REGULATIONS FOR STATION MASTERS AND CLERKS.

1. Every Officer in charge of a Station is to be answerable for the Office and Buildings, and the Company’s Property there. He is also to be responsible for the faithful and efficient discharge of the duties devolving upon all the Company’s Servants at the Station.

2. He is to see that all general and other orders are duly entered and executed, and that all books and returns are regularly written up, and neatly kept.

3. He is to take care that all the Servants at his Station behave respectfully and civilly to Passengers of every class, and that no gratuities from the public are received by them under any circumstances.

4. He is to inspect daily all rooms and places in connection with the Station, in order to see that they are neat and clean.

5. He is to take care that all the Servants at his Station come on duty clean in their persons and clothes, shaved, and with their shoes brushed.

6. He is also to cause the Station to be kept clear of weeds, and have the ballast raked and preserved in neat order. He must be careful that all stores supplied for the Station are prudently and economically used, and that there is no waste of gas, oil, coal, or stationery.

7. He is to report, without delay, neglect of duty on the part of any one under his charge; and in case of complaint against any man, he is to communicate the particulars as soon as possible, so that the offender may be sent to head-quarters, if the case require it.

8. No Station Master is allowed to be absent without leave from the Superintendent of his Division, except from illness, in which case he must immediately inform the Superintendent, and take care that some competent person is intrusted with the duties.

9. Carriages and Waggons are never to be allowed to stand on the main Line, but must be placed in a siding, and at night the wheels must be securely scotched.

10. No Engine, Carriage, or Waggon, must be allowed to shunt or cross the main Line if a Train is expected, unless the proper signal shall have been previously sent back.

11. On the arrival of a Train at a Station, the Red Signal is to be shown, and continued for five minutes after the departure of the Train. In foggy weather the Auxiliary Signals must always be lighted, and used as shown by Rule 13, p. 165.

12. Every exertion must be made for the expeditious despatch of the Station duties, and for insuring punctuality in the Trains.

13. No Train is to be started before the time stated in the Tables.

14. As a general rule, Passenger Trains are to take precedence of Luggage Trains; and Goods Trains must not be started from any Station when Passenger Trains are due. This Regulation, however, will be subject to modification, agreeably to the circumstances of the Trains, the state of the weather, the weight of the load, and the character of the Engine:—Thus, a light through Goods or Cattle Train, on a clear day or night, with a good Engine, may be started before a Passenger Train which is due, should the latter have to stop at all the Stations. Again, if, from facts which may come to the knowledge of the Station Agent, by means of the Electric Telegraph or otherwise, the Passenger Train which is due may not be expected for some time, the Agent will be justified in despatching the Goods Train, taking care in this case specially to warn the Engineman of the Passenger Train, when it arrives, informing him the precise time when the Luggage Train was despatched and where ordered to shunt.

15. On a Line like the London and North-Western, where the Traffic in Goods and Passengers is so intermingled, much must be left to the discretion of the Station Agents, but the discretionary power must be exercised with great prudence and caution. Every endeavour, consistent with safety, must be made to expedite the departure of the Goods Trains from the Roadside Stations; and no delay should be permitted unless obstruction to Passenger Trains may be reasonably apprehended.

16. In deciding in difficult cases whether to despatch a Luggage Train or not, the opinions of the Engineman and Breaksman, who must be best acquainted with the state of the Engine and Load, should be obtained, and great weight should be attached to these recommendations, but the decision on the course to be pursued will still rest with the Station Agent.

17. A Return of the Delays at each Station is in future to be submitted to the Manager, which will enable the Directors to appreciate the activity of the Station Agents.

18. The above regulations will be facilitated in their operations by the limit to which the Directors have restricted the weight of the Trains. As a general rule, no Train will be allowed to exceed forty Loaded Waggons; and whenever this number shall be exceeded, special notice will be given. When the number of Waggons to be despatched exceeds forty, thereby requiring another Engine, the load will be divided, and despatched in Two Trains, at an interval of Ten Minutes.

19. Waggons of Merchandise are always to have precedence over Coke, except written instructions are produced to the contrary, or the Agent is satisfied, by verbal explanations, that the case is urgent, and that deviation from the rule would be expedient. When this occurs it is to be noted in the Report.

20. In order to guide the Agents in deciding on the policy of attaching Waggons to passing Trains, the Locomotive Department will in future supply the Drivers with a Certificate of each Luggage-Engine’s capability; stating the average number of Loaded Waggons which may be attached to it, in good and bad weather respectively; and this Certificate will be considered to remain in force until withdrawn by the Superintendent of the Locomotive Department.

21. Empty Waggons will be worked down by spare or returned Engines, as the case may be. Three empty Waggons will be considered equal to Two loaded ones.

22. The through Trains between Liverpool, Manchester, the Midland Line, and London, which do not take up Roadside Goods, are to be pushed forward as rapidly as is consistent with safety.

23. When a Special Train has to be despatched from a Station, a Red Board or Red Flag by day and an additional Tail Lamp by night must be attached to the preceding Train.

24. An account of all unclaimed Luggage found at the Station is to be sent to the Clearing-house on a form furnished for that purpose.

25. The Clerks at the several Stations are to deliver Tickets to all persons booking their places for conveyance by the Railway, and no person is to be allowed to pass on the platform without producing his Ticket.

26. If the Guard or Station Clerk have reason to suspect that any Passenger is or has been travelling upon the Railway without having paid any Fare or the proper Fare, he may require such person to produce his Ticket; and every Passenger before leaving the Company’s premises at the end of his journey is to be required to deliver up his Ticket. If any Passenger shall refuse or be unable to produce a proper Ticket, or shall commit any other offence against the Bye-laws, Rules, and Regulations of the Company relating to Travellers by the Railway, the case shall be immediately investigated by the Chief Clerk of the Station where the occurrence may take place, who is to exercise his discretion as to the proceedings to be taken, always reporting what has been done.

27. The power of detention is to be exercised with great caution, and never where the address of the party is known, or adequate security offered for his appearance to answer the charge. When it shall be necessary to detain any party, such detention shall not continue for a longer period than is absolutely necessary, but he shall be conveyed before a Magistrate with as little delay as possible.

28. Passengers not producing their Tickets are to be required to deposit the amount of the whole Fare from the place whence the Train started until the inquiry can be made, in order to ascertain whether the Fare has been actually paid or not, and in every case the circumstances must be inquired into without delay and reported.

29. The power of detention for offences is limited to the person of the Passenger and does not extend to his Luggage, but the Luggage may be detained for the Fare in case it is not intended to proceed against the Owner for a Penalty, such Luggage being subject to a lien for the amount of the Fare.

30. As it is the intent which constitutes the offence, it is very desirable that the power of detention should be exercised with caution and discretion, as cases may frequently occur of persons travelling beyond the distance for which they have paid their Fare unintentionally, or even against their wish and to their inconvenience; and the right of detention is applicable only in cases of what is termed Over Riding to parties who knowingly and wilfully proceed beyond the place to which they are booked, not only without previously paying the additional Fare for the additional distance, but also with intent to avoid payment thereof.