All Aboard! Dressing an 1840s Railway Constable

9 February 2026, by Anthony Dawson

In this week's blog post, Costume Society member Anthony Dawson explains the process of creating Victorian railway uniforms for a Transport for Wales Railway Fashion Show.

In Summer 2024 I was approached by Dr Louise Moon of Transport for Wales to develop and curate a Railway Fashion Show depicting 200 years of railway uniform as part of TFW’s Railway200 offer. This I gladly accepted. I had already produced three sets of 1870s-1890s Victorian railway Guard uniforms – kepis, frock coats, trousers, bandoliers – for an experimental archaeology project, as discussed in Review 192.

For the fashion show two particular uniforms were clearly needed: an 1830s/1840s Railway Constable, and a ‘generic’ Victorian railway porter in his hated bottle green corduroy. Despite the National Railway Museum in York possessing the largest collection of railway uniforms in Europe, unsurprisingly it possesses relatively few 19th century uniforms, and nothing from the very earliest days (1830-1870s). This meant that in recreating the dress and appearance of an 1830s/40s Railway Constable one had to turn to archival sources as well as contemporary depictions.

What was a Railway Constable?

Railway Constables combined in one person the job of policeman  - someone to was to ensure that company bye-laws were maintained; prevent theft; and prevent trespass. It was also their job to act as a sort of early permanent way inspector. Each Constable had a ‘beat’ of one mile and he was expected to walk this every morning before the first train checking if any obstructions had been placed on the line, and if there were any broken rails. It was also his job to signal trains with lamps and flags, as well as operate all the points along the line, and level crossing gates. If they were based at a station to collect tickets as well. They were also all sworn Special Constables with the power of arrest on railway lands for any person who broke the railway’s by-laws, which bizarrely on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway of 1830 included eating Eccles cakes.

Recreating Dress and Equipment

The decision was taken to recreate the uniform worn by a Constable of the London & North Western Railway. This was because the company’s archive is very complete, and thorough in particular the stores committee which dealt with clothing. The stores committee includes cloth purchase accounts, tenders for making-up uniform, and various minutiae on changes to dress and appointments. As part of this archive, was a detailed description of LNWR uniforms c. 1846. It describes the garments worn by various grades of railway worker, including the cloth, buttons, types of embroidery and so forth. From this it was ascertained that an LNWR Constable wore a rifle green coat with metal buttons, and matching green trousers. Other details from the stores committee showed them to have fustian trousers in summer; a leather neck stock; and a leather-reinforced top hat.

As to their personal equipment, the Liverpool & Manchester Railway Rulebook of 1839 was turned to, as well as Lt Peter Lecount’s Treatise on railways (1839). Listed in these were the tools of the trade these men required: white, green, and red signal flags; a  ‘bulls-eye lamp’ capable of showing white, green and red. A truncheon, handcuffs and a rattle. Usefully Lecount describes the flags as measuring 2ft long by 1ft broad carried on a stave 5ft long from which replica flags were produced.

But what exactly is a ‘Police coat’? Lecount describes them as ‘body coats’ which is a garment derived from the habit à la française – a coat (so a formal item of dress) which was single-breasted, fastened down the chest but was originally open at the waist, and with tails behind. In other words, a single-breasted tailcoat which came to the natural waist, with tails. Because no railway uniforms from this period survive, an early police uniform in the Greater Manchester Police Museum was examined. So too were contemporary depictions including early photographs and prints from the Illustrated London News of railway Constables which confirmed Lecount’s observations: a leather-reinforced ‘round hat’; a single-breasted tail coat; waist belt; white trousers and gloves, and various flags and lamps. Lecount notes that each Constable was to be issued with one ‘body coat’, two pairs of trousers, one greatcoat, a pair of boots and a leather stock every two years. To be paid for from ‘stoppages’ from his pay. 

Having collated this data, it was a case of then putting it all together to create a garment. The 1830s/1840s was a period of change in male fashion. Prior to this period the tails of a coat were part of the main body and there was no under-arm seam. This meant that it was very hard to get a close fit as the only points where fabric could be taken in were the centre-back seam and where the fore-part joined the back-part. After the 1840s the tails became separate – seamed on – which allowed for an under-arm seam so that the body was made from six rather than four pieces. Sleeves were two-part, as were collars. As the basis of the ‘Police Coat’ the draft for an early nineteenth century single-breasted tailcoat called a surtout was used, but with rather less full tails.

The coat was made from rifle green pure wool broadcloth supplied by Kochan & Philips historical textiles. It was lined with rifle green serge. The collar, fore-parts and the tails were reinforced with vintage French canvas which helped give them shape. The garment was hand-sewn using size 12 sharp needle as best approximating the size of nineteenth century needles. To overcome the very real criticisms over the use of modern thread, vintage linen thread was used throughout.

Buttons were LNWR originals which were silver-plated and button holes were worked by hand. The collar embroidery was scaled from an Albumen Print of an early LNWR employee and was embroidered by hand in silver bullion on rifle green cloth.

Trousers were made, again by hand, from un-dyed and un-bleached fustian. Under the coat was worn a linen shirt, although the model refused to wear reproduction flannel underwear. The leather neck stock was made from vegetable tanned leather, which was dyed and then blackened using reproduction ‘black ball’ made from beeswax, lard and lamp black and a little white rum. It works as well as a modern shoe polish, but is much firmer.

A leather waist belt with silver-plated ‘S’ clasp and fittings was also made by hand, from which our Constable could hang his truncheon, lamp, and hand cuffs. The only items purchased ‘off the shelf’ were the leather-reinforced ‘round hat’ and his boots. An original Victorian Policeman’s ‘bullseye’ lamp as purchased together with a set of rather vicious cast-iron hand cuffs. The truncheon was turned by a friend on a lathe to a modern rather than 19th century length due to legal reasons.

The Haptic Experience

The uniform was debuted at Wakefield Kirkgate Railway Station where several models wearing original or replica uniform from the period 1830-2025 were filmed, photographed and engaged with the public.

My partner, Andy, played the role of the Constable. As he is 6ft 2in tall, putting on a 9inch tall hat made him very nearly 7ft tall: an imposing figure sure to discomfit any potential criminal on the railway. One inaccuracy was Andy having a full bear and a pony tail: these were certainly not hairstyles in the 1830s or 1840s, and were like the modern underwear, a concession to modernity and to the model.

Andy has worn a variety of uniform and historical clothing through theatre, live action roleplay and re-enactment so has experience of the haptic experience of clothing which fits and moves differently to those of today.

His major complaints were about his hat which was heavy and didn’t quite fit, and about the thick leather neck stock, but he did find that with time he grew accustomed it, but never liked it. So too wearing, a long, thick closely-fitted coat and boots without the benefits of insoles.  Another complaint was lack of pockets – there was a pocket in each tail, accessed via the pleat on the outside and one ‘kidney pocket’ on the inside left breast. As per military trousers of the period, his trousers had no pockets. This apparent lack of pockets is also perhaps because modern garments are well provided with them, and people in the 21st century have more things to put in them: wallet, keys, phone, etc than an 1840s railway Constable ever possessed.

Andy’s posture changed wearing the uniform – standing up straight, shoulders back, chest out – and his manner changed, to one of being more authoritative. The uniform made him feel more in control, in charge, and in turn the viewer was impressed by his stature and bearing: Andy as a Railway Constable was someone who broadcast his status and authority which was still understood by the 21st century viewer.

The uniform also had several outings since at events held to mark 200 years of modern railways in Britain during 2025. The public response has been entirely positive, but with often the same litany of questions: why was he wearing what he was? Was it comfortable? Why was he wearing white trousers as they didn’t look practical. It was interesting to see that members of the public immediately recognised Andy as a Victorian policeman.

Summarising the Experience

The whole project took about two months to put together, and had many learning outcomes. It also certainly improved my hand-sewing and the neatness of my ‘tailor’s back stitch’ – the LNWR specified uniforms were to be made up using at least eight stitches per inch. Quite large compared to a modern sewing machine, but takes a lot of care when doing by hand. After time it becomes almost meditative, sitting on the floor cross-legged although I am sure those making clothes in the period were not constantly interrupted by their cat wanting to sit on their work. The project in creating a replica 1830s Constables uniform has filled a gap in the preservation record and has provided much experiential data to learn from – from the making process; the experience of wearing it; of trying to perform appropriate roles wearing it; and the experience of the viewer.

Because no LNWR Constable’s coats exist from the 1830s/1840s the garments created cannot be described as replicas, or authentic: they aren’t copies of anything. They are informed guesses based on as much data as possible. Likewise, they were made by an enthusiastic amateur rather than a professional and someone who was making them in a well lit, centrally heated house in 2024 rather than as a piece worker or in an 1840s tailor’s shop. Likewise they were not made for an 1830s/1840s body. The garments have enabled the wearer and members of the public to tactilely interact with historical clothing – something they could not do with original garments – and has filled a gap in the preservation record.

To delve more into the Railway Fashion Show, revisit Anthony's previous blog post detailing the event curation.