AGY-1526 | Engineer in Chief's Branch

Full description

By 1875 it would appear that the Engineer-in-Chief's Branch was responsible for railway construction and building and repairing railway vehicles; and that the staff was divided into several sub-branches - Office Staff, Field Staff, Permanent Way and Works staff, and Locomotive staff. The Office staff were headed by the Engineer-in-Chief and Assistant Engineer and consisted of clerical staff and draftsmen;
field staff included assistant engineers, surveyors, inspectors and chainmen who worked on the railway construction;
The Permanent Way and Works Staff was divided into the Great Southern and Western and the Great Northern Lines. Both of these divisions were led by an Assistant Engineer and consisted of labourers, and various tradesmen;
The Locomotive staff were also divided into the Great Southern and Western, and Great northern lines. The divisions were each headed by a superintendent. It would appear that the locomotive staff consisted of the staff who built and repaired the trains and those involved with their operation. The staff therefore included engine drivers, firemen and cleaners and a range of tradesmen, labourers and apprentices. (1) It would seem that by 1876 the branch had divided with the office and field staff remaining with the engineer-in-chief's branch and the Permanent Way and Locomotive staff transferring to the Engineer for Existing Lines Branch. (2) Endnotyes
(1) Commissioner for Railways. Railways of New South Wales: report on their construction and working during from 1872 - 1875. Sydney, Government Printer, 1876 p. 120- 121
(2) Commissioner for Railways. Railways of New South Wales: report on their construction and working during 1876. Sydney, Government Printer, 1877 p. 100