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Some Special Interests => Occupation Interests => Topic started by: polidor on Wednesday 07 November 07 11:17 GMT (UK)

Title: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: polidor on Wednesday 07 November 07 11:17 GMT (UK)
i know that another  photo of my father [2nd from left] showed him wearing a British Railway hat badge. A Lion.

I believe that B.R was the result of an amalgamation of companies?

Do the uniforms in this photo ,that as far as i know was taken a few years earlier than the hat badge photo, give any indication of a company before it became B.R?  Poli.

p.s Anyone recognise the sidings?
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: ricky1 on Wednesday 07 November 07 11:23 GMT (UK)
Hi polidor

I think the easiest answer would be where did he live, would then be able to say who he might have worked for. As for the uniforms's I think most of them were the same, but dont quote me on that,
ricky
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: polidor on Wednesday 07 November 07 12:00 GMT (UK)
Hi Ricky--the photo is part of an ongoing search for info about my father's railway service [all his working life]

i am attempting to add an even older photo of him here in case it may help as there appears to be an emblem on the hat, can't make it out though.

in case you've read the other posts i put re railwaymen etc, i mentioned that i think he worked at the Cricklewood/Brent or Neasden sidings. we lived in Hendon Middx. Poli
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: meles on Wednesday 07 November 07 12:22 GMT (UK)
You could always e-mail the image to The Railway Magazine. There's bound to be someone there who will recognise it.

http://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/

meles
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: polidor on Wednesday 07 November 07 12:28 GMT (UK)
Thanks meles, that's a good idea. Poli :)

i should add that he was born in 1903 and i believe he began work at the age of 14 until he retired. Think that may have been 1968.
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: Isles on Wednesday 07 November 07 12:46 GMT (UK)
Hi polidor,

Do you know for a fact that his cap is showing a lion ? 
I may be wrong but in the second photo it looks like LMS, i.e. London Midland and Scottish.
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: meles on Wednesday 07 November 07 12:58 GMT (UK)
The chap third from the left is wearing this badge, which was the norm. Sometimes it would say "Guard" or "Driver" or whatever. The colour would vary according to Region - this one is Midland red, which is the most likely for your ancestor.

In the second picture, I've blown it up, and it's not clear what it says - the resolution is too low.

meles
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: polidor on Wednesday 07 November 07 13:41 GMT (UK)
The photo below is when he was an inspector in the Goods Sidings.  I've been told that is B.R but i always thought that at the beginning of his working life he worked for one of the train companies tht was swallowed up by B.R.

The pic of him sitting down is the earliest photo followed [i think] by the group photo and the hat badge one was taken at the far end of his railway service. Working at either Cricklewood/brent or Neasden Middx.

Cricklewood/Brent was nearest to where we lived in Hendon.
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: meles on Wednesday 07 November 07 13:44 GMT (UK)
This was the badge used at the beginning of BR. The one I showed is later. They would have appeared together at one stage.

I've trying to find the dates, but with no success!

meles
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: polidor on Wednesday 07 November 07 17:19 GMT (UK)
Well meles--done it---sent a short covering letter and the 3 photos to the Railway Magazine.

I'll report back if i get a reply at all. Poli :)
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: Bonnie66 on Friday 09 November 07 11:15 GMT (UK)
Great Uncle was  a shunter with LMS and also GWR, think it is LMS from the photo I have of my Great Uncle, which would tie in with Hendon area.
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: SimonandKitty on Thursday 06 December 07 22:26 GMT (UK)
Polidor,

OK, donning my anorak.....................

I beleive that the picture was indeed taken on the London Midland Region of British Railways.  The reason for this statement is that on the right hand side of the picture, below the bridge there is a part of a locomotive.  I beleive this to be an ex- LMS Class 3F tank engine, commonly called "Jinties".  These were the prevalent shunting locomotives of the LMS and later BR.  They were certainly prevalent in great numbers at Cricklewood and Brent yards.

You might try to see if there is an Ex-Railwayman's Club there, it was a massive goods yard and there will be a lot of ex-BR employees in the area.

The area does not look like Neasden, a little too undustrialised, if that helps.

Anorak, back on the coathook.............for now.

Simon (and an ashamed Kitty)

Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: polidor on Thursday 06 December 07 23:34 GMT (UK)
Hi Simon & [ Kitty :-[ ]

Thanks for the idea re the Ex-railwayman's Club. I think from the different replies i've had plus forays i've made into R/way websites i'm  thinking you are probably right re the company.

Don't leave the anorak on the coathook too long, i might have some more questions later  ;D

p.s i never heard back again from the Railway Magazine unfortunately





Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: Martin Briscoe on Thursday 06 December 07 23:56 GMT (UK)
Have you tried the Railway Ancestor FHS?

http://www.railwayancestors.fsnet.co.uk/


Martin Briscoe
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: SimonandKitty on Friday 07 December 07 12:10 GMT (UK)
Polidor,

Given that you strongly suspect Cricklewood or Brent Yards as the location, and these being ex-Midland Railway (then LMS, then BR premises) you might try to contact the editor of a specialist magazine called the Midland Railway Record, I think it is published by Wild Swan or Ian Allen (I will check when I next see it).  I am not a subscriber myself but here may be a letters page therein.  It's small circulation and specialist editorial team might have more focus than the Railway Magazine which covers all UK Companies.

I go to the Ian Allen Bookshop in Birmingham which stocks the magazine monthly and I will see what it offers and hopefully "browse" the address for you.  The managers don't mind browsers as long as we buy something!

Simon (Kitty's still too embarrased of my anorak).
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: SimonandKitty on Friday 07 December 07 12:13 GMT (UK)
As an aside, is it possible to enlarge the detail to the right of the 4th (from the left) gentleman's head.  I am particularly interested in the Signal.  They were unique to each company and might confirm the origin of the photo to the Midland Railway.
Title: Re: Railway uniform--what is the company??
Post by: polidor on Friday 07 December 07 14:34 GMT (UK)
Hi anorak--oops, sorry, --Simon   ;)

I tried cropping and enlarging the photo with the signal but all i got was a bigger blurred signal instead of a small blurred signal i'm afraid. No identification that i could see.
The larger i make the picture the more blurred it becomes. Good idea about the magazine, thankyou .Poli