Featured articles from #BeyondTheTracks200

Throughout the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, life on the railways was extremely dangerous, with a high number of fatalities and injuries.

Workers were exposed to moving trains, fire and hot metal splashes, and they were required to move heavy machinery such as carriages and wagons – all with little protective equipment and limited safety regulations.

In an article published in 1870, the Saturday Review noted that “Scarcely a single day now passes without a railway accident,” and by 1913 it was estimated that nearly 30,000 people were injured or killed every year on British and Irish railways.

In response, communities across the railway came together to provide much-needed support for rail workers.

Convalescent homes

Because of the dangerous working conditions they faced, many rail workers found themselves in need of medical attention and respite. But in the days before nationalised healthcare, it often fell to charities and even employers to provide the facilities that workers needed.

The Railway Mission was one such charity, and in 1890 the doors opened to its first convalescent home for railway men in Hastings, Sussex. Here, workers could recover from illness and exhaustion – an essential service in an industry known for hard physical labour and long hours.

The home moved to St Leonards-on-Sea in 1897, and the Railway Mission went on to open a second home in Southport.

These homes sprung up all over the country, and weren’t just valued by the sick and injured employees. Rail employers also benefitted from these arrangements, which helped encourage loyalty from their workers and were a more cost-effective approach to employee recovery than extended periods of absence or expensive hospital stays. That’s why many employers went on to found their own sick funds, often paid into by workers, reflecting a growing trend of company-sponsored welfare programmes throughout the19^th century.

These early models of employer-supported health and welfare services long predated the National Health Service (NHS) which wouldn’t be founded until 1948, and the initiative became a model for other industrial welfare movements in the early 20^th century, in sectors like mining, shipping, and manufacturing.

The birth of social housing

The early 20^th century saw this trend go further due to the impact of the First World War on British workers.

The war revealed the shocking conditions in which many British workers were living. As many rail workers returned home from war, the rail industry rose to the challenge with the creation of the North Eastern Railway Cottage Homes and Benefit Fund in 1919 – known today as Railway Housing Association.

The support was funded by an initial donation of £10,000 and weekly contributions from 7,000 dedicated railway workers, which were then matched by the North Eastern Railway.

As a result, the fund was able to provide invaluable free services, and the first homes for railway heroes and their families in the north were created in 1921. This was a collaboration that set the scene for social housing into the future and in 1919, the Housing and Planning Act saw government create its first proper plan to build social housing.

Legacy and impact

The people and communities who came together to support railway workers have had a lasting impact on our modern society, part of the blueprint that would set the scene for the welfare state.

Today, the Railway Mission remains committed to providing care and support to railway families, with a strong focus on mental health.

And, Railway Housing Association continues to provide affordable social housing for people of all walks of life – not just railway workers – in the North East, Yorkshire and beyond, and social housing remains an important part of life for many British citizens.

Latest from #BeyondTheTracks200

Throughout the 19^th and early 20^th centuries, life on the railways was extremely dangerous, with a high number of fatalities and injuries.

Workers were exposed to moving trains, fire and hot metal splashes, and they were required to move heavy machinery such as carriages and wagons – all with little protective equipment and limited safety regulations.

In an article published in 1870, the Saturday Review noted that “Scarcely a single day now passes without a railway accident,” and by 1913 it was estimated that nearly 30,000 people were injured or killed every year on British and Irish railways.

In response, communities across the railway came together to provide much-needed support for rail workers.

Convalescent homes

Because of the dangerous working conditions they faced, many rail workers found themselves in need of medical attention and respite. But in the days before nationalised healthcare, it often fell to charities and even employers to provide the facilities that workers needed.

The Railway Mission was one such charity, and in 1890 the doors opened to its first convalescent home for railway men in Hastings, Sussex. Here, workers could recover from illness and exhaustion – an essential service in an industry known for hard physical labour and long hours.

The home moved to St Leonards-on-Sea in 1897, and the Railway Mission went on to open a second home in Southport.

These homes sprung up all over the country, and weren’t just valued by the sick and injured employees. Rail employers also benefitted from these arrangements, which helped encourage loyalty from their workers and were a more cost-effective approach to employee recovery than extended periods of absence or expensive hospital stays. That’s why many employers went on to found their own sick funds, often paid into by workers, reflecting a growing trend of company-sponsored welfare programmes throughout the19^th century.

These early models of employer-supported health and welfare services long predated the National Health Service (NHS) which wouldn’t be founded until 1948, and the initiative became a model for other industrial welfare movements in the early 20^th century, in sectors like mining, shipping, and manufacturing.

The birth of social housing

The early 20^th century saw this trend go further due to the impact of the First World War on British workers.

The war revealed the shocking conditions in which many British workers were living. As many rail workers returned home from war, the rail industry rose to the challenge with the creation of the North Eastern Railway Cottage Homes and Benefit Fund in 1919 – known today as Railway Housing Association.

The support was funded by an initial donation of £10,000 and weekly contributions from 7,000 dedicated railway workers, which were then matched by the North Eastern Railway.

As a result, the fund was able to provide invaluable free services, and the first homes for railway heroes and their families in the north were created in 1921. This was a collaboration that set the scene for social housing into the future and in 1919, the Housing and Planning Act saw government create its first proper plan to build social housing.

Legacy and impact

The people and communities who came together to support railway workers have had a lasting impact on our modern society, part of the blueprint that would set the scene for the welfare state.

Today, the Railway Mission remains committed to providing care and support to railway families, with a strong focus on mental health.

And, Railway Housing Association continues to provide affordable social housing for people of all walks of life – not just railway workers – in the North East, Yorkshire and beyond, and social housing remains an important part of life for many British citizens.