The LNER Encyclopedia

With a nod to Manna & Micky in discussions of late. When did the British transport police form. Was there an LNER police force, i Know the NER had a force, Im interested to know as i have a pic of Merry Hampton off the rails at Goswick 1947 and a PC is looking into the cab through the roof would he be a local bobby or a LNER policeman.

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I won't say where, but in one area they were known as the Keystone Cops and not without good reason!

Not much help really, but I recall that during the period up to about 1974, that we regularly referred to them, not as the BTP, but as the BTC police (British Transport Commission - then, surely, an already out-of-date reference?).

Hi 52D
The BTP was formed in 1948 when all the company police forces were amalgamated, the LNER did have a police force as such, but all they where was virtually watchmen, whether they wore police uniforms I dont know. I can never recall seing my uncle in one, his area was Grimsby and Grimsby Docks.

Aren't they are going to take charge of the police helicopter force? God help us if they do.

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I have had cause to call them out a few times whilst at work and in general the response was as stated earlier - TOO LATE by at least a day.
However on one occaision I was surprised.
We were relaying at Pontefract Monkhill in the station area when the local youth decided to see how far they could throw rocks.
The tamper crew were OK being inside the tamper but the rest of us had to retreat to the vans. The tamper did have some rather large dents in the roof.

I called the BTP and a turnout resulted within 45 minutes.
In fact one offender was even caught.
We were all gobsmacked, never been known before.

Re Micky's remark about BT Police dogs.

Once read about the first ever police dogs and they were used by the railway police in the Hull area.

Not Alsations as they were then known, but Airdales which were very effective according to the reading.

Can't remember which book it was many years ago.

The North Eastern Railway Police were the first UK police force to use police dogs. They were Airedale Terriers - Lord Airedale was a director of the NER. The Chief of the NER police before the 1st World War was Captain William Horwood who became Provost Marshall of the Army in France rising to the rank of Brigadier. In the early 1920s he was Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis.

The NER and the other LNER companies operated seperately (as did their police forces), as part of the LNER 'group' until after the General Strike when the company re-organised as one company with one police force. There were police at large main line stations, but the biggest responsibility of the NER and then the LNER police was Hull Docks.

The LNER police were merged in 1947 with the GWR, LMS, SR and Cheshire Lines Committee police forces to form the short lived, and largely forgotten, British Railway Police. About a year later the British Railway Police were merged with various canal and dock police to form the British Transport Commission Police. London Transport Police continued as a seperate force until the late 1950s.

With the break up of the British Transport Commission in the early 1960s police became the responsibility of the British Railways Board and the force became the British Transport Police.

Returning to 52D's original question it could have been a railway policeman or a local constable; without a picture it is impossible to know.

Ive been having problems with my mobile broadband but will cut and edit the pic later.

Hi Guys

Some of you appear to have strange ideas about the history of policing the railway some are pretty accurate, so I suggest that you have a look at the BTP History Group web site: http://www.btp.org.uk - I am a member of the group and the project manager for searching the census for railway,dock and canal police officers, recording the details and link them to the record which we hold. A mammoth task which should keep me busy for a few years!

If you have any information which you think may help me then please get in touch, and yes the BTP with national control centres will be managing the police helicopter service shortly, after a decision by ACPO and others that the BTP are the best Force to do so See the Force web site http://www.btp.police.org and check out the media section where it is mentioned.. And yes, I was a BTP officer for 32 years and I never knew of an incident being attended 24 hours later where the incident warranted an immediate response, if BTP were not available then local police would be asked to attend, which is probably where the 'traffic light' story originated from - the local police and not BTP - who are all track safety trained by Network Rail trainers

Best wishes

Railway Bill

Just for the record, the Cheshire Lines police force mentioned above was absorbed into the LMS force in 1936 as an economy measure. Several other departments on the CLC also disappered then into either the LMS or the LNER.

Guys. Can I just say that the correct url is http://www.btphg.org.uk.

Dave.

what is badly needed in both N and 00 scales (?) is BTP cars and vans

mr B