Dundee Railways

[Gali]

There is a public tree containing detail on Thomas and Bridget on Ancestry ...

[Rosie60]

Thanks so much for all your help. I have had another look at his death details: he was a Railway Waggon Driver. His parents were Thomas Connelly and Mary Cairns. I have picked him up on the 1861 and 1871 census's but had more difficulty pinpointing him in the 1841 and 1851 census's. Thanks for the lead with the 1851 census..did you get the info from Ancestry or Scotlandspeople please. I'll have another search.

I contacted the Dundee library, hoping that his accident might have been reported in a local newspaper of the time, but there doesn't appear to have been a report.

Thank you again for all assistance, time and enthusiasm to help me.

[Gali]

Hi Rosie60,

I just used the census search on Ancestry to find the 1851 info ... 

If you are trying to locate the tree I mentioned on Ancestry the author has listed 'your Thomas' father surname as 'Conlin' ...

Is there an RCE (Register of Corrected Entries) attached to his death cert on SP?  Look for a red button on right hand corner of screen ... there often was for a death that occurred suddenly or without medical attention ...
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?1314

Did he die in hospital?  Dundee University have the medical records of an ancestor of mine who passed away in Dundee Royal Infirmary, might be worth a check ... archives[at]dundee.ac.uk
Moderator Comment: e-mail edited, to avoid spamming and other abuses.
Please replace [-- at --] with @

[Rosie60]

Thank you again for all help and advice. Thomas's death extract says that he died from his injuries of '3 months'. So it seems unlikely that he suffered the injury several years before he died unfortunately. Perhaps, at the time, the accident just didn't seem to be too serious...there doesn't appear to be a newspaper report about it. Hence, the reason I want to try to see if there are railway archives that still survive.

Thanks for the tip with regards to contacting Dundee University re medical records. I have sent an email and await a reply.

Thanks also for finding a Thomas Connelly in the 1851 census. I had found another Thomas Connelly and presumed I had found him..so I need now to do a bit more research to see if I can decide which is the right one!

As always, thank you for your time and enthusiasm in trying to help me. 

Rosie

[AdrianB38]

A "Railway Waggon Driver" generally means someone who drove waggons (yes, occasionally spelt like that) around the streets - i.e. horse drawn wagons.

That being so, it wouldn't appear on any site for railway accidents, which in any case deal with notifiable accidents between trains - someone in a railway goods yard who didn't move fast enough to get out of the way of a train being shunted wouldn't appear on those railway accident sites. Nor would they appear in the newspaper unless it were sufficiently gory to be of interest to the "tabloid" press.

[Rosie60]

Adrian,

Thank you for explaining what a 'Railway Waggon Driver' was. Does that possibily mean then, that my ancestor didn't work for a Rail Company at all,  but was just a driver of horse drawn wagons?

Thanks for any further advice.

[AdrianB38]

If it says "Railway Waggon Driver", then I'd reckon he drove railway waggons most of the time and would therefore most likely be a railway employee. The railway companies delivered most of the stuff they transported - doesn't mean a local company couldn't have a contract with a railway company for local haulage, but my gut feeling is that if they take the trouble to put the word "railway" in, then that's who employed him. Nothing is ever certain, but I'd be pretty certain that's the case.

[Rosie60]

Adrian,

Thanks for your help.

I think now I need to maybe contact the Dundee Archives to find information on Railway Companies...and if information regarding employees exist.

I so appreciate your help.

Rosie

[Elwyn Soutter]

My understanding is that all the various railway records were given to the National Archives in Kew:

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/railway-staff.htm