NEW MARCH 2018. The Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened in September 1825 and to mark the 150th anniversary of passenger railways the National Union of Railwaymen published a 36-page booklet.

The cover illustration, comparing an 1851-built Eastern Counties Railway first class coach with a 1975 British Rail Mark III vehicle is of some interest. Following a foreword by General Secretary Sid Weighell, the booklet covers the first generation of railwaymen, the organisation of some of them into the Associated Society of Railway Servants, their struggle for survival and the union’s campaign for accident prevention. Other sections deal with the young and the old, working hours, the union and politics, the railway women, conciliation, the first national railway strike and the foundation of the N.U.R. Finally, the railways in wartime, the 1919 railway strike, the 1926 general strike, the transport acts, the 1930’s depression and modernisation are briefly described.

Please note that there is an overlap between the material in file RW003 (the NUR's booklet to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1963) and in this one: the article about the general strike is identical, for example).  Therefore you will probably not wish to purchase both of the files. This one takes the story to a later date, of course, but if your interest lies more in the Union in the 1960s the other one may well be your preference.

This file is word-searchable and has bookmarks to the main parts. It will be available to download as soon as payment has been made. You go to your account and click on ‘Downloads’. New customers create an account as they place their order.