Heritage Railway Association
Encyclopedia
The Heritage Railways Association (HRA) is an umbrella organisation representing the majority of the heritage
and tourist railways, railway museums, steam centres and railway preservation
groups in the UK and Ireland
.
Groups and individuals involved with the preservation of stations and other railway buildings, and private individuals are also welcomed to join as Friends of the Association.
The HRA organises several annual awards and competitions to further railway preservation in the UK, and also maintains various databases, such as that of preserved locomotives - currently numbering over 2500 items - and others holding the details of every known heritage carriage and wagon.
The trophies awarded for three awards are lent to the HRA by the National Railway Museum
(NRM), based at York
. The trophy for the Annual Award is a coat of arms
from the locomotive of a royal train on the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. The Small Groups Award is a carved panel from a coach provided for Queen Victoria by the Great Western
. The John Coiley
Award, for locomotive preservation, is a Hackworth
-designed locomotive spring safety-valve, as used on the original Stockton and Darlington Railway
in the 1830s.
Although the HRA is not a registered charity, many of its 250 member organisations are.
The HRA also offers advice and guidance on a wide range of topics, such as Catering, Education, Engineering,
Funding, Legal matters, Operating Railways and Safety.
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
and tourist railways, railway museums, steam centres and railway preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
groups in the UK and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Groups and individuals involved with the preservation of stations and other railway buildings, and private individuals are also welcomed to join as Friends of the Association.
The HRA organises several annual awards and competitions to further railway preservation in the UK, and also maintains various databases, such as that of preserved locomotives - currently numbering over 2500 items - and others holding the details of every known heritage carriage and wagon.
The trophies awarded for three awards are lent to the HRA by the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
(NRM), based at York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. The trophy for the Annual Award is a coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
from the locomotive of a royal train on the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. The Small Groups Award is a carved panel from a coach provided for Queen Victoria by the Great Western
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. The John Coiley
John Coiley
John Arthur Coiley was an English museum curator, principally associated with the National Railway Museum in York from its formation in the 1973-5 period, through to his retirement as keeper of the museum in 1992.-Biography:...
Award, for locomotive preservation, is a Hackworth
Timothy Hackworth
Timothy Hackworth was a steam locomotive engineer who lived in Shildon, County Durham, England and was the first locomotive superintendent of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.- Youth and early work :...
-designed locomotive spring safety-valve, as used on the original Stockton and Darlington Railway
Stockton and Darlington Railway
The Stockton and Darlington Railway , which opened in 1825, was the world's first publicly subscribed passenger railway. It was 26 miles long, and was built in north-eastern England between Witton Park and Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington, and connected to several collieries near Shildon...
in the 1830s.
Although the HRA is not a registered charity, many of its 250 member organisations are.
Mission statement
The aims and objectives of the HRA are set out in eight items:Member services
The HRA provides a number of services to its members, including FEDECRAIL (European Federation of Museum & Tourist Railways) Representation, Overseas and Tourist Board Liaison, information on suppliers, and a regular newsletter.The HRA also offers advice and guidance on a wide range of topics, such as Catering, Education, Engineering,
Funding, Legal matters, Operating Railways and Safety.
Some HRA Members on Wikipedia
- Battlefield Line RailwayBattlefield Line RailwayThe Battlefield Line Railway is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England. It runs from Shackerstone to Shenton , via Market Bosworth, a total of...
- Bluebell RailwayBluebell RailwayThe Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
- Ffestiniog RailwayFfestiniog RailwayThe Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow gauge heritage railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park....
- Great Central RailwayGreat Central RailwayThe Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
- Lynton & Barnstaple RailwayLynton and Barnstaple RailwayThe Lynton & Barnstaple Railway opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track narrow gauge railway slightly over long running through the rugged and picturesque area bordering Exmoor in North Devon, England. Although opened after the 1896 Light Railways Act came into force,...
- North Yorkshire Moors RailwayNorth Yorkshire Moors RailwayThe North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line...
- Perrygrove RailwayPerrygrove RailwayThe Perrygrove Railway is a minimum gauge railway of gauge. It is a private heritage railway at Perrygrove Farm in the Royal Forest of Dean near Coleford, Gloucestershire, England...
- Railway Preservation Society of IrelandRailway Preservation Society of IrelandThe Railway Preservation Society of Ireland is an Irish railway preservation group operating in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964. The Society has its headquarters at Whitehead, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and a base at Mullingar, County Westmeath...
- Talyllyn RailwayTalyllyn RailwayThe Talyllyn Railway is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for from Tywyn on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain...
- Watercress LineWatercress LineThe Watercress Line is the marketing name of the Mid-Hants Railway, a heritage railway in Hampshire, England, running from New Alresford to Alton where it connects to the National Rail network. The line gained its popular name in the days that it was used to transport locally grown watercress to...
See also
- List of British heritage and private railways
- List of closed railway stations in Britain
- British narrow gauge railwaysBritish narrow gauge railwaysThere were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways...
- Great Little Trains of WalesGreat Little Trains of WalesThe Great Little Trains of Wales is a joint marketing scheme formed in 1970 to promote some of the narrow gauge railways of Wales and encourage visitors to Wales. As well as marketing the railways, the scheme allows visitors to purchase a discount card, allowing reduced rates on all the lines.As of...