Railway - apprentice boilermaker

[mazi]

There are two loco works in Springburn., the north British locomotive company, which was not part of the railway system but made locomotives for industry and export,  and the North British Railway works, part of the Scottish north British railway system.

Confusing isn’t it

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=610858.0

Someone else looking also.

Mike

[Hanan]

Thanks Mazi

Both very similar names. I think you are right though, North British Railway Works ties in with the census.

I'll have a look at that link to the other post. Hopefully I can get some tips on finding his employee records. It would be nice to find out more about him.

[Skoosh]

NB, North British Railway Works, Cowlairs which was built by the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway in the 1840's, later the main works of the North British Railway Company which merged into the LNER, Cowlairs had company houses on Springburnhill (the Blocks) & engine sheds at Eastfield.
Springburn also had three companies which merged to become the North British Locomotive Works, Sharp Stewart's, Atlas Works, Neilson Reid's, Hyde Park Works & Dubs & Company's Polmadie Works to form the largest locomotive works in Europe & the Empire.
 The Caledonian Railway's St Rollox Works "The Caley" which became the LMS and like Cowlairs, British Rail, is now closed. Most of my family were in one or other of these. Your man worked in the same "biler" shop as my faither!  Growing up I thought LNER was the family monogram! it adorned everything! 

Plenty of pic's online, Cowlairs Railway Works, Springburn!

"The Springburn Story!" by Welshman John Thomas, is excellent if you can get hold of it!

Bests,
Skoosh.

[Hanan]

The pictures are amazing, wonder if he is any of the workers....

Does anyone know if Ancestry is the only place I can access employee records?

[Skoosh]

@Hanan, the census address given of James Homes  Craigton Terrace, was changed to Fernbank Place which was one of the streets of workers houses (the blocks) built by the North British Railway Company on Springburnhill, so living with an employee of Cowlairs Works.
 A lot of folk took in "ludgers" then but an apprentice affording to pay for "digs" would have been somewhat problematic? A relative sounds most likely.

 Doubtless this change of street-name was to avoid confusion with the district of Craigton on the south of the city!

Bests,
Skoosh.

[Hanan]

Hi Skoosh,

James was living with my great grandfather in 1911. He is listed as a relative, but I have no idea how he is related to the family.

All I know about James is what is on the census. I have also found him listed on the North British Railway Company war dead.

All of this fits into a family story of a lodger living with my great grandparents who went off to fight (and die) in in WW1. We were always told this person was a shipbuilder. We were never told that he was in fact a relative as the census suggests.

Hanan

[Skoosh]

A sad business Hanan.

Skoosh.

[Skoosh]

The Caledonian Railways, St Rollox Works was originally the site of the "Glasgow and Garnkirk Railway" (Scotland's first steam railway) workshops. The first locomotives built in Scotland were supplied by "Murdoch, Aitken & Co" of Glasgow in 1831 for the Garnkirk line, a wee history of those early times,

https://www.culturenlmuseums.co.uk/story/cradle-of-scotlands-railways/

This thread seems a handy place for this! 

Bests,
Skoosh.

[Rena]

Best wishes for finding any record of your ancestor's work record. My grandfather was an apprentice engineer with Caledonian in Glasgow.  I never found any mention of an apprenticeship or union membership.  The only documentation I've found him on when working for the railway have been on census (Edinburgh, Devonshire; Manchester) which shows that when the Caledonian Railway amalgamated with other companies he was sent all over the place.