A man with an impressive memory, who has been helping engineers find everything they need to keep trains in the North East running for more than 40 years, is about to retire.
Darren Milligan, 59, has memorised the names, suppliers and 10-digit catalogue numbers for thousands of items at Heaton TrainCare Centre in Newcastle.
He manages the distribution centre, formerly know as the storeroom, which holds around 5,000 items at a time.
It has everything Northern staff need to repair, clean and restock trains for customers – from bolts, gearboxes and starting motors to toilet tissue and hand soap.
“It’s about being able to find the part for the train quickly, so they can get it fixed and get it out for passengers,” said Darren.
“It’s a challenge. Sometimes you have to look through different systems and it takes you on a bit of a journey to find the part and catalogue number. But that journey helps me remember it.”
Darren and his team log each request into a database and input the catalogue number, to help them keep an accurate stock count.
Nigel Bendelow, a materials controller at the depot, said staff are so impressed by Darren’s recall they occasionally put it to the test.
“Someone will mention in conversation a part that we have not used for 10 plus years and Darren will give you the catalogue number and the company that supplied it,” he said.
“I questioned if he was just saying any numbers to look clever, but when you input the numbers into our systems that part comes up.
“He’s unique, a one off, and he will be massively missed when he goes.”
Darren took a job as a cleaner at the depot in October 1981, after leaving school at 16, and spent his lunch breaks learning catalogue numbers for different parts and inputting them into the database.
He moved into the storeroom several years later and rose through the ranks before being appointed as the manager.
“As a manager, you need to have everything at the right time, but not be overstocked as you don’t want too much money sat on the shelf,” he said. “It’s a balancing act.
“You also have to continuously look for new and alternative parts because trains change and parts become obsolete.
“So every day we are adding new items – with new catalogue numbers – to the system and trying to figure out how many we are going to use.”
Darren said he is now looking forward to his retirement after 44 years on the railway, but has thoroughly enjoyed his career and will miss his colleagues.
“I’ve been here all my working life and the people here have been like a family over the years,” he said.
Garry Roseby, manager of Heaton TrainCare Centre, said Darren is “the most helpful person” he has ever worked with and they have become close friends.
“I have never known an occasion when Darren has not been able to help,” he said.
“On the very rare occasion that he does not know what you are asking, he will go out of his way to find out where to direct you.
“In addition to this he has been a fantastic team member, model employee and role model to his whole team.
“He will be sorely missed but we wish him all the very best for his retirement.”
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.