Railway mystery -- RedRoger needed!

[Rena]

Thanks also to Rena for the input. It's not right, though; sorry :-( The occupation in question is "point holder" not pointsman. Thanks anyway.

Helena

I had to go back to read your original posting Helena as I'd atually copied and pasted your job title as the "search" term.

My mistake was not checking what I'd pasted with what actually turned up in the search results !!

[Helena_Wojtczak]

I had to go back to read your original posting Helena as I'd atually copied and pasted your job title as the "search" term.

My mistake was not checking what I'd pasted with what actually turned up in the search results !!

Aw well thanks anyway

[mazi]

I am as surprised as you are 

Toton was a huge marshalling yard, sorting wagons of coal from the Nottingham coalfields to many different destinations, these were sorted into intended destinations by pushing them over a hump
and allowing them to roll along,
The point holder would hold the points for one wagon, then quickly switch them for the next and so on until the entire train of maybe sixty wagons was sorted.
Then repeat for the next train.



Toton was huge, so an endless task, she must have been a big strong lass 

Mike

Have i led you astray a bit, dad was living in Carlton in 1901, so would have worked for the GNR, who also had a large sorting yard, smaller than toton but still big, at nether field.

I am also puzzled by dads massive downgrading to pointsman in 1911, although at 57 it could be illness or injury or just failing the drivers medical.

I wonder what area toton no. 1 union branch covered.
Mike

[Helena_Wojtczak]

Hi Mike

"would have worked for the GNR, who also had a large sorting yard, smaller than toton but still big, at nether field."

Thank you. Useful info!

"dads massive downgrading to pointsman" er, pointholder.

 "I wonder what area toton no. 1 union branch covered."

ASRS Toton No.1 branch covered the railway yards of Nottingham and Long Eaton.

Helena

[Redroger]

Somehow I seem to have missed this posting, and have only now stumbled on it by accident. Last year my postings were extremely limited due to waiting cataract surgery. It was successful and I  now picking up the pieces.In this case the downgrading was probably due to medical reasons, most likely heart or lung problems, severe chronic bronchitis perhaps. I knew these depots well as I compiled the wages for Colwick depot (ex GNR) in the early 1960s when it was still a steam depot. The air in the area was bad and this type of reduction in grade frequent. As pointsman involved working on running lines colour vision failure can be precluded, as can a problem like hernia. If it was discipline he would most  likely have been dismissed.
Again my apologies for the late response.

[Rena]

Thanks also to Rena for the input. It's not right, though; sorry :-( The occupation in question is "point holder" not pointsman. Thanks anyway.

Helena

I had to go back to read your original posting Helena as I'd actually copied and pasted your job title as the "search" term.

My mistake was not checking what I'd pasted with what actually turned up in the search results !!

[Redroger]

Further thoughts on this. Even though at 50+ when WW1 started he could have been involved.A large number of engines (and of course drivers) were drafted into the army (Railway operating division) and he could have  experienced situations which made him unfit for the footplate.
 Though few drivers made it on the mainline duties beyond age 55-60 for medical reasons.If he was GNR the records of the GN Loco Friendly Society are in Doncaster archives. They constitute almost a complete census of wages grade staff as there was no sick pay from the company.