Railway engine driver

[minnieminer]

My gg grandfather is listed as a railway engine driver in the census
and in earlier years a stoker.  My uncle said that being a railway driver was not that difficult is that true? Anyone know what was involved and would there be any records of engine drivers?
thanks   

[july]

Hi  My Grt Grt Grt Grandad was an Engin driver in Carlise and in the family tree magazine it says they started as a stoker and worked there way up.
 they also had to have had a good education as going to Grammer school. hope this helps.

[Mean_genie]

There may be records for railway employees, including engine drivers, but first you need to know which company he worked for. Try to get hold of a copy of 'Railway Ancestors' by David Hawkings, which is the best book on the subject. Failing that, there is a TNA Research Guide on the subject:

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=124

Mean_genie

[cazza59]

Just to be contradictory, my Gt Gt Grandfather was also an engine driver for the London Brighton line, working his way up from engine cleaner.  I doubt he even went to school let alone a grammar school.

I've been fortunate enough to have seen  the railway records held at the National Archives, and if you are lucky enough to find your relative in the employee records there is quite a bit of information so well worth the trip if you can.  Sadly I didn't find my relative, but there was one volume of employee records that has not been released yet, so here's hoping. 

Cheers
Caz

[percy porter]

  My uncle said that being a railway driver was not that difficult is that true? Anyone know what was involved and would there be any records of engine drivers?
thanks   

Your Uncle was obviously never an engine driver, it took years to reach that position, usually started of as an engine cleaner, to stoker and then after mainly working in the yards shunting, then local line work, only the skilled would go on to mainline work.

It was not just a matter of working levers and applying the brakes at the appropriatte time, a lot of knowledge had to be gained in the principals of steam propulsion. It was a skilled proffession and anyone who tries to tell you any different should be ignored. 

[cazza59]

Aw, that's nice to know Percy, that makes me quite proud of the fact that my GtGt Grandfather worked his way from engine cleaner to an engine driver as I know from census records he was forced to go to work at a young age coming from a poor ag lab family with numerous siblings, so he definitely did not have a formal education.

Cheers, you've made my day.

Caz

[cazza59]

PS I'm lucky enough to have the original of his notification of his pension allowance and a copy of his reference he got from Waterloo station when he retired in 1926. 

Caz

[Blackdog]

Hi,
    My Grand father was an engine driver. He also had to work his way through, and certainly without a significant education. He was a general cleaner come second stoker during the WW1 in France.  In his later career he converted from steam to diesel and was often bemoaning what he thought of as a job requiring few skills in comparison to driving the steam trains.  So that is maybe what your uncle was referring to rather then the old steam trains.