The introduction of the railway to rural and urban landscapes offered new opportunities for women to travel beyond their communities and farms, says a local rail historian.
Palmerston Railway Heritage Museum volunteer Robert MacEachern spoke on “The Railway and Women” at the June meeting of the Mapleton Historical Society.
“Before the introduction of steam, women were stuck. Travel by sail from Europe to North America took weeks. Women on the farm had nowhere to go,” MacEachern said. “With the introduction of steam, ships could cross the ocean in 10 days and trains opened up a new way of travel for women. The introduction of the railway, liberated women.”
Travel by stagecoach was unsafe for women travelling alone, MacEachern explained. Men were unable to take time away from their employment or farm to accompany women to their destination. The railway offered safe, secure travel for women. The Palmerston Railway Station housed a circular room that was strictly used as a women’s waiting room. The station master had a full view of the women’s area and was responsible for ensuring the safety of women passengers. On board the train the conductor assumed the role of securing the safety of female passengers, especially those travelling alone.
“Women could travel away from the farm to visit family members and stay for a week. This opportunity expanded the women’s world. This was really the beginning of the equality of the sexes, with no women’s rights movement parades or demonstrations,” MacEachern said.
For many years, the romance of the railroad enticed women to have their wedding photos taken at the railway station. Today, the Palmerston Railway Station (now the museum) continues to be a popular venue for wedding photography.
In 1880, travel to Niagara Falls by train allowed women to take day trips from Palmerston to the Niagara region. Another popular rail trip taken by many women and their families at the end of August was an outing to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto.
Work on the railroad was typically done by men. MacEachern highlighted an old photograph taken at the Palmerston station of the station’s employees. Of note was the station’s only female employee, Nell Hamilton, whose occupation was a bookkeeper in the Roundhouse.
The life of a wife of a railway worker was a difficult one. With husbands working out of the area for weeks at a time, the maintenance, the home and raising of the children often became the sole responsibility of the railway worker’s wife.
“Banks used to close at 3pm. Incidents of railway workers’ pay cheques not being released to wives of husbands working out of town, were common. Other times, when husbands were not available to sign pay cheques, families were left with no means of purchasing groceries and supplies,” MacEachern said.
Women collected coal dumped on the side of the track from the train and used the coal to heat their homes in winter. Soot from trains was an issue in homes built near the railway tracks. Basement clotheslines became a necessity in homes in order to keep clean laundry soot free.
Wives of railroad employees were eventually given free passes for the train. Photos of the wife were printed on the same ticket as the husband’s. These passes allowed women to travel freely into the city to do their shopping and to explore other venues.
Students wishing to complete Grade 13 took the train from Palmerston to school in Listowel. The men of the household made the decision around the education of their children. The passes are thought to have cost 10 to 15 cents per year. Female students could travel in a comfortable secure environment on the train in order to further their education.
The Palmerston Railway Heritage Museum is looking for railway stories from the Drayton area. Anyone with information is asked to contact the museum at 519-343-4014 or by email palmrailroad@wightman.ca.
