In the event of a passenger being drunk and disorderly.... 1889

Throughout nineteenth century railway rule books there is one regulation they will always certainly contain; that an individual being found 'under the influence' on the job will be dismissed. Far less common are regulations relating to what staff should do if a passenger is found drunk. I was, therefore, interested to find this one from the Barry Railway's rule book of 1889:

"247: In the event of any passenger being Drunk and Disorderly, to the annoyance of others, the Guard is to use all gentle means to stop the nuisance; failing which he must, for the safety and convenience of all, remove the offender from the train at the first station. The Guard must obtain the name and address of the offender , and also of one, at least, of the Passengers present at the time; he must also take care that the offender's luggage is put out of the train before it proceeds on its journey."[1]

[1] The National Archives, RAIL 1134/4, Rules and Regulations to be observed by all persons in the service of the company, p.120-121

Waiting Room Weekly Round-Up

Welcome to the weekly round-up. I have to confess that not much has happened this week in the world of trains. I am still slogging through the book proposal, so that is taking up a lot of time. But once I get this don, I won't have any more things to do apart from finish the PhD, and my, am I looking forward to finishing that.

Here's the round-up

Monday: "The Cross-Border Archive Project"
Tuesday: The Expected Politeness of Railway Officials - 1848 (N.B. To be read with an innocent mind)
Wednesday: The few Railwaymen on Strike before 1870
Thursday: 'Improved & Additional Express Service, London to Scotland'
Friday: Elizabeth Ainsworth - Railway Office Cleaner - 1892
Saturday: Collision on the Midland Railway [of a Beer Train]

And don't forget my main Turnip Rail post - A Brief History of the Female Railway Clerk 1830-1914

Collision on the Midland Railway [of a Beer Train] - 1883

One day I reckon I should do a history of the railways and beer. This is from The Pall Mall Gazette of January 26, 1883.

"A collision occurred yesterday on the Midland Railway between Leicester and London. A heavy beer train was being shunted to allow a Leicester express to pass, and while across the main line an empty waggon train dashed into it, smashing the waggons and completely blocking both lines. The engine kept the rails, and no serious personal injuries were sustained, but there was great damage to rolling stock, and the lines were not clear for traffic for several hours."

That may be all well and good, but how much beer was lost?

Elizabeth Ainsworth - Railway Office Cleaner - 1892

While browsing through railway company staff files, I came across Mrs Elizabeth Ainsworth, who was listed as an office cleaner at the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway's Ardwick Station in 1892. Just to see what I could turn up, I thought I would briefly look into how Elizabeth came to hold this post, as most women who were employed on the railways and were listed as 'Mrs' were widows of railwaymen who had been killed while on duty.

Elizabeth was appointed to her post on 29 November 1892 on the pitiful wage of eight shillings a week (£20 6s per year).[1] Therefore, I figured that the next thing to do was to look for her in the 1891 census. On finding her, I discovered that she was forty-nine when the census was taken and had been born in Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire. At that point she was living with her five children and husband, Henry, who was a railway porter.[2] The hunt was then on to find out what happened to Henry.

Unfortunately, his staff record has seemingly not survived. Yet, I did find out that a Henry Ainsworth died in the June quarter of 1892 in Chorlton, which is only four miles from Ardwick. Therefore, it is possible that this was my Henry, although the birth year on the Birth, Marriage and Death register does not match that on the 1891 census. Nevertheless, on the 1901 census, when Elizabeth was still living with four of her children in Ardwick, she was listed as being a widow.[4] Consequently, while much searching did not turn up how Henry died, I am almost certain that Elizabeth received the job because he had passed away.

Later records show that Elizabeth continued in the company's service until 1 February 1913, and that her wages were only advanced once, in October 1893, when she started receiving ten shillings a week.[3]

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[1] The National Archives [TNA], RAIL 463/309, MS & L Railway & Canal general staff book, p.45
[2] TNA, RG 12/3169, 1891 Census,  Lancashire, Ardwick, District 26, p30
[3] TNA, RAIL 463/243, Staff register: 4841 - 5342 No. 10, p.4932
[4] TNA, RG 13/3678, 1901 Census, Lancashire, South Manchester, Ardwick, District 29, p.32

'Improved & Additional Express Service, London to Scotland'

This notice was found on the front page of the London and North Western Railway's public timetable from 1869. Promoting the company's 'Improved and Additional Express Service,' It was part of a very extended fight that the east and west coast main line railway companies had for passenger traffic to Scotland between the 1850s and the 1930s. Indeed, the late 1860s was just one period when competition got a bit more heated.

The few Railwaymen on Strike before 1870

While reading an article by P.W. Kingsford on railway labour relations between 1835 and 1875, I was surprised by the seemingly peaceful relationship between railway workers and their employers. Indeed, Kingsford's extensive trawl of railway companies' files only turned up ten examples of strike action in the period, as follows: 

 Of the strikes, nine were actions regarding wages, either asking for increases or preventing decreases, while one, the Eastern Counties Enginemen's strike of 1850, was against disciplinary fines. Only four succeeded. In 1848 London and North Western Enginmen secured an 'understanding' that after a reorganisation a reduction of wages would not take place. The year after, Midland Railway Goods Guards and Porters ensured a reduction of wages would not go ahead. In 1854, Porters on the London and North Western managed to win an increase in wages. Lastly, 1867, Enginmen secured a compromise in a 'right of appeal in promotion.' Curiously, Kingsford doesn't site whether this was secured in the case of the North Eastern or London, Brighton and South Coast Enginemen.[1]

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[1] Kingsford, P.W., 'Labour Relations on the Railways, 1835-1875', in Channon, Geoffrey, Railways Volume II: Studies in Transport History, (Aldershot, 1996), p.53

The Expected Politeness of Railway Officials - 1848 (N.B. To be read with an innocent mind)

I went off to The National Archives last week to photograph some early railway rule books. While I haven't finished reviewing them, this rule from the 1848 Great Western Railway rule book particularly interested me. Just a warning - you should really read it with an innocent mind ;)