Springs Branch
Established Member
Does anyone know anything about Workmen's Tickets in the 1950s?
Were these issued only for short distance commutes, or available for longer journeys?
The background to my question is this:-
- My grandad was a keen recreational fisherman.
- In the 1950s, maybe into the 1960s, he made train trips from Wigan to Oswestry to go fishing there.
- He told the story of making these trips using a Workman's Ticket and having to dodge inquisitive booking clerks and ticket inspectors along the way, who would query why a "workman" was carrying a fishing basket, rods and the like.
- Now that I'm older and wiser, my understanding is that Workmen's Tickets were a carry-over from 19th Century legislation aimed at alleviating overcrowding and slum housing in cities. As such, I'd expect these tickets would only have existed for fairly short commuter trips around big towns & cities, not for a 68-mile cross-country journey involving three trains, like Wigan - Crewe - Whitchurch - Oswestry.
So was a Workman's Ticket really available for such a long journey?
According to the 1959 LMR timetable, a likely itinerary was as below.
My grandfather passed away years ago (not likely to appear in the Prosecutions Forum saying "So I made a bit of a mistake on my way to Oswestry ...."), which means I can't ask him my second question:- What is it about the fishing in Oswestry that makes such a punishing day trip worthwhile, considering the amount of time spent sitting on railway platforms waiting for connections?
Maybe any fishing enthusiasts on here can enlighten me on that.
Out:-
Wigan NW dep 0617 - Crewe arr 0736
Crewe dep 0840 - Whitchurch arr 0910
Whitchurch dep 0945 - Oswestry arr 1032
Return:-
Oswestry dep 1550 - Crewe arr 1720 (a through train from Aberystwyth)
Crewe dep 1810 - Wigan NW arr 1931
or:-
Oswestry dep 1725 - Whitchurch arr 1812
Whitchurch dep 1820 - Crewe arr 1848
Crewe dep 2046 - Wigan NW arr 2143
Were these issued only for short distance commutes, or available for longer journeys?
The background to my question is this:-
- My grandad was a keen recreational fisherman.
- In the 1950s, maybe into the 1960s, he made train trips from Wigan to Oswestry to go fishing there.
- He told the story of making these trips using a Workman's Ticket and having to dodge inquisitive booking clerks and ticket inspectors along the way, who would query why a "workman" was carrying a fishing basket, rods and the like.
- Now that I'm older and wiser, my understanding is that Workmen's Tickets were a carry-over from 19th Century legislation aimed at alleviating overcrowding and slum housing in cities. As such, I'd expect these tickets would only have existed for fairly short commuter trips around big towns & cities, not for a 68-mile cross-country journey involving three trains, like Wigan - Crewe - Whitchurch - Oswestry.
So was a Workman's Ticket really available for such a long journey?
According to the 1959 LMR timetable, a likely itinerary was as below.
My grandfather passed away years ago (not likely to appear in the Prosecutions Forum saying "So I made a bit of a mistake on my way to Oswestry ...."), which means I can't ask him my second question:- What is it about the fishing in Oswestry that makes such a punishing day trip worthwhile, considering the amount of time spent sitting on railway platforms waiting for connections?
Maybe any fishing enthusiasts on here can enlighten me on that.
Out:-
Wigan NW dep 0617 - Crewe arr 0736
Crewe dep 0840 - Whitchurch arr 0910
Whitchurch dep 0945 - Oswestry arr 1032
Return:-
Oswestry dep 1550 - Crewe arr 1720 (a through train from Aberystwyth)
Crewe dep 1810 - Wigan NW arr 1931
or:-
Oswestry dep 1725 - Whitchurch arr 1812
Whitchurch dep 1820 - Crewe arr 1848
Crewe dep 2046 - Wigan NW arr 2143