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  • Railway ancesters

    I've read that the National Archives hold good records on the railways, including staff records. My g grandfather worked on the railway from at least 1881 & became a driver & drove the Golden Arrow. I am hoping to find out more when I am at Kew in December, but am unsure where to find the records. Does anyone have experience of these records?
    Last edited by Lynn The Forest Fan; 30-09-08, 22:26.
    Lynn

  • #2
    I think you need to know which railway he worked for.
    ~ with love from Little Nell~
    Chowns, Dunt, Emms, Mealing, Purvey & Smoothy

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    • #3
      Have you tried on here, Lynn?
      Cheshire County Council - Railways Staff Register Home
      KiteRunner

      Every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good... laugh"
      (Indigo Girls, "Watershed")

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      • #4
        Have you seen the National Archives research guide? I haven't looked at railway records myself but there may be something helpful in there

        Detecting your browser settings

        Jackie
        Jackie

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        • #5
          I believe he was with the London Chatham & Dover Railway, so sadly the link Kate gave is no use. I did look at the National Archives link that Jackie put on & found sonething that I couldn't find before . I had a catalogue number but it didn't come up when I searched before.

          I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually found anything from these records
          Lynn

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          • #6
            The National Railway Museum (which is part of the Science Museum) has some records for some companies. A possible problem with the London Chatham and Dover is that it was s smalish company and also tended to be short of money, so maybe documents weren't archived as well as they might have been.
            Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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            • #7
              I am not sure why I think the was with the London Chatham & Dover Railway, he lived in Battersea, would that have been the nearest? I do know that he drove the Golden Arrow which was a Southern railways train, but that they started in 1923, so am not totally sure which company it was before
              Lynn

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              • #8
                Another source is the Black Sheep index - no idea how good it is, though:

                RAILWAYS

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Lynn The Forest Fan View Post
                  I am not sure why I think the was with the London Chatham & Dover Railway, he lived in Battersea, would that have been the nearest? I do know that he drove the Golden Arrow which was a Southern railways train, but that they started in 1923, so am not totally sure which company it was before
                  There were several companies operating south of the river, and many amalgamations. I would treat "he drove the Golden Arrow" as a family myth. It didn't start running until 1929.

                  The Golden Arrow

                  Living in Battersea he could have worked for the LC&DR or the London & South Western, or more or less any other railway company. They all had goods yards all over the place around London, accessed by "joint running" and even ran passenger trains to the most obscure destinations.
                  Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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                  • #10
                    The link below will take you straight into the Southern Railway/Golden Arrow records held at TNA.

                    The National Archives | The Catalogue | Browse

                    The Pullman started the run from 1926 but became the Golden Arrow and link to Calais and Paris trains 1929 as John has said.

                    If you can tap into any UK railway records I understand they are good unlike the Irish Railway records which after about 20 years I am still trying to acess!!

                    Janet
                    Last edited by Janet; 01-10-08, 12:11.

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                    • #11
                      Would someone who was a Steam Engine fitter, be classed
                      as someone who worked on the railways ?

                      Clare

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                      • #12
                        i guess so. would there be records somewhere for a foreman railway porter?
                        wateva that means?

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by littlemoo View Post
                          Would someone who was a Steam Engine fitter, be classed as someone who worked on the railways ?
                          Not necessarily. There were thousands of stationary steam engines in factories and mines, driving machinery and pumping water (and even sewage!). It's much more likely they were working on stationary engines unless they lived in a "railway town" such as Swindon or Horwich or Doncaster (to name but a few).
                          Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by kylejustin View Post
                            i guess so. would there be records somewhere for a foreman railway porter?
                            wateva that means?
                            There must have been records somewhere at some time. A foreman railway porter is one step up from a porter, who was the general dogsbody around a railway station.
                            Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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                            • #15
                              A steam engine fitter may well have worked on the railways, but remember there were also steam engines in, for example, mines, factories, ships. These were often 'stationary engines' - not all steam engines moved about!

                              I know that the National Railway Museum in York is undertaking a long term project to make many of its records searchable, although I don't know if this will extend to the internet or just to visitors to the museum. It would be well worth asking what records are held. Their storerooms are bulging with archives - some still to be catalogued! From his retirement, right up to his death, my Dad worked as a volunteer for 2 days a week cataloguing techinical drawings of locomotives etc. He did this, with others, for about 20 years and it wasn't finished when he died!!! The paid museum staff have neither the time nor (in some cases) the technical knowledge to do it.

                              Anne

                              Sorry, Uncle John - snap!!

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                              • #16
                                Mmmm, this might not be as easy as previously thought! My g grandfather would have been 71 in 1929, so possibly a bit old to be driving the golden Arrow.
                                I have had a look at the Black Sheep index, but as his name, William Clarke is not uncommon, I am not sure if he is on there or not.
                                I might just have to look & see what I can find when I get there.
                                Lynn

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                                • #17
                                  I was able to find my G-g-father's (brief) record in the staff register for GWR at Kew. It took me longer than it should have done, because I made a note of the old ref instead of the new one, and placed my document order on that basis! :o

                                  Christine
                                  Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

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                                  • #18
                                    Thanks Christine, its nice to know that someone has had success with these records. I spoke to my Mum about it & she confirmed that he used to drive trains from Victoria to Dover, so I have got the right rail company. She said that the Golden Arrow story is what she had been told, but it might not have been correct, she was only young when he died & there isn't really anyone left to ask.
                                    Lynn

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                                    • #19
                                      Thanks for starting this thread Lynn. It is very interesting to me as I have several ancestors who worked on the railways. I have always been intrigued by one in particular who worked as an engine stoker and lived near Wigan. He met an untimely death in 1881 when, according to his death cert, he was run over by waggons at the weighing station.
                                      Louise

                                      "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun."

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                                      • #20
                                        Originally posted by Louise View Post
                                        Thanks for starting this thread Lynn. It is very interesting to me as I have several ancestors who worked on the railways. I have always been intrigued by one in particular who worked as an engine stoker and lived near Wigan. He met an untimely death in 1881 when, according to his death cert, he was run over by waggons at the weighing station.
                                        That should be recorded in the equivalent of an accident book. There may also be local newspaper entries?

                                        Christine
                                        Researching: BENNETT (Leics/Birmingham-ish) - incl. Leonard BENNETT in Detroit & Florida ; WARR/WOR, STRATFORD & GARDNER/GARNAR (Oxon); CHRISTMAS, RUSSELL, PAFOOT/PAFFORD (Hants); BIGWOOD, HAYLER/HAILOR (Sussex); LANCASTER (Beds, Berks, Wilts) - plus - COCKS (Spitalfields, Liverpool, Plymouth); RUSE/ROWSE, TREMEER, WADLIN(G)/WADLETON (Devonport, E Cornwall); GOULD (S Devon); CHAPMAN, HALL/HOLE, HORN (N Devon); BARRON, SCANTLEBURY (Mevagissey)...

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