Posts so far, in general, about the present day or recent past; it would appear that on the railways in distant times, different standards applied, and things were a lot more "free-wheeling" as regards drinking on the job. I recall the splendid (or not) story -- from David L. Smith's Tales of the Glasgow & South-Western Railway? -- of the public holiday something over a century ago, on which three double-headed return passenger specials were run, for Glaswegians to make a day excursion to sample the delights of Stranraer. It so happened -- fortunately, as it turned out -- that the six drivers involved, were teetotallers; they spent their time at the Stranraer end, decorously. All six firemen were fans of "the cup which cheers and inebriates", and spent the time between arrival, and departure for Glasgow, accordingly. On the return journey, the firemen were incapable of doing anything more than leaning out of the cab and throwing up; the drivers had to do the firing too. So far as I remember from the tale, none of the guilty parties lost their job because of this escapade.