Eastwards was one of several merchants with offices on Station Approach - now demolished to make way for the Times building. Each merchant stored coal in a row of bays made from railway sleepers that lined the siding where the car park now is at Ruislip station. The coal was delivered by rail overnight in wagons pulled by a little tank engine that you could hear rattling along and blowing its whistle. Coal merchant's work was heavily labour intensive as the coal had to off-loaded from the wagons by hand they shovelled into the sacks for home delivery. Every house had coal delivered by these firms so they had a steady business until everyone switched to natural gas. A tale of 'Ruislip passed'.

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