1906
A.S.L.E.& F.’s inauguration of house purchase loan scheme for
Society members
THREE NEW A.S.L.E.&F. BRANCHES
OPENING ON THE SAME DAY BY W. WARWICK
The Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells & St. Leonards Branches of
A.S.L.E.&F. were opened on 25th February 1906.
THE RAILWAY REVIEW
5TH JANUARY 1906
NEWHAVEN
The annual meeting was held on 31st ultimatum., when the election of officers took place. Bro. J. Browning was appointed chairman. Bro. funnel taking his place on the committee, A very hearty vote of thanks was given Bro. Funnell for his services in the chair during the past six years. The whole of the other officers were re-elected. A resolution was passed asking members to use their utmost endeavours to return Mr. H. Beaumont at the top of the poll at the coming election, the member having consistently voted against the interest of railwaymen. A committee was elected to arrange a smoking concert.
THE RAILWAY REVIEW
2ND FEBRUARY 1906
BRIGHTON No.1
extracted from branch report
The usual monthly meeting was held on Sunday event last, with a fair attendance. The usual routine business was disposed of: it was resolved to have a smoking concert at the clubhouse on 24th instead of. at 7.30 p.m., to present Bro. Love, loco. inspector, with his superannuation grant. Members please note?
Mr. Gill was nominated for the T.U.C. Mr. Austin, engine driver, was nominated for the Annual General Meeting
THE RAILWAY REVIEW
9TH FEBRUARY 1906
BATTERSEA
A social gathering was held at the Battersea Branch at 8.30 p.m. on 2nd inst. to do honour to one of its old members, who after 51 years of railway work and 33 years' membership in the A.S.R.S., was retiring from the service of the L.B. & S.C. Bro. J. Storkey presided, supported by Bro. H.g. Manning in the vice chair. Mr. Bert Harvey, ably assisted during the evening by Mr. Frank Austin accompanied the various artistes with the piano.
During an interval Mr. James Williams financial and assistant general secretary of A.S.R.S., gave an an address, and presented Bro. James Every with a cheque of £30 being the superannuation grant from the society. In the address Mr. Williams traced the history of our society from its inception, with emphasised the value of such men as the one we were doing honour to on this occasion is sticking to their principles of brotherhood in such years as 1881 when the society was at a low ebb, and by the propagation of these principles had raised the society to its present position in membership, and its influence for good. Mr. Williams further emphasised he many benefits of the society, and appealed to the non society man to embrace the brotherhood. He also appealed for a closer unity among the organised ranks of the railway service by the sinking of all gradeism.
Bro. F.C. Fagg (branch secretary) moved that a hearty vote of thanks be seconded Mr. Williams for his splendid address, which was seconded by Mr. W. Ellis (a former secretary of the branch) in a. few appropriate remarks, and supported by Bro. E. McKew and others. The vote of thanks was carried with musical honours and cheers. The crowded room then settled down to harmony, and enjoyed themselves up to midnight. Bro. J. Every thanked the members and friends for the honour done him on such an occasion, and he was accorded musical honours. Among those who contributed to the programme were Bros. C. Skinner, C. Moore, A. collins, J. Poll, F. Stiff, G. Heath, H. Stibbings, B. Wicks, F.C. Fagg, J. Timson, J. Taylor, E. McKew, F. Alden, A.H. Todman, E. Hart, H. Stebbings, and H. Storkey. The members so enjoyed themselves that they were asking when the next social be held, and were told on Good Friday.
THE RAILWAY REVIEW
2ND MARCH 1906
Lord Cottesloe, at the half yearly meeting of the London, Brighton, and South Coast, gave an interesting account of the experiments in the overhead system of electric traction for a portion of the suburban lines:-
The system had been improved, with the result that they were so satisfied as to its reliability that instead of equipping only a short section of the South London Line as a preliminary experiment, they felt justified in dealing with the whole of the line from London Bridge to Victoria. They were in active negotiation for a contract with the Electric Company of Berlin, and they would require that with the exception of the motors for the first set of eight trains, the whole go the plant should be of British Manufacture.
Dealing with the accounts, Lord Cottesloe said that although the half yearly showed only a slight increase in gross receipts the results compared favourably with the corresponding period of the previous year. The receipts from passenger traffic showed a decrease of £4,124, the greatest falling off being in the second class. There was a total decrease in passenger of nearly half a million, being largely the effect of tramway competition on the suburban traffic. The decrease in the number of passengers carried in the half year ending June last was over 2,000,000, and for the half year ending December 1904, very nearly 2,000,000. The competition, therefore, although still keen, was not now having the effect which with it first had.
The average fare paid was still increasing, and showed the desirability of improving the long distance service to meet the requirements of those who were driven further from the metropolis by the overcrowding the congestion caused by the tramways. The railway motor service were most encouraging, and they would extend them where advisable.
ACCIDENT AT WORK
7th March 1906
New Cross engine driver W.J. Turner was underneath oiling his engine's motion in New Cross locomotive shed, when a second engine hit his and it was moved slightly. Engine cleaner Littlecot gave no warning of moving the engine and was forbidden to by instructions.
ROYAL TRAIN AT SINGLETON
PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN
Billinton class B4 No.60 ‘Kimberley’ with the Royal Train at Singleton,
c1906 (or 1909) conveying King Edward VII on a visit to West Dean House
The Royal Train is seen on the down platform and facing north towards Midhurst, having just arrived via Chichester (wrong road).
INTRODUCTION OF MOTOR TRAIN SERVICE
11th JUNE 1906
PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN
11th June 1906 first motor train service between West Croydon and Belmont at Wallington. The service was later extended to Epsom Downs
This was a composite locomotive No. 661”SUTTON" and coach with controls linked pneumatically to a compartment at the further end of the trailer car so that the engine when in the rear, could be driven from there, making reversing unnecessary
ROYAL TRAIN DEPARTS
MIDHURST
WEDNESDAY 13 JUNE 1906.
PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN
B4 Class 4-4-0 No. 42 "His Majesty" about to leave Midhurst LBSCR Station after King Edward Vll and Queen Alexandra opened the Tuberculosis Sanatorium and departing at 6.00pm.
ACCIDENT AT WORK
19th September 1906
Eastbourne (?) engine driver Israel Clark, having arrived at London Bridge, Clark went under the engine to lubricate the big ends and eccentrics. While he was there, empty carriages were shunted onto the rear of his train, moving his engine a short distance as he was between the connecting and eccentric rods. Clark was at fault for not protecting himself by placing a red flag on the reart of his train, in accordance with the Company Working Timetable notice dated 1902, regarding placing red flags or lights on the rear of the train.
STORIES FROM THE SHOVEL
extracted from RTCS book on locomotives of the LBSCR
On 17th October, 1906, Brighton Driver Thompson was working his engine Class B4, No. 45 'Besborough' when running south of Horley at 10.43 p.m. with three empty Pullman cars and four carriages required the following morning for a party of American business executives visiting Southampton Docks. on observing tht they were following a goods train down the main line at no more than 15 to 20 m.p.h. Driver Thompson decided to round his engine administer oil as necessary. He was returning to the cab and safety in the darkness, when he forgot the two firebox inspection castings and on bumping into them, slipped and fell on to the track. Fortunately, his fireman, Cook, noticed his plight and hurriedly stopped the train, and with the guard ran to the rescue of his mate. Driver Thompson was discovered wandering dazed along the up road, but apart from serve bruising and minor cuts was uninjured and was able to sit in the cab until Brighton was reached and medical attention found.
ACCIDENT AND DISABLEMENT
November 1906
Engine driver C. Edwards Chichester branch old age November 1906, aged 62. Joined the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, on the 10th April 1890
PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN
PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN
Three Bridges Loco men with loco No. 258 'Cosham' taken in 1906. No. 258 spent most of its working life allocated to Three Bridges loco
ACCIDENT AT WORK
17th December 1907
Brighton engine driver John Tapner and his fireman John W. Farrington whilst at Seaford, Signalman Pollington set the road and lowered the signals for the light engine to proceed to the up line. Porter Waltert Marsh, was acting as shunter, signaled the driver to set back. The empty coach train ran through the points and collided with the light engine, Tapner and Farrington received their injuries. The responsibility for the accident was entirely with Marsh, who admitted that he should not have signaled to the driver of the empty coach without receiving permission from signalman Pollington to do so.
