Railway Companies' Association
Encyclopedia
The Railway Companies' Association was a co-ordinating body for British
railway companies from 1867 until nationalization
in 1948. Its purpose was to protect the interests of the companies and their shareholders, chiefly against parliamentary interference. It was an early example of what we now know as a lobby
organization.
(RCH) in March 1854, to discuss parliamentary matters of concern, but a properly constituted organization developed only slowly. This was partly a result of the independent nature of the Victorian
railway companies and the number of company chairmen and senior
officers who were Lords
or MPs
in their own right, and partly a reflection of the gradually increasing role of government in regulating railway company actions and the need for an 'industry' response.
By 1858 a United Railway Companies' Committee (URCC) had been formed, but it foundered after three years and was only re-constituted at a meeting on 26 June 1867, held at the Westminster office of the Midland Railway
Company. The revived body's first achievement was to promulgate a standard format for the accounts of railway companies, drawn up by the Chief Accountants of five of the major companies. This was accepted by the Board of Trade
and included as a Schedule in the Regulation of Railways Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict., cap. 119).
The URCC was renamed 'The Railway Companies' Association' in 1869 or 1870. Its main task was to follow the progress of legislation which might affect railways, attempting to persuade MPs and Lords to vote in the 'railway interest'
, and giving evidence to parliamentary committees. It also promoted legislation designed to assist railway companies. This finally left the RCH free of a political role and able to concentrate on the commercial organisation of inter-company services.
Membership of the Association received a boost with the arguments over the passing of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict., cap. 48). The perceived threats to profitability, through regulation of the rates which the 'monoplist' railways could charge, led to several moderately-large companies joining the major ones in the Association, finally giving it national coverage..
Chairmanship of the Association rotated amongst the Chairmen of leading railway companies. Much of the actual lobbying work of the Association devolved onto its parliamentary subcommittee, which consisted of Lords and MPs from the member companies' boards.
The Association had a small permanent secretariat, paid for by a precept of one or two shillings per £1000 of the gross revenue of each participating company. The first Secretary of the Association was Kenneth Morison, who was also the first secretary of the RCH, but by 1873 the Honorary Secretary was Henry Oakley
(knighted 1891), who was Secretary and then General Manager (1870-1898) of the Great Northern Railway
.
.
He remained in post at the Association for the rest of 19th century, and the Association's activities were presumably co-ordinated from Oakley's offices at King's Cross.
In the aftermath of the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict., cap. 57) and the industrial unrest of the 1890s, including the North Eastern Railway
's unilateral recognition of the new trades union
the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants
, the ad-hoc nature of the Association came under increasing pressure, leading to a restructuring. This involved giving the secretariat a permanent base, in three rooms at 53 Parliament Street, leased from October 1900, and appointing a full-time paid secretary, the first being the rising barrister
William Guy Granet
, appointed in
November 1905.. Later secretaries included barristers W. Temple Franks (1905-1909) and Arthur Beresford Crane (1909-1929)..
The Association's role was necessarily reduced during World War I
when parliamentary interest in domestic transport matters was low, railways being managed for the war effort under the provisions of the Regulation of the Forces Act 1871, but it gained in importance when the newly established post-war Ministry of Transport
decided to deal with the railway companies jointly through the Association.. However, because the Railways Act 1921
, during passage of which the Association lobbied for better compensation terms for shareholders, grouped British companies into four large concerns, another restructuring of the Association took place. The parliamentary members' council was abolished, severing the direct link with parliament, and the four new general managers constituted a standing committee of the Association. Briefings of independent railway-linked Lords and MPs continued however, for example in the companies' 1938 'Square deal' campaign for reform of freight rates' legislation in the face of road competition (which was overtaken by the onset of war in 1939) and in the run up to the Transport Act 1947
which nationalized
the railways, canals, etc. With all railways then under a single management within the British Transport Commission
, the Association was wound up at this point.
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
railway companies from 1867 until nationalization
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
in 1948. Its purpose was to protect the interests of the companies and their shareholders, chiefly against parliamentary interference. It was an early example of what we now know as a lobby
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
organization.
History
The Association had its roots in a meeting of Railway company chairmen, held at the Railway Clearing HouseRailway Clearing House
The British Railway Clearing House was an organisation set up to manage the allocation of revenue collected by numerous pre-grouping railway companies...
(RCH) in March 1854, to discuss parliamentary matters of concern, but a properly constituted organization developed only slowly. This was partly a result of the independent nature of the Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
railway companies and the number of company chairmen and senior
officers who were Lords
Lords
- Places :*Lord's Cricket Ground, English Cricket Ground and home of Marylebone County Cricket Club.- Politics :*House of Lords, upper house of the British parliament*Lords Spiritual, clergymen of the House of Lords...
or MPs
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
in their own right, and partly a reflection of the gradually increasing role of government in regulating railway company actions and the need for an 'industry' response.
By 1858 a United Railway Companies' Committee (URCC) had been formed, but it foundered after three years and was only re-constituted at a meeting on 26 June 1867, held at the Westminster office of the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
Company. The revived body's first achievement was to promulgate a standard format for the accounts of railway companies, drawn up by the Chief Accountants of five of the major companies. This was accepted by the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
and included as a Schedule in the Regulation of Railways Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict., cap. 119).
The URCC was renamed 'The Railway Companies' Association' in 1869 or 1870. Its main task was to follow the progress of legislation which might affect railways, attempting to persuade MPs and Lords to vote in the 'railway interest'
The railway interest
The railway interest was the name given in the 19th century to the Lords and MPs in the British parliament who held directorships or senior administrative posts in railway companies...
, and giving evidence to parliamentary committees. It also promoted legislation designed to assist railway companies. This finally left the RCH free of a political role and able to concentrate on the commercial organisation of inter-company services.
Membership of the Association received a boost with the arguments over the passing of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict., cap. 48). The perceived threats to profitability, through regulation of the rates which the 'monoplist' railways could charge, led to several moderately-large companies joining the major ones in the Association, finally giving it national coverage..
Chairmanship of the Association rotated amongst the Chairmen of leading railway companies. Much of the actual lobbying work of the Association devolved onto its parliamentary subcommittee, which consisted of Lords and MPs from the member companies' boards.
The Association had a small permanent secretariat, paid for by a precept of one or two shillings per £1000 of the gross revenue of each participating company. The first Secretary of the Association was Kenneth Morison, who was also the first secretary of the RCH, but by 1873 the Honorary Secretary was Henry Oakley
Henry Oakley
Sir Henry Oakley , was a British railway administrator. He spent most of his working life with the Great Northern Railway , joining in 1849. He was chief clerk in the Company Secretary's office until taking over as Secretary in 1858...
(knighted 1891), who was Secretary and then General Manager (1870-1898) of the Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
.
.
He remained in post at the Association for the rest of 19th century, and the Association's activities were presumably co-ordinated from Oakley's offices at King's Cross.
In the aftermath of the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict., cap. 57) and the industrial unrest of the 1890s, including the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
's unilateral recognition of the new trades union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants
National Union of Railwaymen
The National Union of Railwaymen was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom. It an industrial union founded in 1913 by the merger of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants , the United Pointsmen and Signalmen's Society and the General Railway Workers' Union .The NUR...
, the ad-hoc nature of the Association came under increasing pressure, leading to a restructuring. This involved giving the secretariat a permanent base, in three rooms at 53 Parliament Street, leased from October 1900, and appointing a full-time paid secretary, the first being the rising barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
William Guy Granet
Guy Granet
Sir William Guy Granet, GBE trained as a barrister but became a noted railway administrator, first as general manager of the Midland Railway then as a director-general in the War Office.-Biography:...
, appointed in
November 1905.. Later secretaries included barristers W. Temple Franks (1905-1909) and Arthur Beresford Crane (1909-1929)..
The Association's role was necessarily reduced during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when parliamentary interest in domestic transport matters was low, railways being managed for the war effort under the provisions of the Regulation of the Forces Act 1871, but it gained in importance when the newly established post-war Ministry of Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
decided to deal with the railway companies jointly through the Association.. However, because the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, during passage of which the Association lobbied for better compensation terms for shareholders, grouped British companies into four large concerns, another restructuring of the Association took place. The parliamentary members' council was abolished, severing the direct link with parliament, and the four new general managers constituted a standing committee of the Association. Briefings of independent railway-linked Lords and MPs continued however, for example in the companies' 1938 'Square deal' campaign for reform of freight rates' legislation in the face of road competition (which was overtaken by the onset of war in 1939) and in the run up to the Transport Act 1947
Transport Act 1947
The Transport Act 1947 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Under it the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport were acquired by the state and handed over to a new British Transport Commission for operation...
which nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
the railways, canals, etc. With all railways then under a single management within the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
, the Association was wound up at this point.
Nomenclature
Modern commentators (Bonavia, Harris) drop the apostrophe in the name of this organization, but Alderman includes it (when not abbreviating it to 'Railway Association'). Despite not having had opportunity to examine the Association's minutes, one feels sure that the Victorians would also have been grammatically correct and we have retained it here. The Association doesn't seem to have been referred to by its initials 'RCA'.Records
The minutes of the Association were printed and distributed to the member companies, so several sets survive. They are available for consultation in The National Archives, together with other papers relating to the Association, and in the National Archives of ScotlandNational Archives of Scotland
Based in Edinburgh, the National Archives of Scotland are the national archives of Scotland. The NAS claims to have one of the most varied collection of archives in Europe...
.
Sources
- Alderman, Geoffrey, The railway interest, Leicester, Leicester University Press, 1973, ISBN 0-7185-1111-5
- Bonavia, Michael R., The organisation of British railways, London: Ian Allan, 1971, ISBN 0-7110-0198-7
- Harris, Michael, 'Railway Companies Association' in Simmons, Jack and Biddle, Gordon (eds), The Oxford companion to British Railway history: from 1603 to the 1990s, Oxford, New York: OUP, 1997, ISBN 0-19-211697-5, page 414