold Thomas

Arnold is the train-driver.


Ralph
(Perry Benson)

Ralph

Ralph is the trainee driver. He works with Arnold. The two often engage in comic banter. Ralph is dafter than Wilfred, and slow at learning to drive.


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