It could be argued the above view speaks entirely for itself. I have no idea who the gentleman is and didn't want to bother him as he stood and quietly surveyed a once proud history and a major part of Derby disappearing before his very eyes. I can only assume he once worked there as any ordinary member of the public wouldn't really so much as give this a second glance perhaps only thinking some other car showroom, restaurant style pub or other modern day 'must visit' facility will rise from the debris.

Just one man out of tens and thousands whose working life (or at least some part of it) had been spent "down the Loco" (well two men then seeing as I was behind the camera!!) - The Works certainly turned out a wide variety of characters many of whom would have entered those forbidding buildings as mere boys going on to become fully qualified craftsmen but ultimately for what? The 1980s and 90s saw the near death of heavy industry in this country and indeed the admission in recent years of a national skill shortage for modern day industry which hardly comes as a surprise as the little industrial estates we now have hardly compare with the scale of somewhere like the Loco Works.

Equally because of the highly regimented regime within the works quite a few ended up, shall we say, institutionalised - perhaps a rather harsh label but to see even now individuals who adhere to a strict daily routine both at home (meals at precise times, shopping on the precise day) and at work (tea breaks at precise times, arrive at exactly the same time every day) is quite unfortunate.

One enduring memory I have of such a routine was seeing one man, a splendid character, operating a machine. The stone plinth upon which he stood had quite a dip in it - he told me he saw 'them' put this (the plinth) in 40 years ago and was quite proud of having worn this dip into it.

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