In September every year, Heritage Open Days is a nation-wide set of events providing unparalleled access to Britain’s history and heritage. In 2026, it runs from 11-20 September, on the theme of ‘Everyday Histories.’ As you can imagine, this really fits with the Railway Work, Life & Death project, given we look at ordinary British and Irish railway workers of the past.
The Railway Work, Life & Death project has put together a free database of accidents to railway staff before 1939. Though that, it’s possible to find out much more about the women and men who kept Britain and Ireland’s railways running. Often they’re people who’ve been seen as insignificant and who haven’t really featured in people’s understanding of the past, on the railways or more widely. Our project shines a light on them and puts them front and centre. It makes it possible to tell the stories of everyday railway workers of the past.
A particular focus of this year’s Heritage Open Days theme is daily working life in the past. The Railway Work, Life & Death project’s resources are a fantastic window onto railway life in Britain and Ireland before the Second World War. In our database you can find workers of virtually every role – from the obvious (like drivers and firemen) to the rarely-considered (like hotel staff, ship workers, welders, ashpit labourers, well-sinkers … and many, many more!). Covering from 1855 to 1939, it’s possible to get a picture of people and work on the railways and how things changed – and how some of the dangers remained the same. One of the real virtues of our database and our project is that it allows you to get down to the individuals and their experiences.
One of the key routes to sharing research into individuals and railway work is via the Railway Work, Life & Death project blog. This includes research that we’ve carried out within the project team and contributions from guest authors. We’re keen to be a platform (no pun intended!) that allows people and organisations to share research into railway work and railway workers in the past. There’s more on how to do that here.
Heritage Open Days & the project
This year, you can find the Railway Work, Life & Death project contributing to Heritage Open Days in a number of places. A number of those are close to Portsmouth, home of project co-lead Mike Esbester. Research from the Portsmouth Area Railway Pasts project is appearing in events put on by the Buriton Heritage Bank (Saturday 26 September) and Rowlands Castle History and Heritage (12-13 September).
Also from the Portsmouth Area Railway Pasts project, the ‘South coast’s forgotten railway workers’ exhibition is appearing at Emsworth Museum. That’s particularly nice as there are a couple of Emsworth railway staff featured in the exhibition. The exhibition will be there until 18 October 2026. If you miss it during Heritage Open Days there will be opportunities to see it later.
Further afield, some of our work is appearing at an event at Stoke-on-Trent station. This picks up on the work we did last year with New Vic Borderlines, as part of its ‘Tracks Through Time’ exhibition. Some of the past railway staff we researched from the Stoke-on-Trent area will be featured on posters at the station.
This is on top of the Railway Work, Life & Death project’s more usual heritage work, with preserved railways. We’ve worked with a few heritage railways over the last couple of years. Together, we’ve co-produced museum displays, leaflets, posters, and a walking tour of Didcot Railway Centre. You can read more about our work with heritage railways here.
What’s particularly nice about all of this is that all of these events and initiatives are collaborative. They’re in and of their communities. That’s really important to the Railway Work, Life & Death project.
Needless to say, across the Heritage Open Days there’s a lot going on – including with a railway focus. You can find out more about the railway-themed events here – enjoy!