A guide and list to a collection of Historic Railway Documents in the Rail Archive Collection www.railarchive.org.uk to e mail click here June 2020 issue 186 1 Since July 1971, this private collection of printed railway documents from pre grouping and pre nationalisation railway companies based in the UK; has sought to expand it’s collection with the aim of obtaining a printed sample from each independent, private or joint railway company which operated (obtained an act of parliament or wayleaves and started construction). There were over 1,500 such companies and to date the Rail Archive has sourced samples from over a 1,000 of these companies. Early in 2001 the collection needed to be assessed for insurance purposes to identify a suitable premium. The premium cost was significant enough to warrant a more secure and sustainable future for the collection. In 2002 The Rail Archive was set up with the following objectives: • secure an on-going future for the collection in a public institution • reduce the insurance premium • continue to add to the collection • add a private collection of railway photographs from 1970’s onwards • provide a public access facility • promote the collection • ensure that the collection remains together in perpetuity where practical • ensure that sufficient finances were in place to achieve to above objectives It is proposed that the archive and funding is eventually transferred under agreement to The Bodleian Library in Oxford as part of the John Johnson Collection. This guide which gives details of paperwork in the collection and a list of railway companies from which material is wanted. The aim is to collect an item of printed paperwork from each UK railway company ever opened or partially built. All the railway companies, from which examples of paperwork are held, appear in alphabetical order with the date of the document shown. After the date an alphabetical code indicates the type of paperwork held, please see the index below. If you would like access to the collection please see page 33 for details, many of the items are now in the care of the Bodleian Library in Oxford where they can be accessed through the purchase of a readers ticket. INDEX A = Letterheads or memos. B = Waybills, Consignment notes, invoices or station accounts. C = Printed circulars. D = Dividend statements. E = Shareholders circulars including Invites F = Annual Directors Reports, Meetings, Accounts, Agreements or Committee reports G = General notices, Agreements H = Handbills, Posters and publicity. I = Notices regarding land purchase (notice to treat). J = Receipts, Counterfoils or Cheques. K = Official plans, working documents, drawings or diagrams. L = Maps. M = Postcards (official issues only) N = Signalling documents, (Train staff tickets, wrong line order etc.). O = Operating Documents (Rule books, Instructions etc) P = Prospectus. R = Mortgage deeds or coupons. Sh =Share related documents including calls, mortgages and transfers S = Share or Scrip Certificates T = Tickets (where only a T is shown, paperwork from this company is wanted) tt = Timetables V = Wagon, luggage or parcel labels. 2 W = Newspaper, letter or parcels stamps. X = Unclassified items. Z = Additional items are required from this company U/D = Undated L.R.O.= Light Railway Order (Not sought after) N/B = Railway Company which was not built or failed to obtain act of parliament. I do not collect paperwork from unbuilt companies unless shown in the wants list ® = Paperwork from this company is already held but additional items are wanted # = Not a printed item, hand written. Printed sample sought. Hand written items are not collected. = Document held at the Bodleian Library Companies shown in BOLD or COLOURED print are highly sought after and the archive would be happy to pay higher prices for these. The archive is willing to purchase any of the above paperwork from the Companies listed in the next few pages or I can offer an excellent selection of items in exchange. This list is not comprehensive and items from other companies not mentioned in this list which were built or partially built are welcome. Especially sought after are early samples from Rail-Road, Tram Road or Rail Ways prior to 1830. Iam always very interested in acquiring paperwork from Light railways, especially from the following: Edgehill Light Railway Alford and Sutton Tramway Marlborough and Grafton Light Railway Pwllheli & Llanbedrog Tramway Wrington Vale Light Railway Ewden Valley Railway Alderney Railway (pre 1930) Totton, Hythe and Fawley Light Railway Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway Tickhill Light Railway I collect items from closed narrow gauge and miniature railways but not from those which are still working. I do not collect items from unbuilt railways unless shown in the following list. Any paperwork from the following companies are sought after, I am always willing to purchase or I do have an excellent selection of items for exchange. ALL ITEMS MUST BE OFFICIAL AND HAVE A PRINTED COMPANY TITLE. 3 WANTED, PRINTED PAPERWORK FROM THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES 1. Aberdeen and East Coast of Scotland Railway (Pre Aberdeen Railway) 2. Aberlady, Gullane and North Berwick Railway 3. Aboyne and Breamar Railway 4. Airdrie Railway 5. Alcester Railway 6. Aldborough Railway 7. Alford and Sutton Tramway 8. Alloa Railway 9. Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway 10. Angerstein Railway 11. Arbroath and Montrose Railway 12. Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway 13. Avon and Gloucestershire Railway 14. Axminster and Lyme Regis Light Railway 15. Ayrshire, Bridge of Weir and Port Glasgow Junction Railway 16. Ballochney Railway 17. Banffshire (and Morayshire) Railway 18. Bangor and Caernarvon Railway 19. Barton and Immingham Light Railway 20. Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway 21. Basingstoke and Salisbury Railway 22. Bedlington Coal Company Railway 23. Bedale and Leyburn Railway 24. Bere Alston and Calstock Light Railway 25. Bexley Heath Railway 26. Bideford Extension Railway 27. Birmingham, North Warwickshire and Stratford on Avon Railway 28. Birmingham West Suburban Railway 29. Blackburn and Preston Railway 30. Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington and Colne Extension Railway 31. Blaydon, Gateshead and Hebburn Railway 32. Blythe and Tyne Junction Railway 33. Bognor Railway 34. Bourn and Essendine Railway 35. Bradford and Thornton Railway 36. Bradford, Ecleshill and Idle Railway 37. Brading Harbour Improvement and Railway 38. Brading Harbour and Railway 39. Brampton Railway (Earl of Carlisle Railways) 40. Brechin and Edzell (District) Railway 41. Bridestowe Railway (Rattlebrook Peat Railway) 42. Bridge of Weir Railway 43. Bridgend Railway 4 44. Brighton and Chichester Railway 45. Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway 46. Bristol and Gloucester(shire) Railway 47. Briton Ferry Dock and Railway 48. Bromley Direct Railway 49. Broxburn Railway 50. Brunton and Shields Railway (Seaton Burn Colliery Waggonway) 51. Brynmawr and Blaenavon Railway 52. Buckingham and Brackley Junction Railway 53. Bude Canal and Launceston Junction Railway 54. Bullo Pill/Forest of Dean Railway 55. Bury St Edmonds and Thetford Railway 56. Callington and East Calstock Railway 57. Cairn Valley Light Railway 58. Calne Railway 59. Cambridge and Huntingdon Railway 60. Campbeltown and Machrihanish Railway ® 61. Cardiff and Ogmore Valley Railway 62. Cardiff, Penarth and Barry Junction Railway 63. Carlisle Goods Traffic Committee Railway 64. Carmarthenshire Railway 65. Carmylie Light Railway 66. Castleton and Grosmont Railway 67. Caterham /Caterham and Godstone Railway 68. Central London Railway 69. Chard Railway 70. Charlestown Railway and Harbour 71. Cattenden and Upnor Railway 72. Cheddar Valley and Yatton Railway 73. Chichester and Midhurst Railway 74. Chipping Norton Railway 75. Chipstead Valley Railway 76. City of London and Southwark Subway 77. Clacton-on-Sea Railway 78. Clarence and Hartlepool Railway 79. Cleveland Railway 80. Clydesdale Junction Railway 81. Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury and Halstead Railway 82. Coleford Railway 83. Coniston Railway 84. Conway and Llanrwst Railway 85. Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway 86. Croydon and Epsom Railway 87. Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Railway 88. Cowbridge and Aberthaw Railway 89. Cowes and Newport Railway 90. Crieff and Methven Junction Railway 91. Croesor and Portmadoc Railway 92. Croydon and Oxted Railway 93. Dare Valley Railway 94. Dearness Valley Railway 95. Denver and Stoke Ferry Railway 96. DINGWALL AND SKYE RAILWAY 5 97. Disley and Hayfield Railway 98. Dore and Chinley Railway 99. Dorking and Leatherhead Railway 100. Douglas, Laxey and Ramsey Railway 101. Dover and Deal Railway 102. Downham and Stoke Ferry Railway 103. Drumpeller Railway 104. Dudley and Oldbury Railway(Oldbury Railway) 105. Dulais Railway 106. Dulas Valley Mineral Railway (Pre Neath & Brecon) 107. Dunblane, Doune and Callender Railway 108. Dundee and Perth Railway 109. Dunstable Railway 110. Durham Junction Railway 111. Dursley and Midland Junction Railway 112. Ealing and South Harrow Railway 113. East and West India Docks and Birmingham Junction Railway 114. East Cornwall Mineral Railway 115. Earl Fitzwilliam’s Private Railway 116. Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway 117. Easton Neston Mineral and Towcester, Roade and Olney Junction Railway 118. East Fife Central Railway 119. East Kent Railway ( Pre London, Chatham and Dover Railway) 120. East Somerset Railway 121. East Grinstead Railway 122. Edenham and Little Bytham Railway 123. Elan Valley Railway 124. Edenham and Little Bytham Railway