The LNER Encyclopedia

Okay everyone, please bear with me for a moment. Last night I was watching a cable channel here in Japan that, on Friday evenings, devotes three hours to railway programmes (including some very cool old newsreel stuff of Japanese steam engines). Anyway, they also show a really good programme from the States called "Tracks Ahead":

http://www.tracksahead.net/

Last night's show had an interview with Nancy Smiler Levinson, who wrote a book called "She's Been Working on the Railroad". She was saying that it had been very difficult to get images and information about women working on the railways in the early days, especially during WW1 & WW2, and between the wars. This made me think about my grandmother and other older female members of my family who had "done their bit" for the war efforts and the stories they told.
I managed to dig out some very old photos (yes, I know one of them is LMS...no booing and hissing please) of women railway workers from both wars.
Does anyone know of anywhere I could get more information, or, does anyone have anything to add to this?

This is post number one (the serious one). On my researches I also found the material contained in "Women on the Railways (2)" which is amusing but very interesting.

Malcolm

Okay now for the amusing ones:
These were taken during the General Strike of 1926 and purportedly show women doing their bit to keep the railways running. However, I think it is a piece of propaganda on the part on the LNER as, if you take a close look the women are all wearing high heel shoes (not a good idea), make-up, the dirt looks a bit too artistically applied, and furthermore the chosen loco in a masterful piece of unsubtle advertising is A1 2560 Pretty Polly.

Just the same, I think they represent a fantastic piece of history, and will certainly become part of my collection.

What does everybody think?

Malcolm

More women working on the railways.
Come on everyone, this is our heritage, our history. Some of these women were our grandmothers, our mothers.

9th February 1938: Mrs. Wharton of Cheshire, one of the few female level crossing keepers on the British railway network, does her job with the help of her daughter.

A group of women war workers begin a shift as permanent way labourers on the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), 18th December 1941. They are the first women to be employed in such a role.

Malcolm

Great shots. Are they honestly female drivers or fire...... erm I want to say firemen but that isn't really appropriate perhaps furnace attending operatives? Yes thats it. Are they female dirvers or female furnace attending operatives? (lol, runs away to hide from Germaine Greer)

Don't know, but I would very much like to find out.
Any ideas anyone?

Malcolm

CVR1865 wrote:Great shots. Are they honestly female drivers or fire...... erm I want to say firemen but that isn't really appropriate perhaps furnace attending operatives? Yes thats it. Are they female dirvers or female furnace attending operatives? (lol, runs away to hide from Germaine Greer)

I like "firepersons":D

Also, I don't know to what extent these ladies were wearing make-up, but the girl fitting the lamp on Pretty Polly looks like she needs a shave more than anyting else. LOL!

Malcolm: some years ago there was a young lady who fired on the Fort William -Mallaig summer steam workings. I would imagine it was towards the end of B R days. I remember Steam Railway ran an article on her.

Thanks Stembok, I'll look that up.

Malcolm

As I posted in LNER people Sept.11th.
My mother was a platelayer during the last war years.

Now that looks like fun!

Malcolm

Malcolm wrote:Now that looks like fun!

Malcolm

Yes, and is that not a Southern 'Scotch Arthur' on the left?

Malcolm, afraid I have no photos, I was brand new at the time, but I had an aunt who was porter at Hadley Wood during the war. Hadley Wood lies between the two Hadley tunnels and in those days there was only one track each way. It was a really lonely station at night when she seems to have spent most of her time there - alone ! When I was older and first railway obsessed she used to tell me how creepy the old booking office was and how pleased she was to see the last train from Kings Cross out, then jump in the brake with the guard to get back to Potters Bar.