Finding railway workers in Queensland

Construction of railways in Queensland began in 1864, and the first line opened in 1865 between Ipswich and Grandchester. Railways were built to support industry, with lines built from various ports along the coast inland to mining and pastoral centres, and eventually along the coast joining Brisbane to northern Queensland. With the history of railways being built in Queensland comes a record of the working lives of men and women who built, ran and maintained them.

One such set of records is the railway appointment and removal records, which give the why, the when, and the where of employment, and often in what role and for what pay. This can form a part of the employee’s family history. These records have been indexed by State Library of Queensland volunteers, and can be searched through the Queensland railway employees index, containing over 29,000 entries for appointments and removals, now available in our online One Search catalogue.

The records date from the time of the first services on the Southern and Western railway (appointments and removals of Traffic Branch employees October 1866-June 1876) through to the heyday of Queensland railway expansion (appointments and removals of employees statewide 1890-1915). These appointments and removals were listed in the railways’ annual reports, tabled in Queensland parliament and published in the Queensland Legislative Votes and Proceedings, later known as Queensland Parliamentary Papers. These annual reports are digitised, and links to the relevant reports are available through the full index record. This enables researchers to view their ancestor’s name, with details of their appointment or removal, as listed in the table within the annual report.

Women, both married and single, were employed in a small number of roles in the railways in this period. About 1,800 of the 29,000 records belong to women, and about a fifth of those records are for single women. This index is another way to discover female relatives who may have worked for the Queensland railways.

State Library has numerous resources for Queensland railways, including photographs, newspapers and additional indexes. The following is an example of how State Library’s resources can add detail to an ancestor’s story once they are located in the Queensland railway employees index.

A search for the surname Undy in One Search State Library family history indexes provides 6 results. Only one of these results comes from the Queensland railway employees index: a record of the appointment of a W. J. Undy. W. J. Undy was appointed as a porter to the Cairns Railway, Traffic Department on 1 December 1889. The full index record includes additional information of his employment, and a link to the digitised annual report that records his appointment. In the annual report, along with W. J. Undy’s appointment, are other appointments to the Cairns branch in the 12 months ended June 1890.

A search on the surname Undy in One Search State Library digital collections locates a digitised photograph titled “Staff at the Cairns Railway Station, 1890”. Within the catalogue record is a list of names from the photograph, including W. J. Undy. This is a photograph of William James Undy.

State Library holds two indexes on CD-ROM that index Queensland State Archives material: Queensland Government railway index to staff records 1878 – 1946 and Queensland Government railway : index to staff employed in various departments & stations 1889-1912. A search of these indexes locates a number of entries in the Queensland government railway : index to staff employed in various departments & stations 1889-1912 for a William James or W. J. Undy covering staff registers for the Traffic Branch for the time period 1896 to 1902. These registers can be accessed at Queensland State Archives.

Another index available at State Library on CD-ROM is Queensland railway employees 1889-1940. This index, created by Queensland Family History Society, comes from the annual lists of railway employees published in the Queensland Government Gazette. The index provides the name, age, position, branch and office of each individual employee, as well as access to copies from the Queensland Government Gazette. This index is also available through FindMyPast. It is a great way to trace an ancestor’s service through the years. A search of this index for William James Undy, also found as William J., Wm. J. or W. J.; finds entries that trace his career from 1892, where he is listed as a guard in the Traffic Branch of Cairns Railway, through to 1930.

People who worked for the Queensland Government, like railway workers, can often be found mentioned in newspapers. Newspaper articles can provide more detail about the life of an ancestor. A search of Trove digitised newspapers for William James Undy located several items that provided a bit of detail relating to his career and life, as well as a write up on his retirement in 1931 after 43 years in the service of Queensland’s Railway Department.

The Queensland railway employees index and State Library’s other family history indexes are a great starting point for locating information on a family member. Researchers can discover fascinating bits of history that add colour to an ancestor’s life.

Need help? Contact State Library through our Ask a librarian service.