Museums invited to take part in railway collecting consultation

The Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board (RHDAB) has launched a UK-wide consultation to help inform a new collecting policy and identify gaps in how items are designated.

More than 100 heritage railway sites, museums and affiliated companies have been contacted by the advisory board inviting them to respond to a questionnaire.

Respondents are asked a number of questions including: what types of objects they think are underrepresented in museums and heritage railways; what type of objects their organisations are currently collecting; and what barriers they face for future collecting.

According to the RHDAB, the past decade has seen an increase in the preservation of rail artefacts with more than 200 important items protected by law under the Railway Heritage Act 1996. 

“Despite this success, there is always room for improvement and we know there are some misconceptions about how railway heritage is designated, which can lead to difficulties finding homes for designated items,” said the advisory board’s chair, Tim Dugher.

“Your feedback will help us to find any gaps in the designation list and consider what type of items could be designated in future.”  

The RHDAB was established in 2013 to preserve and protect the UK’s railway heritage, from railway infrastructure, locomotives and carriages to archives and smaller items such as paintings and furniture.

The board’s recent successes include preserving HST power no. 43002 “Sir Kenneth Grange”, which was designated in 2018 due to its significance as the UK’s first production high speed train. It is now on display in the National Railway Museum.

And in 2022, a rare Edwardian timber staff telephone booth, one of only two existing on the London Underground, was designated. This remains in the care of Transport for London but will be transferred to a suitable museum or heritage organisation once it is no longer needed in service.