Disinfecting railway carriages, early 1900s

[weepingwillowb]

In January 1903 the L. & N.-W.R. sent railway carriages from Cumberland to Wolverton for disinfection from possible smallpox. Is it known what facilities there would have been at Wolverton for disinfecting carriages?
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[webbfan]

Not aware of any permanent fixtures at Wolverton. However it was almost certainly the best place to do the job as they could setup anything required. May have had written procedures - had for everything else Know exactly what materials went into their carriages so they would know what could be most effective to disinfect whilst causing cause minimum damage. They would also be the fastest at completing the job so carriages would be back in revenue earning service. Bet no one else volunteered.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

So what anti-smallpox disinfectant might have been used by the railway back in 1903? Soap and water, dilute beach, something containing a high % of alcohol, phenol or maybe something else?

 

[webbfan]

Google search gives variety. Includes Jeyes fluid and phenol.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

...Jeyes fluid...

Patented in 1877, so certainly would have been available in 1903.

 

[weepingwillowb]

Deleted

 

[edwin_m]

Reminds me of the apocryphal story of the bug letter: https://bytesdaily.blogspot.com/2010/05/pullman-bedbug-letter.html

Back in 1889, however, Mr Jenkins was moved to send a letter of complaint to the Pullman Palace Car Company at having had to share his bed with bedbugs. In return, he received a heartfelt apology from George M Pullman himself, the company president. The company had never heard of such a thing, Pullman wrote, and as a result of the passenger's experience, all of the sleeping cars were being pulled off the line and fumigated. The Pullman's Palace Car Company was committed to providing its customers with the highest level of service, Pullman went on, and it would spare no expense in meeting that goal. Thank you for writing, he said, and if you ever have a similar problem — or any problem — do not hesitate to write again.

Enclosed with this letter, by accident, was the passenger's original letter to Pullman, across the bottom of which the president had written, "Sarah - Send this S.O.B. the bedbug letter."

 

[Mr. SW]

Hmm. I suspect any upholstered material, squabs, cushions etc., would have simply been removed and burnt. Then they probably would have then used something like Carbolic acid (Phenol) as a spray and wipe. I also suspect that the use of Phenol may have been actually more harmful to the staff than the virus. It's really not nice stuff but was used quite extensively at one point. Other disinfectants from the time such as Blue Vitriol (Copper sulphate), Potassium permanganate and Hydrogen peroxide and whole lot of other horrible chemicals would have risked a lot of other problems, apart from inadvertently dying the offending vehicle a variety of brilliant colours.

 

[6Gman]

I believe Swindon Works had a specific disinfection unit (but built later, 1930s) which could hold a single carriage. Vehicle placed, doors and windows closed and sealed, then a suitable product sprayed. I think it was known locally as "the bug bay" or something similar and could be used for both vermin and infections but using different products.

 

[webbfan]

Doubt if you would have been employed by the LNWR for very long with that kind of attitude - staff comfort verses money. Smallpox and the need for disinfectant was not rare in those days, soak everything then wash well for third class, perhaps perfume for first. Forgot te most important factor of send to Wolverton to give reassurance to future passengers and more importantly the press that everything necessary is done for their safety.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 May 2026 ==

I believe Swindon Works had a specific disinfection unit (but built later, 1930s) which could hold a single carriage. Vehicle placed, doors and windows closed and sealed, then a suitable product sprayed. I think it was known locally as "the bug bay" or something similar and could be used for both vermin and infections but using different products.

Doesn't Swindon still have a vermin problem

 

[weepingwillowb]

There was a smallpox epidemic in Great Britain berween 1901-1903, also the USA and parts of Europe, which might have helped in the LNWR's decision to get all the carriages of one train disinfected.

 

[StephenHunter]

There was a smallpox epidemic in Great Britain berween 1901-1903, also the USA and parts of Europe, which might have helped in the LNWR's decision to get all the carriages of one train disinfected.

Were the scabs themselves contagious then?

 

[Acathater]

Were the scabs themselves contagious then?

If entered into a cut or graze, then yes.
The dessicated scabs simply needed body fluids to rehydrate

 

[Bodiam]

The Southern Railway 1934 General Appendix has a couple of pages on disinfecting carriages after use by passengers with a variety of contagious diseases, including smallpox. Hand sprayers were used with Sprakar disinfecting solution (don't know what that was) and sprays and solution had to be kept in a safe place under lock and key. There were 10 locations where this could be done (carriage cleaning sheds, sidings, a few termini), plus sprayers and solution held by the Superintendent of Operation for emergency use. Charges are specified when such passengers are carried by arrangement, and instructions given for tracing passengers who may have been infectious. Notes that "in some extreme cases it may be necessary to strip the compartment and burn the trimmings".

 

[Gloster]

Could Sprakar be a brand name based on Spra(y) plus car(bolic)?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Could Sprakar be a brand name based on Spra(y) plus car(bolic)?

Could be, but never heard of the stuff, might not be a brand name.

 

[webbfan]

Could be, but never heard of the stuff, might not be a brand name.

Google says Sprakar" is a Swedish verb meaning "crackle," "sparkle," or "spit,"

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Could Sprakar be a brand name based on Spra(y) plus car(bolic)?

Found it. "Sprakar" was the trade mark of John Gadd (Colour and Chemical Agencies) Ltd., of Bishopsgate, London, and were manufacturers / distributors of various chemical substances, including disinfectants and germicides, this in the late 1920s / early 1930s, before the "Sprakar" name was then acquired / taken over. Presume the product was only intended for trade use as it doesn't ever seem to have been advertised to the general public.

 

[Bodiam]

Found it. "Sprakar" was the trade mark of John Gadd (Colour and Chemical Agencies) Ltd., of Bishopsgate, London, and were manufacturers / distributors of various chemical substances, including disinfectants and germicides, this in the late 1920s / early 1930s, before the "Sprakar" name was then acquired / taken over. Presume the product was only intended for trade use as it doesn't ever seem to have been advertised to the general public.

Thanks - that's another mystery solved. I guess it was either highly toxic or expensive or both, if it needed to be kept locked up

 

[Merle Haggard]

The LMS 1937 General Appendix (they weren't issued annually, this is the earliest LMS one I've found) which may have included LNWR practice, says that 'compartment ... person ... infectious ... travelled ... must be locked and, more relevantly 'sent to the nearest C&W Dept. depot with disinfecting facilities'.
The inference is that it was not an unusual event and could be routinely dealt with.
However, it does seem strange that there was no nearer 'C&W Dept. depot with disinfecting facilities' to Cumberland than Wolverton (there were large carriage sheds at Carlisle, for instance) and no risk was thought to be entailed in the infected coach passing through a number of stations en route.

 

[The exile]

and no risk was thought to be entailed in the infected coach passing through a number of stations en route.

Given that the amount of potentially infectious material on the outside of the carriage would be negligible, I suspect in modern parlance it would satisfy the “R” in ALARP. (As low as reasonably possible).

 

[Merle Haggard]

Given that the amount of potentially infectious material on the outside of the carriage would be negligible, I suspect in modern parlance it would satisfy the “R” in ALARP. (As low as reasonably possible).

I was thinking more of the draughts (coaches of the day not having tightly fitting doors or windows and also designed ventilation) liberating the virus from interior surfaces and into the breeze following the train.

 

[Gloster]

I was thinking more of the draughts (coaches of the day not having tightly fitting doors or windows and also designed ventilation) liberating the virus from interior surfaces and into the breeze following the train.

Try proving that was the railway‘s fault!

 

[Acathater]

Thanks - that's another mystery solved. I guess it was either highly toxic or expensive or both, if it needed to be kept locked up

Phenol is toxic, acidic and corrosive. It destroys skin and can cause kidney failure

 

[The exile]

I was thinking more of the draughts (coaches of the day not having tightly fitting doors or windows and also designed ventilation) liberating the virus from interior surfaces and into the breeze following the train.

I suspect that while this might have been a risk with some diseases, sufficient was known about smallpox transmission to realise that the risk was minimal (transmission other than by close direct contact was rare, but possible so sitting on an infected seat for several hours was a risk worth lessening by disinfection, whereas the chance of prolonged contact with enough infected material caused by a train rushing through a station was so much lower than picking up the disease in the course of normal life that it wasn’t)
Also, I should imagine that in most cases by the time the railway was made aware of the need to disinfect, any affected coaches would have passed through many stations already.

 

[Rescars]

The LMS 1937 General Appendix (they weren't issued annually, this is the earliest LMS one I've found) which may have included LNWR practice, says that 'compartment ... person ... infectious ... travelled ... must be locked and, more relevantly 'sent to the nearest C&W Dept. depot with disinfecting facilities'.
The inference is that it was not an unusual event and could be routinely dealt with.
However, it does seem strange that there was no nearer 'C&W Dept. depot with disinfecting facilities' to Cumberland than Wolverton (there were large carriage sheds at Carlisle, for instance) and no risk was thought to be entailed in the infected coach passing through a number of stations en route.

Is it possible that smallpox was of such significance that disinfection could only be carried out at a limited number of locations (with access to Sprakar perhaps)? Alternatively, was the carriage in question allocated to Wolverton and consequently returned to its home depot to be sorted out?

 

[Acathater]

Is it possible that smallpox was of such significance that disinfection could only be carried out at a limited number of locations (with access to Sprakar perhaps)? Alternatively, was the carriage in question allocated to Wolverton and consequently returned to its home depot to be sorted out?

Possibly so. Presumably by then it was a recordable /notifiable disease and treatment records would have to be tightly controlled

 

[Bodiam]

The Southern appendix mentioned above suggests there were two cases - one where arrangements had been made beforehand to convey an infectious passenger, when there was a fixed charge for disinfecting the compartment afterwards, and the other where it was discovered subsequently that a passenger had been infectious, when the vehicle involved had to be traced and dealt with, taken out of service if necessary. Being the Southern, I imagine this would often have involved stopping a complete set, rather than an individual carriage.