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OldRailwayAccidents

@rwldproject.bsky.social

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Welcome to the 'Railway Work, Life & Death' project, collaboratively researching British & Irish railway staff accidents pre-1939. Posts by Mike Esbester. #RailwayHistory #TransportHistory #MobilityHistory #Railway200 www.railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · Jun 7

Welcome to the 'Railway Work, Life & Death' project Bluesky account!

Check our expanding database of British & Irish railway worker accidents, covering 1855-1939 - all free!

Currently over 117,000 cases, with more to come.

railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk

Posed 1930s accident prevention photo, showing a worker standing between tracks, about to be hit by a steam train approaching unseen from behind.

Posed 1920s safety photo, showing a driver near the front of a steam loco as it was moving, warning of the dangers of leaving the cab whilst the engine was travelling.

Posed 1920s safety photo showing a worker having stumbled and fallen in front of a train, as he tried to cross the line.

Infographic showing the number of workers killed and injured on Britain and Ireland's railways and whose accidents were investigated, between 1911 and 1915. This was the first run of data we produced, of around 4000 cases, now hugely expanded.

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 10h

Very interesting - thanks Steve! 👏👍

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 11h

Oh, that's sad news. Gerald gave one of the best papers I've seen, early in my PhD days - delivered 45 mins of interesting, coherent argument without notes or aids. Very impressive stuff. And obviously responsible for some excellent #RailwayHistory.

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 11h

"it's great we've got this national nature reserve, but if we're not careful we'll forget about the social history"

Significant point about peopling landscapes - & training, too!

Crowle Peatland Railway: Little trains in land of the Tiddy Mun - BBC News share.google/nUAx5Bz6A6rw...

Crowle Peatland Railway: Little trains in land of the Tiddy Mun - BBC News

Once a vast complex of peat works, this Isle of Axholme landscape is home to legendary bog spirits.

share.google

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 16h

😱😫😔

Reposted by OldRailwayAccidents

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 20h

This is such a clever idea on taking kids to museums/galleries
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Nadia from London has an idea that sounds such fun you'll be booking a day out asap.
"I've always loved museums," she says,
"but they can be overwhelming for children. For decades now, I've done something called 'playing postcards'
We do
the museum backwards, visiting the gift shop first. Each child gets to choose three postcards. Then they take it in turns to find that particular artwork in the museum and give us a little information about the piece from the details on the postcard, or from any gallery plaque. At the end of this treasure-hunt-style activity, we vote for our favourite in the cafe."

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 19h

Nice blog post about our Portsmouth Area Railway Pasts exhibition, on display at the University of Portsmouth from tomorrow!

Pop into Park Building (near the Guildhall), King Henry I St, to see it - open M-Th 9-7 & F 9-6: all welcome!

@uophistory.bsky.social

history.port.ac.uk?p=3653

Community collaboration in action

Over the last year, the History team’s Dr Mike Esbester, Senior Lecturer in History, has been working with a local history group to find out more about our region’s railway workers. Here he reveals…

history.port.ac.uk

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 21h

If you're at today's University of Portsmouth open day, pop in to the exhibition space in Park Building & see our exhibition!

A great example of collaboration that's at the heart of the @uophistory.bsky.social team - incl Mike, who co-produced this exhibition!

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OldRailwayAccidents (@rwldproject.bsky.social)

Exhibition reassembled in the new venue! Opening Monday - at the University of Portsmouth's Park Building, on King Henry I street. Come down & discover 'The south coast's forgotten railway workers' -…

bsky.app

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you Cathy! 😃❤️

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you - and good news: the exhibition hasn't gone too far!

Available from Monday till 17 December, at the University of Portsmouth's Park Building 😃

Hope you get to it & find it interesting - let us know, please!

bsky.app/profile/rwld...

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Exhibition reassembled in the new venue!

Opening Monday - at the University of Portsmouth's Park Building, on King Henry I street.

Come down & discover 'The south coast's forgotten railway workers' - all welcome.

On until 17 December!

#Railway200

5 pull up banners, and a display banner with 4 smaller posters, all detailing railway work and railway workers in the Portsmouth area.

6 pull up banners, and several display boards with smaller posters, all detailing railway work and railway workers in the Portsmouth area.

Wide-angle view of the exhibition space, showing pull-up banners of exhibition, blue carpet, white walls and harsh strip lights above.

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

And if you're coming to tomorrow's open day (yes, a Sunday!), you get a sneak preview - enjoy!

The exhibition is a lovely example of how @uophistory.bsky.social is engaged with our community.

Glad to have got it ready for tomorrow - a bonus for all involved and for our open day guests!

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Exhibition reassembled in the new venue!

Opening Monday - at the University of Portsmouth's Park Building, on King Henry I street.

Come down & discover 'The south coast's forgotten railway workers' - all welcome.

On until 17 December!

#Railway200

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Do come and see the exhibition - and please make use of the feedback facility: either cards provided on site (bring your own pen!) or via the QR code.

We really value the feedback & it helps us with the exhibition: thank you!

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Exhibition reassembled in the new venue!

Opening Monday - at the University of Portsmouth's Park Building, on King Henry I street.

Come down & discover 'The south coast's forgotten railway workers' - all welcome.

On until 17 December!

#Railway200

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting piece on banners - focus is on mining, but much the same true of railways.

Needless to say, safety & accidents feature - & unions play a significant role.

How mining banners helped shape communities past and present - BBC News share.google/ea2DbFC1H2kM...

How mining banners helped shape communities past and present - BBC News

The colourful banners can be seen around north-east England, but why and what do they represent?

share.google

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you to all who came to see it in Havant - and of course to The Spring for hosting us!

Always looking for further display venues, so just let us know.

From Monday until 17 December it's going to be in the display space in Park Building, University of Portsmouth!

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Some lovely feedback:

'Brilliant! Very interesting & showed how hard work it wasa to work on the railway & how it has changed'

'Very informative. It was more interesting as you worked your way around the 12 display boards'

'Shines a light on often forgotten workers'

😀

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 1d

Exhibition taken down!

'The south coast's forgotten railway workers' has finished its (first! ) run at The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, #Havant.

We're planning on bringing it back, though - next year.

Now it's gone to the next venue: the University of Portsmouth!

#Railway200

An empty room, with wooden floor, white walls and high ceiling, lights off.

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Reposted by OldRailwayAccidents

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 3d

In western Europe, 'young workers without a degree have seen an uptick in joblessness rate of 2.4 percentage points on average compared with 1.4 for recent graduates'.

What the graduate unemployment story gets wrong

People with a degree are faring better, not worse than their non-graduate counterparts

www.ft.com

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Reposted by OldRailwayAccidents

History Workshop @historyworkshop.org.uk · 3d

'What is perhaps most pertinent about the first decade of the new millennium is how the leading polluting nations [...] failed to grasp the opportunity to stem global greenhouse emissions.'

David Tomory and Timothy Cooper on British responses to the landmark floods of 2000:

Of Flood Plains and Fuel Protests

How did ordinary people in 2000 make sense of oil, floods, and climate change? David Tomory and Timothy Cooper explore the link between fuel protests and flood waters.

www.historyworkshop.org.uk

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Reposted by OldRailwayAccidents

Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 3d

There's going to be another in London (at IHR) - Maxine is great so it ought to be fun.

Digital Storytelling for Local History | London

www.sas.ac.uk

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 3d

Bother! Date is non-starter for me 😔

A real shame, but a great initiative and well done, as ever, all at the IHR! 👏

I'm sure it will be, but hoping the gallery of films will be shared after the events!

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 3d

Fab!👏👍

Will be checking the diary...

OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 3d

This looks good! 👏👍

#LocalHistory @balhnews.bsky.social

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Adam Chapman @adamchapman.bsky.social · 3d

This free event, in collaboration with @heritagewshc.bsky.social in #Chippenham with @beinghumanfest.bsky.social looks fab.

Maxine Beuret @maxinebeuret.bsky.social · 3d

Local Historians come and make your own short film! One day free course at the @heritagewshc.bsky.social on Monday 10th November. Fun collaborative day learning new skills to share local history and heritage. For more information and to book visit: www.sas.ac.uk/news-events/...

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 3d

Looks super cool!

Are there going to be similar events in other locations?

#LocalHistory

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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 3d

The @jtransporthist.bsky.social #Railway200 collection is open access until 15 October, so there's still time left to read this great articles - free!

#RailwayHistory #MobilityHistory #TransportHistory

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The Journal of Transport History @jtransporthist.bsky.social · 18d

Dear Followers,

‼️JTH created an open-access collection of papers to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first railway journey in Britain‼️

Check it out here: journals.sagepub.com/topic/collec...

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Reposted by OldRailwayAccidents

The Journal of Transport History @jtransporthist.bsky.social · 17d

A new Article has been published in JTH!

"A well-tracked path? Assessing the factors behind the expansion of Spain's nineteenth-century railway network" by Guillermo Esteban-Oliver, Víctor Sanchís-Maldonado, Rafael Barquín Gil

Check it out here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

Don't miss it!

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