Engine Driver (Stationary).....

[Jean Jeanie]

Any idea what he would have done? A bit ambiguous......

Jean

[Alcluith]

Jean,

Depending on where he worked.

It could have been a steam engine to drive machinery in a factory, a mine lift or something similar.

[DavidWW]

Jean

Any steam engine that was fixed in place to drive whatever type of machinery had a "driver". Today we'd probably use the term "operator".

David

[CatrionaL]

Hi Jean Jeanie

I too have two or three stationary Engine Drivers. They worked in the mines. My understanding of the term is that they were in charge of engines used for the functionning of equipment such as hoists, drainage and so on.

regards

Catriona

[Jean Jeanie]

Hi Folks

Thanks for that. He lived in the Lothians and his sons were miners, so presumably he operated some kind of machinery in the mines.

Jean

[Russell]

Just to add to this

When steam locomotives were beginning to be introduced onto these newfangled railways many of the 'drivers' of stationary engines were recruited to drive the new mobile machines. They were ideal because they didn't require any training other than the 'rules of the rails' so they were able to step into a better job right away. Later engine drivers had to work through an apprenticeship which started out with cleaning out the soot from locomotives at the end of the day; then graduated to being firemen and had to shovel coal all day to keep up steam and were only allowed to drive freight for months or even years once they graduated onto driving the 'real thing'.

Russell