Until his death in 2018 at the age of 94, Richard Hardy was one of the last remaining professional links with the 'Big Four' and a railwayman who commanded as much respect in the preservation era as he did during his illustrious career with the LNER and British Railways. He joined the LNER in January 1941 as a Premium Apprentice and worked his way from there to Divisional Manager level in British Railways 40 years later. He made a meteoric rise through the rail industry's hierarchy, becoming a shedmaster at the astonishingly young age of 22 and running five major depots before he was 35. These included Woodford Halse, Stratford and Stewarts Lane. He was then responsible for overseeing the changeover from steam to modern traction on the busy Stratford district of the Eastern Region.