Records created and inherited by the British Transport Commission and successors

Records of the British Transport Commission, established to oversee the transport executives which operated national transport services following the Transport Act of 1947, documenting all aspects of the establishment and administration of the commission.

They include:

• Minutes and committee papers in AN 85 and AN 97
• Reports and accounts of the British Transport Commission in AN 8 and AN 11
• Statistics in AN 12
• Records of the Chief Secretary and Legal Adviser in AN 13
• Seal registers in AN 127
• Papers relating to proceedings before the Transport Tribunal in AN 80
• Directories, handbooks, bulletins and circulars in AN 84
• Commercial and operating agreements in AN 5
• Traffic and private sidings agreements in AN 138
• Press notices in AN 79
• Records of the railways staff conference in AN 98
• Administrative records of the British Transport Historical Records Office in AN 104
• Industrial Relations Department records, AN 171
• Personnel Department records, AN 174
• Operations Department records, AN 183
• Financial Planning, Investment and New Works records are in AN 199
• Records of the Director of Trainload Freight are in AN 209
• Records relating to Meldon Quarry are in AN 210
• Management Recruitment and Training records are in AN 212
• Corporate Planning records are in AN 200

Topics

Litigation

Labour

Railways

Trade and commerce

Transport management

Banking

Mining and quarrying

The British Transport Commission was established by theTransport Act of 1947 which nationalised the railways, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport.

The Commission was responsible to the Ministry of Transport for general transport policy, and was to oversee, via a network of executives, the operation of the various nationalised transport industries. These executives included the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive, the Hotels Executive, the Railway Executive, the Road Transport Executive, (later the Road Haulage Executive and the Road Passenger Executive), and the London Transport Executive.

Following a government white paper on transport policy in 1952, the Road Passenger Executive was abolished.

Under the Transport Act of 1953 the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive, the Hotels Executive and the Road Haulage Executive were also abolished and their powers assumed by the British Transport Commission itself.

The London Transport Executive continued to function but the Railway Executive was abolished and reorganised under area boards for each of its six regions.

Under the Transport Act of 1962 the British Transport Commission was abolished and five new public authorities, answerable to the Minister of Transport, were established as responsible for the nationalized industries: the British Railways Board, the British Transport Docks Board, the British Waterways Board, the London Transport Board and the Transport Holding Company.