British Railways Shunter's Pole

Shunter's pole, British Rail, shunter's hook with metal shaft with taped sections for hand grip.

Shunting poles help shunters couple and uncouple wagons safely as they prepare the formation of a train for onward travel or unloading. They were in widespread use by the late 1880s, but shunting remained a dangerous job well into the twentieth century.

The shunter would hold one end of the pole and use the hooked end to lift or lower the coupling joining wagons together. The pole’s length meant it was no longer necessary for shunters to move between the wagons, which was dangerous, meaning less limbs were crushed, and lives lost.