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era. Travelling porters travelled in the parcels cars of passenger trains organising luggage and parcels so that those required at any given station were always closest to the door upon arrival at that station. It was heavy manual labour, but was one of the roles taken over by female workers during
39:, and to handle the loading, unloading, and distribution of luggage and parcels. In the United States the term was formerly used for employees who attended to passengers aboard sleeping cars, a usage unknown to British or Commonwealth English where such staff are known as
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In the United States and Canada, the term "porter" has a somewhat different history and contemporary usage, than the rest of the world. Until desegregation had its effect in the United States in the 1960s, the occupation of porter was almost the exclusive province of
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handled passengers' luggage, assisted passengers to and from trains, carried out general cleaning duties in the station and on its platforms, and often assisted on ticket barriers and in booking offices as they advanced towards higher grades.
262:, and their role is carefully regulated, with local services (such as porters' offices, lavatories, and canteens) provided by the railway company. Their role is the traditional luggage-carrying job at railway stations.
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242:, it went into decline by the 1970s, with the general station duties role taken by station attendants, and the role of carrying luggage largely abolished. In more recent times however, following the
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A typical career progression would see a porter advance to become a head porter, then a ticket collector or booking clerk, which could in turn lead to the senior roles of assistant station master or
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In the United States the term porter had the somewhat different meaning of a member of staff attending to passengers on board trains, particularly in sleeping cars, a role known as
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In
Australia, a railway porter had various roles, similar to those described above. A baggage porter assisted with luggage; an operating porter assisted with
246:, the role of porter has made a limited comeback, particularly at busy city stations and stations with high numbers of tourists and holidaymakers in transit.
191:. In addition to carrying passengers' baggage to their berth or room, porters also provided personal services, such as clothes pressing and shoe shining.
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In India red-jacketed station porters are common at almost all stations across the network. Although Indian railway porters are not employed directly by
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54:, meaning "to carry." Hence, in railroad use, the application to someone who carries baggage and parcels of passengers, among other duties.
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Porters were, in most railway companies, the most junior grade of station staff, although some companies had the more junior position of
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Porters arose in the
Traffic Department of early railway companies, as junior staff grades in most of the independent railway companies.
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led to a shortage of skilled labour, with many unskilled porters advancing to porter signalman, and ultimately qualifying as signalmen.
183:, who wished to tap into a huge potential work force that was also non-unionized. This eventually changed with the organization of the
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duties; a station porter assisted with general station duties; and as in
British usage a lad porter was a junior station porter.
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95:, usually held by a young unskilled and unqualified teenager, who would aspire to the role of porter after training.
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387:, by Peter Howlett, London School of Economics (Department of Economic History), published LSE, June 2001, page 12.
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They Called Me George: The Untold Story of Black Train
Porters and the Birth of Modern Canada
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19th century drawing of railway porters moving luggage and giving directions to some children
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in the early 20th century. He launched a discrimination lawsuit for $ 1000 in 1914 when the
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in most other countries. The
American term is now obsolete, "attendant" being preferred.
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445:"Demeaned, overworked and all called George: How Black train porters transformed Canada"
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they are centrally trained and licensed, holding a licence issued in the name of the
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Although the role of porter originated in the United
Kingdom, and continued after
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Although porters are traditionally associated with railway stations, the role of
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491:, The Westmorland Gazette (newspaper), 25 August 2009, accessed 8 October 2016.
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Rising from the Rails: Pullman
Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class
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102:. Other career progressions were also common on some railways. Research at the
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Careers for the unskilled in the Great
Eastern Railway Company, 1870-1913
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is a railway employee. The role of a porter is to assist passengers at
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Society for the
Prevention of Calling Sleeping Car Porters "George"
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528:, The Hindu (newspaper), 7 August 2013, accessed 8 October 2016.
399:, by Rosa Matheson, published by Tempus Publishing, 2007,
202:, a study of the history of Black Canadian train porters.
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on 2016-10-09 – via The Centre for Civil
Society.
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158:Railway porter, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR),
503:"The Porter Economy: The Great Railway Bazaar"
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110:) how advances in rail signalling in the late
205:Early Black Canadian civil rights activist,
121:also existed on the British railways of the
106:has shown (with particular reference to the
489:Busy Windermere railway station gets porter
407:, e-published by The History Press, 2012,
465:"Calgary's Unknown Civil Rights Champion"
562:Rail transportation in the United States
542:A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum
307:Sleeping car Stewards referenced by the
209:, worked as a porter supervisor for the
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463:Mohamed, Bashir (September 7, 2018).
16:Railway worker who assists passengers
501:Mayank Singhal (8 September 2003).
397:Women and the Great Western Railway
346:See sleeper Stewards referenced at
311:on English-Scottish sleeper trains.
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185:Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
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25:South Eastern and Chatham Railway
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187:under the leadership of
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215:Sherman Grand Theatre
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108:Great Eastern Railway
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557:Railway occupations
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198:published the book
260:President of India
189:A. Philip Randolph
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413:978 0 7524 7431 1
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144:safeworking
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551:Categories
526:Men in red
469:The Sprawl
365:Wiktionary
348:ItaliaRail
175:policy of
41:attendants
295:Footnotes
173:Civil War
138:Australia
370:12 March
361:"Porter"
350:website.
337:website.
278:See also
127:Big Four
45:stewards
322:Seat 61
272:steward
223:Alberta
219:Calgary
58:History
52:portare
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250:India
476:2021
430:ISBN
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372:2018
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