The Railway Heritage Scheme Order 1994

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order gives effect to the Railway Heritage Scheme (“the Scheme”) set out in the Schedule. The Scheme establishes a Railway Heritage Committee (“the Committee”) having the functions, under section 125 of the Railways Act 1993 “the Act”), of designating those classes or descriptions of records and artefacts which they consider to be of sufficient interest to warrant preservation, and of giving directions to the British Railways Board (“the Board”) and their wholly owned subsidiaries and to publicly owned railway companies, specifying the persons to whom, and the terms on which, any such historical record or artefact must be offered in the event of a proposed disposal.

Paragraph 2 of the Scheme makes provision with respect to the persons who are to be appointed as members of the Committee, and paragraph 3 concerns the duration and termination of membership.

Paragraph 4 makes provision with respect to the proceedings of the Committee (including as to the holding of meetings and the keeping of minutes). Paragraph 5 requires the Board to provide the Committee with administrative and secretarial assistance and to reimburse expenses incurred by members of the Committee.

Paragraph 6 requires the Committee to keep records of designations made, and directions given, under section 125 of the Act, and requires such records and minutes of the Committee’s meetings to be kept open to public inspection.

Article 3 of the Order appoints 2nd September 1994 as the day from which section 144 of the Transport Act 1968 (transfer and disposal of historical records and relics) is to cease to have effect in relation to disposals by the Board.