NRS-17213 | Special Instructions [District Locomotive Engineer, Casino]

These Special Instructions emanated from the District Locomotive Engineer's Office, Casino, although a smaller number came under the signature of the Chief Mechanical Engineer and had been forwarded because of their relevance to the Northern Division staff. Each instruction was addressed to the relevant staff which altered according to the topic. The role of the Instructions was to provide essential information to employees. Each Instruction is numbered and was accompanied by a cover sheet that officers were required to sign after reading. A copy of each Instruction was retained by the office. It would appear that the set of Instructions that have survived were those that were held in the office. The Instructions cover equipment, procedures for dealing with particular types of engines and rolling stock and parts thereof, safe work practices, staffing, general management and recordkeeping procedures of the Branch. Reference to the Instructions was facilitated by an index at least during the period 1957 - 1973. Custody History From 1955 until 2000 the State Rail Authority of New South Wales maintained an ‘in house archives’ consisting of the archival records of the Authority, its predecessor agencies and the private railway companies taken over by the government. The date ranges of the records were from 1849 until 2000. When the decision was made to close the ‘State Rail Archives’ the parts of the collection that were required as State archives were transferred to the State Records Authority of NSW. Those record series were incorporated into the State Records series system of archives control and were re-numbered.This series was formerly part of the State Rail Archives collection where it was identified as series R221 and was possibly known as 'Mechanical Branch Special Instructions'. It may have been viewed in the State Rail Archives as series R221 and could have been previously cited as such in notes by researchers at State Rail Archives or in publications or unpublished works.