"We would have the public…somewhat more mindful" a view on the benifits of railways from 1856

We would have the public…somewhat more mindful of the benefits they have already derived from the railways; it would improve their patience under evils for the time unavoidable…They save the public two-thirds of their time in transit, and two-thirds in fares and tills; they have given us the penny post, which would not have existed without them; they have intersected the country with telegraph wires employing 3000 persons, stretching a distance of 86,000 miles and flashing a million messages a year, many of them to and from places hundreds of miles apart; they have reduced the cost of many articles of general consumption, and rendered others common where nature seemed to plant an interdict against them…In 1854 they transported 111,000,000 passengers…in such safety that in the first half of the year but one accident happened to every 7,195,341 passengers. In these journeys, each passenger gains an hour in time, amounting in all to 38,000 years of working life at eight hours a day. Supposing the day’s labour to be worth three shillings, these deplorable railways save the nation £2,000,000 a year in the item of time alone.

Chamber’s Journal (1856), 227

Advertising Christmas: Posters for Christmas trains before 1914

London and North Western Railway - 1853

York, Newcastle and Berwick; York and North Midland and Leeds Northern Railways - 1853

Stockton & Darlington Railway -1856

Liskeard & Looe Railway - 1906

Dismissed for being drunk - 1899

These chaps were dismissed by Great Northern Railway in 1899 for having a bit too much...

Pallender, J.W. - Parcels Porter, Peterboro' Passenger [station], for being asleep and under the influence of drink when on duty.

Thorndike, Geo. Wm. - Superior Foreman Prorter, Manchester Goods [station], for being under the influence of drink, and asleep in a wagon whilst on duty.

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Source: The National Archives, RAIL 236/160, Traffic Committee Minute Book, 5/10/1899, p.257

London and North Western Railway Criminal Prosecutions - December 1878

In December 1878 the London and North Western Railway prosecuted the following number of cases:

Crime                                                                                          Number of cases

Robbery                                                                                                 6

Drunk and disorderly                                                                               4

Attempting to enter a train in motion                                                         3

Travelling in a superior class of carriage to that for which tickets were 

held + obstructing the company’s servants in the execution of their duty     3

Receiving stolen property                                                                         3

Travelling without a ticket                                                                         2

Interfering with comfort of passengers + obstructing the company’s 

servants in the execution of their duty                                                       2

Travelling with platform tickets                                                                  2

Pocket-Picking                                                                                       1

Drunk and assaulting a company’s servant                                               1

Travelling with ticket over date                                                                 1

Assaulting Company’s servant                                                                 1

Trespass                                                                                               1

 Source: The National Archives, RAIL 410/183, Traffic Committee minute book, Minute 31173, 10 January 1879

A Temporary End to Turnip Rail

Dear all. It is with much sadness that I write this post.

On Monday I had my Thesis Advisory Panel, where, after much discussion, it was decided that I need more work on my PhD than could be done within the three months of my remaining registration. Indeed, I may even need to extend my work until Christmas. Consequently, this has left me very disheartened, as I was hoping to start a book in October.

*UPDATE* I have decided not to pursue a career as an author and have decided to go into academia full-time when my PhD is over. It is why I did the PhD and, ultimately, I'll have the opportunity to do the thing I love, research. I am not saying I will never write a popular book - just not yet.

However, this said, I am determined to get the work done as soon is as humanly possible (before Christmas hopefully). The problem with a thesis, any thesis, is by the end those doing them want to get shot of them. Indeed, while I love my topic and the subject matter, I feel that after six years it is time to move on. Therefore, to speed my work, I have taken the decision to virtually suspend working on anything new for my sites, 'Turnip Rail' and 'Turnip Rail's Waiting Room'. Given my lovely, loyal readership, this decision has not been taken easily, and I do feel I am letting down the people who like the site and who have made it such a success over the past two and a half years. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their support. But I have to get the thesis done ASAP. My career, and my sanity perhaps, depends on it.

But I will leave you with this thought: Turnip Rail will return, you can be sure of it.

With Love

David

Some Images of Railfest 2012

Weekly Round-Up

I have been working on my book proposal this week before my big meeting on Monday (in York) with my supervisor which, I hope, will set me up for four months of hard editing of the thesis. Bring it on!

So here's the round-up:

Monday: Britain's first Dining Car - 1879
Tuesday: "He was ordered to leave" - A Drunk at the Victoria Station - 1872
Thursday: "Special Trains to London for the Duke [of Wellington's] Funeral" - 1852
Friday: Britain's Largest Employers in 1907
Saturday: Some Railway Worker's Accidents in the 1880s

No main blog post this week (I've too much on I'm afraid). But check out last week's offeringDid the Management Ever Control Britain's 19th Century Railways?