Railway workers to Natal 1880s

Inchanga Viaduct

During the 1880s, the extension of the railways was a matter of life and death to the commercial interests of Natal. The first railway, from the Point to the Umgeni, was incorporated into the new Natal Government Railways. The line to Pietermaritzburg was opened officially on 1 December 1880. The Inchanga Viaduct had been completed in July of that year.

Construction commenced on the section beyond Pietermaritzburg in 1883, Howick being reached in 1884, then Estcourt 1885, Ladysmith 1886 and Charlestown (the Transvaal border) opened 7 April 1891.

For more details, see The Birth & Development of the Natal Railways by E D Campbell, (Shuter & Shooter PMB 1951).

The Colony of Natal: An Official Illustrated Handbook & Railway Guide by J Forsyth Ingram (Sir Joseph Causton & Sons London 1895) has a good map of the Natal railway system at that date including details of agricultural production in each area.

Railway workers of varying levels of skill were imported from Britain specifically for the development of the Natal rail network. The selected lists below show contingents of platelayers* ‘engaged by the Crown Agents for service on Natal Government Railways’ and brought out, most with their families, in 1885 on these and other vessels. The date shown is that of arrival at Natal and where not otherwise stated all were accompanied by wives and in some cases, children.

Some of the passengers' names shown here appear in the Natal Civil Service Lists, giving clues as to their later careers. It’s evident that many of them settled permanently in Natal.

*A platelayer fastens or repairs fastenings on railway lines. The term derives from the rectangular metal plates that bolt or rivet the ends of the lines to each other so joining the expansion gap that causes the familiar clickety-click as the train wheels pass over them. The plate is known as a fish-plate.

SS NORHAM CASTLE 12 February 1885
Hollister Robert
Forster George
Hawkwood H
Hazell H
Pearce J
(Sailed 22 souls, Landed 22, 14 adults)

MEXICAN 25 February 1885
Massey W
Sellors S
Palmer T
Rich A
(Embarked 10 souls, Landed 10, 7 1/16 adults)

TROJAN 13 March 1885
Huggins J H & wife
Brusby (?) M single
Ridley W
Double (sic - perhaps Doubell) J
(Embarked 12 souls, Landed 12 souls, 7 11/16 adults)

SPARTAN 24 May 1885
Lake H C
Coxhill G
(Embarked 9 souls, Arrived 9 souls, 4 12/16 adults)

ATHENIAN 10 April 1885
Coppin J
(Sailed 3 souls Landed 3, 2 9/16 adults)
More railway workers subsequently arrived on the Roslin Castle.

Railways and Ships

In the late 19th c a network of railways was being developed in South Africa, opening up new areas and improving communications. By 1896, the railway line between Durban and Johannesburg was completed and the following year Cape Town and Bulawayo were linked by rail.

The railways offered employment opportunities and contingents of British railway workers arrived in SA, usually bringing with them wives and families. They travelled at the expense of the Government, on ships of the Union-Castle and other lines.

It isn’t easy to trace these railway workers at their arrival point. Some passenger lists for platelayers engaged by Crown Agents for service in the Natal Government Railways, occur in registers of the European Immigration Department (EI) held at Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository. If the railway ancestor decided to settle, and eventually died in South Africa, there may be a relevant deceased estate file. Search NAAIRS index at www.national.archives.gov.za/

Immigration to South Africa continued in the 20th c after the disruptions caused by the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). My Hamilton grandparents emigrated from Ayrshire, Scotland, to South Africa in 1910, the year the Union of South Africa was declared. The Duke of Connaught travelled to SA on the Balmoral Castle to open the new Parliament.

There was a resurgence in immigration during the optimistic years following World War II. The Union Government sponsored a scheme to encourage skilled artisans, engineers and technicians from the United Kingdom to bring their families to South Africa.

As a result of this initiative, the Union-Castle Company Immigrant Service brought 28 000 British newcomers to South Africa between 1947 and 1949.

This Immigrant Service began with the departure of the Carnarvon Castle from Southampton in June 1947. The other two ‘settler ships’ were the Winchester Castle and the Arundel Castle. Accommodation for immigrants on board was austere: there hadn’t been time to reconvert the ships from their previous use as troop transports.