Railways' Rising Costs in the late Nineteenth Century

One of the major challenges to railway company profitability in the last years of the nineteenth century was the increasingly high cost of materials and fuel. Indeed, the London and South Western Railway, the subject of my thesis, was no exception and the three graphs below show how much it paid for rails per ton, track chairs per ton, Fish plates (that joined the rails together) per ton, individual sleepers and fuel per ton. All graphs indicate a steep increase in prices between 1894 and 1900.

Testimonial to a Railwayman - 1854

The increasingly professional early railways also saw the the development of a community spirit amongst railway workers. Indeed, this was exemplified by the testimonial, where groups of railway workers would present their colleagues with gifts to celebrate their long service or achievements. Indeed, this case, from 1854, is a prime example that shows how managers could be respected by their piers and subordinates:

"We have much pleasure in recording a gratifying tribute of respect and esteem which has been paid to Mr Ashbee, the worthy and efficient superintendent of the Gloucester branch of the Great Western Railway, by the clerks porters, and general servants on that portion of the company's line extending from Swindon to the junction with the Hereford, Ross and Gloucester line. The event to which we allude took place on Friday, at the Wellington Hotel, near the Great Western station, where a number of clerks and servants of the company, stationed between Gloucester and Swindon, assembled under the presidency of Mr Forbes, the manager of the goods department at Paddington. The testimonial consisted of a handsome silver teapot, sugur-basin, and cream-ewer, from the manufactory of Mr Mann, the Cross, and bore the following inscription:- "this tea services is presented to John Ashbee, Esq., as a token of the high esteem in which he is held by the men employed under him on the Gloucester branch of the Great Western Railway, Jan. 20, 1854"[1]

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[1] Jackson's Oxford Journal, Saturday, January 28, 1854

Handel Festival at Crystal Palace - Handbill

Before the advent of the railway poster, one of the ways nineteenth century railway companies advertised was through the printing and distribution of the humble handbill. The one above was produced in 1877 by the Midland Railway promote cheap excursion fares to London and 'Handel Festival' at Crystal Palace. I would really recommend enlarging the image to have a closer look, there's a lot of interesting detail.

From Labourer to London Bridge Station Superintendent

London Bridge - 1856

I have got into the habit of looking at the social backgrounds of early railway managers.  Recently I came across Henry Anscombe, the superintendent at the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's London Bridge station in 1864. Ascombe began his career with the LBSCR in March 1847 at the age of 37[1], and was listed in the 1851 census as being a porter[2]. However, he had come from quite a lowly background, and the 1841 census states that he and his father were labourers in his home town of Chailey in Sussex.[3] Early in his career he narrowly escaped death, and in 1848 he was knocked down by a train and had both legs broken. Yet, clearly this did not hinder his career, and at some point between 1851 and 1864 he rose through the ranks rapidly to command London Bridge Station. He was appointed the Brighton station Superintendent in 1876, and died while still in the company's service in March 1896.[4]

The social gulf between where Anscombe came from and where he ended up was huge. However, the rise he would have experienced was not have been uncommon for many early railway managers, and with formal hiring and promotional structures not yet established, the companies employed staff, at all levels, from a vast array of backgrounds. It is, therefore, unsurprising that for Anscombe such a rise was possible.

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[1] The National Archives [TNA], RAIL 414/768, Register of salaried staff appointed 1836-1879, 1864 - 1879, p.1
[2] HO 107/1653/148, 1851 census, Sussex-Chichester St Bartholomew-District 1, p.16
[3] HO 107/1113/1, 1841 census, Sussex-Chailey-District 3, p.5
[4] The Standard, Monday, March 16, 1896, p. 3; Issue 22373.

A sad tale - Simply because he didn't hear the train

This, from September 1884, just made very sad...

'A man named John Ward, 90 years of age, was killed on Wednesday afternoon by an express excursion train running from Driffield to Brindlington. He was going over a level crossing about two miles from Driffield, and evdently did not see the excursion train, and, being very deaf, he did not hear the whistle. The driver put on the vacuum brake but failed to bring up his engine before reaching the old man, who was killed on the spot.'[1]

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[1] The Derby Mercury, Wednesday, 24 September 1884

Great Western Railway Marriage Allowance - 1912-1920s

Usually in the front of many railway staff record books can be found the employment policies that the companies operated. Indeed, when browsing one such record book from the Great Western Railway (GWR) titled 'Locomotive and Carriage Department Female Clerks - 1910-1938', I discovered the development of the company's gratuity policy for when the company's female staff got married and were, like most jobs for women in the period, made to leave the service. The policy was laid down shortly after the company engaged its first female clerks in 1910, as follows:

'Maximum allowance £10 S.C.M. [Special Committee Minute] 254 of Sept 1912'

However, in 1922 it seems that the conditions under which the £10 was given were tightened up, limiting it to those who had served for greater than five years.

Sir Felix Pole

'Marriage Allowance - Applicable to women clerks who entered the service before 12th November 1920 provided they have 5 years service to their credit and leave the service for the purpose of getting married. (S.C.M. 670 of Novr 1922)'

Another circular on the matter was issued in 1925. Because of the Railways Act 1921, which merged Britain's 120-ish railways into four, in 1923 the GWR had absorbed numerous smaller railways. Clearly its management, and more specifically the company's General Manager, Felix Pole, took the opportunity to restrict the issuing of gratuities further, not allowing it to female clerks who had served on the newly acquired lines:

October 13th 1925 -  'Marriage allowance not payable to women clerks on amalgamated lines -Will you please note that the provision of the above minute are not applicable to Women Clerks transferred from the amalgamated or absorbed lines. - Yours truly, for F.J.C. Pole [General Manager] (sgd) H.C.A.'

Yet, the tightening up of the rules regarding the gratuity didn't stop there. In an effort to monitor them more closely, in 1926 Pole ordered that when they were given they should always be confirmed by his office.

August 5th 1926 - 'Marriage Allowance - With reference to Staff Committee Minute No. 670, will you please note in the future all recommendations for the payment of marriage gratuities should be submitted to this Office before the amounts are entered in the paybills - Yours truly, for F.J.C. Pole [General Manager] (sgd) T.B.H.'

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[1] All information from  The National Archives, RAIL 264/261, Numerical register of female clerks: 1-724

Waiting Room Weekly Round-Up

Again, not a very eventful week. I've got my head down trying to finish the PhD, which is coming on well. Indeed, I may actually finish the draft by Easter - I hope. I'll probably let you know next week.

Monday: Staff at the New Basingstoke Station - 1905
Tuesday: Early Images of the Waterloo and City Line - 1898
Wednesday: 'Fined 20s., and 22s. costs, for fraudulently travelling'
Thursday: Women's wages on the LNWR - 1913
Friday: The Cost of a Room - London and North Western Railway - Hotel Tariff 1880s
Saturday: Robberies at Nine Elms Locomotive Depot - 1871

And don't forget this week's main Turnip Rail Blog - The Hours Victorian Railway Clerks Worked - 1856