Dido (train)

In British railway parlance Dido trains were typically provided to transport workers to a remote place of railway employment on a Day in, day out basis.

The most common provision of this nature was to engine sheds away from centres of population where substantial numbers of staff would need to travel to or from work at times when other forms of public transport were not available. An example of this was the "Annesley Dido" which served the Great Central Railway-built Annesley engine shed north of Nottingham from at least 1929 to 1963.^[1][2][3]

A variant on this theme occurred to and from Langwith Junction engine shed in Derbyshire. This service was provided after Tuxford engine shed closed in 1959, when many Tuxford staff were transferred to work at Langwith Junction.^[4][5]

Workmen's trains

Dido trains were a variant within the broad class of workmen's trains which were provided by railways from their early days until well after the Second World War. Such trains ran to meet the needs of people working at establishments with significant numbers signing on and off at given times, such as collieries, factories, quarries, docks and railway workshops. Such trains were often made up of substandard coaching stock^[6] hauled by ancient locomotives,^[7] with occasional exceptions when a service's customary locomotive was indisposed.^[8] By the nature of their destinations such trains often required special platforms or other stopping places, which usually did not appear on public timetables and did not cater for the general public. Like the rolling stock, these stations were typically substandard, amounting in some cases to an agreed stopping point where users clambered to and from the trackside.^[9]

Where public stations existed near places of employment some workmen's trains called, usually not shown on the station's public timetable.^[10] Occasionally workmen's carriages were attached to regular service trains.^[11]

Whatever the variety of workmen's service used, passengers bought "workmen's tickets" at significantly reduced fares.^[12]

Examples

Many workmen's services existed over the years. Examples were provided by:

• the Festiniog and Blaenau Railway to Duffws (F&BR) for the quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog^[10]
• the Great Western Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog Central for the quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog^[13]
• the Lowca Light Railway to Lowca for the colliery, washery and coking plant at Lowca^[14]
• the London and North Western Railway to Parton Halt for the same places
• the London and North Western Railway along the Willis Branch to Huyton Quarry^[15]
• the London, Midland and Scottish Railway to ROF Chorley^[16]
• contractors to Immingham Halt whilst Immingham Docks were under construction^[17]
• the Padarn Railway to the Dinorwic Slate Quarries^[18]
• the Penrhyn Quarry Railway to the Penrhyn Quarry^[19]
• the Great Central Railway to Wigan Central^[20] and from Bulwell Common to Hollin Well and Annesley^[21]
• Trafford Park Estates Co.from Barton to the Third Avenue tram route^[22]
• British Railways to Island Road for Barrow docks^[23]
• the Cleator and Workington Junction Railway to Keekle Colliers' Platform and Moresby Junction Halt for Walkmill Colliery^[24]

References

Sources

• Anderson, P. Howard (1973). Forgotten Railways: The East Midlands. Forgotten Railways. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 0 7153 6094 9. 
• Andrews, Dr Michael (May 2001). Peascod, Michael, ed. "The Harrington and Lowca Light Railway". Cumbrian Railways. Pinner: Cumbrian Railways Association. 7 (2). ISSN 1466-6812. 
• Baughan, Peter E. (1991). A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain: North and Mid Wales. Regional railway history series (2nd ed.). Nairn: David St John Thomas Publisher. ISBN 0 946537 59 3. Vol 11. 
• Beecroft, D.H. (2008). Great Central Lines: Including Nottingham Victoria to Hucknall, Annesley, Staveley and Darnell Sheds. Steam Memories: 1950s-1960s. Nottingham: Book Law Publications. ISBN 978-1-901945-64-5. No.7. 
• Boyd, James I.C. (1988) [1972]. Narrow Gauge Railways in South Caernarvonshire - Volume 1. Headington, Oxford: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-365-7. OCLC 20417464. 
• Broughton, John R. (1996). The Furness Railway: A Fascinating 150th Anniversary Excursion Along All the Company's Lines. British Railways Past & Present. Wadenhoe, Peterborough: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85895-126-7. 
• Croughton, Godfrey; Kidner, Roger Wakely; Young, Alan (1982). Private and Untimetabled Railway Stations, Halts and Stopping Places. Catrine, Ayrshire: The Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-281-1. OCLC 10507501. X43. 
• Dyckhoff, Nigel (1999). Portrait of the Cheshire Lines Committee. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0-7110-2521-5. 
• Grainger, Ken (2013). Forward to Nottingham Victoria, The "Derbyshire Lines" of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Part 2B. Scenes from the Past: 43. Nottingham: Book Law Publications. ISBN 978-1-909625-11-2. 
• Green, C.C. (1996) [1983]. North Wales Branch Line Album. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0 7110 1252 0. 
• Green, Frank (2016). East and West Through Roby - A Railway and Local History. Guildford, Surrey: Grosvenor House Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-78623-719-4. 
• Haynes, Jas. A. (April 1920). Cleator & Workington Junction Railway Working Time Table. Central Station, Workington: Cleator and Workington Junction Railway. 
• Jackson, David; Russell, Owen (1983). Great Central in L.N.E.R.Days. Shepperton: Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 0 7110 1271 7. 
• Little, Lawson (Summer 2002). Bell, Brian, ed. "Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway A personal View 1945-74 (Part I)". Forward. Holton le Clay, Grimsby: Brian Bell for the Great Central Railway Society. 132. ISSN 0141-4488. 
• Price, J. H. (1991). The Tramways of Grimsby, Immingham & Cleethorpes. Light Rail Transit Association. ISBN 0-948106-10-7. 
• Prideaux, J.D.C.A. (1982). The Welsh narrow gauge railway: A pictorial history (2nd ed.). Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0 7153 8354 X. 
• Robotham, Robert (1999). Great Central Railway's London Extension. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-71102-618-1. 
• Stewart-Smith, Robin (November 2016b). Milner, Chris, ed. "Tuxford: The growth and decline of a railway centre, Part 2". The Railway Magazine. Horncastle, Lincs: Mortons Media Group Ltd. 162 (1388). ISSN 0033-8923. 
• Sweeney, Dennis J (2014). The St. Helens and Wigan Junction Railway. Leigh: Triangle Publishing. ISBN 0-85361-292-7. 
• Townley, C.H.A.; Peden, J.A. (2002). The industrial railways of St. Helens, Widnes and Warrington. London: Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 1 901556 25 5. 
• Turner, Susan (1975). The Padarn and Penrhyn Railways. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. ISBN 0 7153 6547 9.