BR job roles

[Andy873]

I'm sure this will be an easy one for you, but what exactly was a "checker"?

I have minutes of a closure consultation meeting which lists at one station yard (now only dealing with coal) a station master / goods agent and a checker?

What exactly was a checker's role, duties etc?

Thanks,
Andy.

 

[Gloster]

His main job would probably have involved recording the numbers of all wagons that arrived, together with such other details as needed (origin, destinée, weight, etc.) and recording similar details when they left. All this would be written down in ledgers (*) and only looked at again if there was a problem. He would probably have other jobs, including advising customers when a wagon arrived (unless the Station Master did this), checking when wagons were ready to go, sweeping them out, closing doors, writing out wagon labels, assisting the guard when shunting, etc. The job description checker was just a broad one: the exact duties would be decided for each location.

There were ticket checkers whose main job was manning the barriers at large station, and travelling checkers who worked (mostly) mainline trains assisting the guard by doing the ticket checks.

* - The pre-computer railway created enormous amounts of paperwork, most of which just ended up being ‘filed’ in cupboards.

Mostly based on one of my early jobs, when the morning was spent doing what was then called Numbertaking.

 

[Andy873]

Thanks for explaining that - it's a great help!

One more question on this please, working in the yard doing those jobs would he be classed as staff?

Clinker's register of closed passenger stations and goods yards states this yard was unstaffed in 1963, but the 1964 meeting clearly states the station master and checker were based there - another case of a "wrong railway fact"?

 

[Dr Hoo]

Possibly related to 'staff' for the handling of goods (e.g. unloading various commodities from vans, working a crane, securing loads, attending to wagon sheets).

It was very common for coal in particular to be handled solely by the merchant. BR staff would still undertake duties like checking, wagon 'examination' (fitness to run), helping a goods train guard with shunting and so forth.

 

[Gloster]

In my opinion, if he was employed by the railway he would be regarded as staff.

Clinker is an unusually thorough piece of work, but even so an error might have crept in. Or the error could be in the BR paperwork, which might not be up to date or be just plain wrong. Beyond that there are a myriad of possibilities. Just one example: it might be that the employee splits his time between this station and another and is listed under the other. Or it could be that the job is vacant, waiting for an employee to transfer to it or temporarily held for redundant staff. There are so many possibilities, which are further filtered through local agreements.