Can anyone help with what a 'Railway Spring Fitter' did?

[Minnie]

A couple of my ancestors were 'Railway Spring Fitters' in Sheffield in the 1861 to 1881 census. Does anyone have any further info on this occupation? Did they make the springs and/or fit them on the trains? Was this a skilled job? Any information would be appreciated.

[Edmund]

Railway spring fitters assembled laminated leaf springs (think of a deck of cards) in the various steel works.  In the mid 1870s there was increased competition from abroad, resulting in attempts to reduce their pay which was on a piece rate per hundredweight.  This led to strikes and lockouts.  They received between £5 and £8 10s a week, out of which they had to pay their mates (the vice men) 8 shillings in the pound.  The piece rate was between 2s 9d and 3s 3d per cwt, so you can make an estimate of the tonnage they each put out per week.  As a comparison in 1877 horse nail makers (less skilled than spring fitters) were making £2 a week, so I think they were reasonably well off.

 

[johnm]

English Steel Corporation had a Spring Shop on Chambers Lane , GRimesthorpe when I worked at ESC in 1960's.

[lysandernovo]

My Dad was a foreman in said spring shop. It  was closed and moved into a new factory on the "Ponderosa" ( Tinsley Park)....merged with Saml Fox's spring department upon nationalisation it eventually became Tinsley Bridge Springs....by that time they were mainly involved in the design and manufacture of car and lorry springs. I believe they are still making springs.