1st Edition
The Railway Clearing House In the British Economy 1842-1922
Originally published in 1968, and using official records, this book charts the history of the Railway Clearing House and shows the vital role it played in the development of British railways and the growth of the economy. The Clearing House established a common classification of goods; standardized signalling systems and telegraphic codes among the 120 railway companies which operated in Britain before the First World War. It was the nerve centre of the railway for nearly a century and at one time more than 2,500 clerks were employed in its huge offices near Euston Station in London.
1. The Transport Bottlenecks Before 1842 2. The Foundation of the Railway Clearing House 3. The Passenger Traffic 4. The Goods Traffic 5. The Parcels Traffic 6. The Organisation of the Clearing House 7. The Clearing House Staff: The Clerks 8. The Clearing House Staff: The Number Takers 9. Standardisation: Rolling Stock and Locomotives 10. Standardisation: Operation 11. Pooling Agreements and Rate Conferences 12. The Railway Clearing House in Wartime and After.
Biography
Philip Bagwell was a British labour and transport historian.
Review of the original edition of The Railway Clearing House:
‘This is a thorough and very readable interpretative study.’ Kent T. Healy, The Journal of Economic History, 29 (3).
