Rob Rinder was left horrified during the latest episode of Channel 5's Rich Lives, Poor Lives after uncovering the grim reality of Victorian railway construction.
The presenter, alongside historian Ruth Goodman, explored the 1840s railway mania that transformed Britain. While Rob focused on wealthy investors like George Hudson, the 'Railway King', and Lord Morpeth, Ruth delved into the lives of the workers who built the lines, including Thomas Eaton and Mary Arguile, Britain's first female station mistress.
A Sobering Discovery
Comparing first and third class travel on one of Hudson's trains, the pair noted that hundreds of third class passengers were crammed into cattle wagons, resulting in injuries like black eyes and bloody noses. 'Oh my goodness. You go on a nice day out and you end up coming out like you've been boxing,' Rob remarked.
The episode then turned to the dangerous conditions at the Woodhead Tunnel, where unskilled laborers faced frequent accidents. Thomas Eaton, one of 32 witnesses summoned to Westminster in June 1846, testified about the deaths. Ruth read his words: 'Several were killed, sometimes when the engine was drawing them up, sometimes striking at the side. It threw them out and killed them.'
Profit Over Lives
Eaton reported seeing about 40 deaths in 18 months, with the death toll reaching 3% of the workforce—a revelation that stunned Rob. Ruth noted that the inquiry members seemed unsympathetic, asking if the accidents were due to workers' 'carelessness'.
The worst revelation came from an engineer named Purdon, who admitted that a safer method would cause 'loss of time' and he would not recommend it 'for the sake of all the extra lives it would save'. A horrified Rob responded, 'Gosh, that's an admission. Profit over lives.'
The Victorians with Rob Rinder and Ruth Goodman is available to stream on Channel 5.
