In the 1881 census, my gg-grandfather, Alfred DAVIS from Ruardean, claimed to be an Engine Driver. I'm presuming this to mean a railway engine driver. Is there anywhere that I can go to find out more about his job, and the railway industry in and around Ruardean ? Gary Mason Calgary __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/

Mind you it doesn't mean he wasn't a railway engine driver - but they tended to be a bit more "snooty" about their more complex proffession and called themselves Locomotive Drivers. Lists exist of most of the locomotive men who worked for the Sad & Weary (Severn and Wye Valley Railway) I am not so sure about the GWR lines that came up to Cinderford via Bullo GWR FOD Branch Railway) and Blakeney (FOD Central Railway) or the GWR Mitcheldean Road and FOD Junction Railway. The best Texts I have read on the railways in the FOD are HW Parr's The Severn & Wye Railway, and thw GWR in Dean ( anyone who has a copy of the latter I am "green" I read the copy in the Coleford library some 20 Years ago and have been unable to find a copy new or second hand since) Most probably he was one of that group who drove the winding engines at the pit. Some "engine drivers" actually drove electric winding engines which hauled the drams of coal through the pits to the shaft where they would be lifted to the surface in a cage. Also some engine drivers drove pumping engines to keep the pits clear of water. I know this because my granfather did these jobs at Flour Mill and Park Royal Collieries and drove both electric and steam engines. Steam engines would be used on the surface and electric underground.. There was NO GAS (methane) in FOD pits which meant there was little risk from sparks or naked flames. Regards Bill Nash ----- Original Message ----- From: Gary Mason <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, August 13, 2001 3:29 AM Subject: [FoD] Alfred DAVIS, Ruardean, Engine Driver > In the 1881 census, my gg-grandfather, Alfred DAVIS > from Ruardean, claimed to be an Engine Driver. > > I'm presuming this to mean a railway engine driver. > > Is there anywhere that I can go to find out more about > his job, and the railway industry in and around > Ruardean ? > > Gary Mason > Calgary > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. > http://im.yahoo.com/ > > > ==== ENG-GLOS-FOREST-DEAN Mailing List ==== > There's a new mailing list for the Lost Conections web site > [email protected] , dont forget http://www.lostconnections.co.uk for all your UK needs, try out the chatroom on our new look site > > ============================== > Ancestry.com Genealogical Databases > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist2.asp > Search over 2500 databases with one easy query! > >