Tailor making railway uniforms Crewe

[Domingo]

My great grandfather worked in Crewe making uniforms for railway workers in Crewe. Would he have been employed by the railway company or a private company?

I have visited Chester record office today and found the employment records of my grandfathers brothers who both worked at the Crewe works, it was very interesting looking at the records, one grand uncle job was a chair caster(?) in the foundry earning 21/- in 1918 rising to 33/- in 1922, the other grand uncle was employed as a labour then as a cleaner at 21/- in 1920 rising to 31/- in 1926 then reducing to 30/- in 1928.

Mary

[AdrianB38]

The London & North Western Railway (LNWR) made absolutely everything itself, from its steel rails to its steam locos, from wheelbarrows to artificial legs. Even the bricks for its buildings. So yes, they made uniforms as well.

According to a 1903 map in Brian Reed's book, "Crewe Locomotive Works and Its Men" (page 123), the "railway clothing factory" was on the west side of that part of Bridle Road running roughly north/south. (Do a Google Street View and you'll see a saw-tooth roof building fitted with north facing roof-lights. I'm guessing that's it since it doesn't look like a later replacement. In fact it looks like an smaller version of an LNWR loco shed!)

Your chair caster would have cast chairs for the railway track. These are screwed and spiked to the wooden sleepers, and are sort of U-shaped in cross-section on a bigger base. The rails dropped down into the "U" and wooden wedges are hammered home on one side between the rail and the outer jaw of the "U". The inner jaw has a curl over at the top of the "U" to hold the rail in place. Go and look at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_fastening_system and find the series of photos at the bottom for Rail fastening types - photos "Track joint and chairs" and "Steel spring keyed rail in chair" will show you the chairs that he spent his days casting.

[AdrianB38]

Oh heck - I just turned the page in that book and it says (p119) "flanking Bridle Road was a private railway clothing factory that had been built by the railway in 1880 to house John Compton's business on its removal from similar premises in Sandon St."

So it rather looks as if, although the premises were supplied by the LNWR, the company was a private one! And WH Chaloner's "The Social & Economic Development of Crewe" (p87) says it was enlarged in 1890/91 and 1914/15 with Compton's successors being J Hammond & Co.

But the LNWR did make its own barrows!

[Domingo]

Wow ! thank you so much for your very informative reply, I did wonder what a chair caster was and you have answered so many queries that I had.

I think that a family tree should not be just names and dates, I am trying to pass on to my children and grandchildren more personal details of their ancestors.

Once again thank you

Mary

[Domingo]

I have just ordered the following book from Amazon.

"Ada Nield Chew, suffragette who began her activism in Crewe by writing a series of letters to the Crewe Chronicle, signed "A Crewe Factory Girl", critical of the pay and conditions of women working in factories. At that time in 1894 she was working in Crompton Brothers' clothing factory in Crewe"

Mary

[Redroger]

The chairs he cast would have been the older type shown in the wikipedia drawing. They were substantial castings, and it would have been hot, heavy work making them.

[maybaby]

Hello. A relative has  given me a photo of a gentleman in a L and NW uniform. I would like to learn more about the man and also what the chevrons on his uniform signify. Further information at
https://tonilouiseabram.com/2018/02/05/the-railway-man/. Can anyone here help?

[CaroleW]

duplicate post
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=807713.msg6669022#msg6669022

[Redroger]

Sorry, can't help on this one. It may be that he was some type of uniformed supervisor. The chevrons did suggest that he was connected with the railway police (I have an LNW helmet badge from 1911) but when I looked he is quite clearly not a policeman. However, a suggestion initially trains were signalled by the railway police, but this was in the very early days 19th century. I just wonder if he is a signalman, and the chevrons are a leftover from the era of the police signalling the trains. Googling L&NWR unifroms might help.