Record revealed
Three wooden wheel models used as court exhibits
These Victorian railway wheel models demonstrate the diverse, and often unexpected, character of exhibits preserved in court records at The National Archives.
Series
Railway Inspectorate; RI Series Files
Catalogue reference: MT 114
What's it about?
MT 114
This series contains files of the Railway Inspectorate concerning safety provisions for railways. The files cover various aspects of railway safety, such as track inspection, accident investigation, staff health and safety, and operating system...
Full description and record details
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Reference (The unique identifier to the record described, used to order and refer to it)
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MT 114
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Title (The name of the record)
- Railway Inspectorate; RI Series Files
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Date (When the record was created)
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1926-2016
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Description (What the record is about)
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This series contains files of the Railway Inspectorate concerning safety provisions for railways. The files cover various aspects of railway safety, such as track inspection, accident investigation, staff health and safety, and operating system inspection. Most files relate to train accidents and new works. Many files concern safety modifications to level crossings.
Files are usually listed in groups under headings of the main railway regions (Southern, Western, Eastern, North Eastern, Scottish, London Midland, and London Transport). There are also files concerning the triple collision at Harrow in 1952 and the Hixon level crossing accident of 1968.
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Arrangement (Information about the filing sequence or logical order of the record)
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Arrangement
The Railway Inspectorate administers safety provisions for railways. These fall into four distinct responsibilities: track inspection, accident investigation, staff health and safety, and operating system inspection.
The Railway Regulation Act of 1840 gave the President of the Board of Trade powers to appoint an inspector general and two inspecting officers of railways. They reported on the construction and equipment of new railways and were empowered to postpone the opening of a railway until it satisfied their requirements. The Regulation of Railways Act of 1871 provided the inspectors with the statutory power to investigate accidents and hold public inquiries, which are still held under this authority.
Inquiries into accidents involving railway staff were held by the inspectors as early as 1858, but legislation was not brought in until the Railway Employment (Prevention of Accidents) Act of 1900, which authorised the Board of Trade to appoint assistant inspecting officers (now called Railway Employment Inspectors) to investigate the more serious accidents to employees. The Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 increased this aspect of the Inspectorate's work greatly, when it became an agency of the Health and Safety Commission, responsible for enforcing safety legislation on railway premises.
The other main function of the Railway Inspectorate is the inspection of new operating systems, especially with the introduction of electrification and schemes for automation. Under the Road and Rail Traffic Act of 1933, which codified the existing statutory functions, the secretary of state for Transport could order an inspection before granting his approval of new works. In addition, the Inspectorate is employed by the Department of Transport to provide expert advice on all railway matters.
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Related material (A cross-reference to other related records)
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Accident reports, 1854-1977 can be found in RAIL 1053
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Held by (Who holds the record)
- The National Archives, Kew
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Former department reference (Former identifier given by the originating creator)
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RI Series
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Legal status (A note as to whether the record being described is a Public Record or not)
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Public Record(s)
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Language (The language of the record)
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English
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Creator(s) (The creator of the record)
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- Department of the Environment, Railway Inspectorate, 1970-1974
- Health and Safety Commission, Railway Inspectorate, 1975-2006
- Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Railway Inspectorate, 1953-1959
- Ministry of Transport, Railway Inspectorate, 1919-1941
- Ministry of Transport, Railway Inspectorate, 1946-1953
- Ministry of Transport, Railway Inspectorate, 1959-1970
- Ministry of War Transport, Railway Inspectorate, 1941-1946
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Physical description (The amount and form of the record)
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4060 file(s)
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Access conditions (Information on conditions that restrict or affect access to the record)
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Open
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Immediate source of acquisition (When and where the record was acquired from)
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From 1982 Department of the Environment
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Subjects (Categories and themes found in our collection (our subject list is under development, and some records may have no subjects or fewer than expected))
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- Topics
- Railways
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Custodial history (Describes where and how the record has been held from creation to transfer to The National Archives)
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The records of the Railway Inspectorate were held by the Departmenrt of Transport (and its predecessors) until 1992. Between 1992 and 1996, they were transferred to the Health and Safety Commission.
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Accruals (Indicates whether the archive expects to receive further records in future)
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Series is accruing.
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Record URL
- https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C11163/
Catalogue hierarchy
Over 27 million records
This record is held at The National Archives, Kew
156,093 records
Within the department: MT
Records created or inherited by the Transport Ministries, and by related bodies,...
You are currently looking at the series: MT 114
Railway Inspectorate; RI Series Files
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