Safeguarding Our Railway Heritage

The Railway Heritage Committee is a statutory body operating under the authority of the Railway Heritage Act 1996 as amended by the Railways Act 2005. It has the function of 'designating' records and artefacts still within the ownership of the post-British Rail (BR) industry which are historically significant and should be permanently preserved.

The Committee also has the function of agreeing which institutions will hold those records or artefacts so designated when no longer required by the railway business that owns them, and the terms under which they will be offered to those institutions.

Other pages of this site show the last-published Annual Report, and also a list of items that have been designated to date. As may be seen, many items, or classes of item, have now been subject to designation.

- DISBANDMENT OF COMMITTEE, BUT PROPOSED TRANSFER OF POWERS TO NMSI -

Whilst the Government earlier announced the proposed disbandment of the Committee under the Public Bodies Bill, they have - following discussion - now indicated that they are willing to transfer the legal powers to the Trustees of the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI).

Latest information: this is likely to take place at the end of 2012, or early 2013.