The LNER Encyclopedia

Hi everyone -

I've been reading through your site and messageboard with great interest - I am searching for information relating to my great grandfather, James Francis Abbs / Howard - I know he has connections to the railway but I am becoming incredibly unstuck when trying to search for archived records.

I hope you will forgive the rambling post but I thought it best to explain what I know as fact first.

Born 22nd May 1885 as James Francis Howard, he lived with his mother and other siblings as lodgers of James Abbs in Whitby, and was subsequently recorded as James Francis Abbs in the census of 1891 and 1901.

In 1911 he is recorded on the census as living in 1 Railway Cottage at North Skelton as a permenent way platelayer (above ground), the Parish Rate book of 1913 shows him as renting the property with the owners listed as the N E Railway Co.

Shortly thereafter (in 1913) he married, and around this time he reverted to James Francis Howard.

In my fumbling way - I have learned that the N E Railway Co became part of LNER, and this is where I begin to get stuck. I contacted a website that keeps lists of records relevent to the LNER and they sent me a whole list of things that could potentially be relevent and where they are held - but whenever I try and search them on the applicable website - I don't seem to have a relevent search result?

Any pointers as to what I'm doing wrong?

Essentially knowing nothing about railways is making this an extremely frustrating venture - I don't see an awful lot of information relating specifically to Skelton - is the line this was on known as anything else? I don't even know for sure he worked at Skelton but it seems logicial to assume that first?

Also - I have several pictures of him standing on the rail line with his tools if these would be of interest to any member I would be happy to scan them in.

First I assume you searched on wikipedia
Using that site I came across this site it will give you a brief history of the line and locality.
http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/n/no ... ndex.shtml

Also on this forum LNER INFO there is currently a thread on Whitby Scarborough and Boulby
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4877
This is about various items of interest on the line concerned.

It would be interesting to see the photos of the tools if you could post them please.
Hope this helps.

Hi Bryan,

Many thanks for your message, the linked article was of great interest.

I've just found out the photos have gone back to another relative but I've sent an email and hopefully she will send me copies.

You may be barking up the wrong tree, you give a reference to Platelayer above ground. This may indicate his employment was with a Cleveland Iron Company rather than a mainline railway. Some if not all of these companys had their own private lines.