About the union:

The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) was formed in Leeds in February 1880. A short history of ASLEF is included on the union website.Link opens in a new window

Records relevant to genealogical research include:

Annual reports, 1881-1990:

They contain:

• lists of deceased members and members' wives between 1887-1959
• lists of superannuated members, in branch order, between 1887-1931

You need to know: year of death, or year(s) in which the member received superannuation payments.

'Locomotive Journal':

We have editions for Sep 1889, Jan 1892, Dec 1895, Mar 1896, May 1907*, Feb 1911*, Nov 1919*, 1921-1925*, 1927-1933*, and 1970-.

They contain: some obituaries, mainly of union officials.

You need to know: month of death, as the journals are unindexed.

*The journals for these years are in the National Union of Railwaymen archive (MSS.127/NU/5/2/82-96).

To find out more about the union:

A catalogue of ASLEF archives at the Modern Records Centre is available online.

Information about the location of some branch records is included in the National Archives' Discovery finding aid.

Further information about ASLEF is included on the union website.