On 1 February 1848, the first rails of the Aberdeen Railway opened for traffic with through train services from Montrose, Brechin, Forfar and Arbroath four times daily as well as local service between Montrose and Brechin four times daily.
In April 1850, Mr Charles Dawson, in the employ of Aberdeen as Town Sergeant since at least 1835, resigned his office in consequence of his having been appointed Superintendent of the Aberdeen Railway Police. Whilst Superintendent of the Aberdeen Railway Police, Mr Dawson detected multiple instances of the theft of quantities of ore, upwards of one ton on one occasion, and orchestrated their recovery. He watched the arrivals by rail for gangs to which he was alerted to by other police authorities. Given the distances involved with the breadth of the railway, Mr Dawson would often need to convey the perpetrators to the appropriate courts and then give evidence. He also attended to an accidental death of a man proceeding along the lines for whom the engine was unable to stop in time.
The Aberdeen Railway Police became part of the Scottish North Eastern Railway Police in 1856 with the merger of the Aberdeen Railway and Scottish Midland Junction Railway.
Aberdeen Railway Police Truncheon
Aberdeen Railway Police Truncheon
Aberdeen Railway Police Truncheon
Sources
- Stonehaven Journal, 01 February 1848 *
- Inverness Courier, 02 December 1835 *
- Montrose, Arbroath and Brechin Review and Forfar and Kincardineshire Advertiser, 28 February 1851 *
- Aberdeen Press and Journal, 03 April 1850, 25 September 1850, 24 March 1852 *
- Montrose Standard, 30 January 1852, 30 January 1852 *
- * The British Newspaper Archive
