Scottish Railway Preservation Society

The Scottish Railway Preservation Society is a charity, whose principal objective is the preservation and advancement of railway heritage in Scotland. The Society was formed in 1961, and it has been actively collecting and displaying railway artifacts of Scottish significance ever since. The Society's headquarters is at Bo'ness, in central Scotland.

Overview

The Society is a member of Museums Galleries Scotland (as a Registered Museum) and of the Heritage Railway Association (as a railway operator). It is managed and operated by volunteers (over 300 out of a membership in excess of 1,000).

The Society undertakes conservation, restoration, repair, maintenance, and (where appropriate) demonstration operation of railway artifacts ranging from small objects to carriages, wagons and locomotives. It is also active in educational and curatorial activities including research, interpretation and outreach.

The Society operates both the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway, on which the historic collection is demonstrated in action, on Saturdays and Sundays from Easter until the end of October, and daily in July and August (intending visitors should check the website for details).

Adjacent to Bo'ness Station, the Society operates the Scottish Railway Exhibition (open when the railway is operating), in which the collection is on show. Illustrated displays set out the history of railway construction and operation in Scotland, and restoration activities can be seen in the adjoining workshop. The Society has a specially comprehensive collection of Signal and Telegraph apparatus. Some of this is on display, along with a hands-on demonstration of safety interlocking.

RPS Railtours

An associated company, SRPS Railtours, operates charter trains on the main line. These rail-tours are mostly operated within or originating in Scotland. The SRPS own a large fleet (29 vehicles) of preserved "Mark 1" carriages (based in Bo'ness); these are used to work the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway and for trips and "land-cruises" based over the rail network to destinations such as Mallaig and the Lincoln Christmas Market.

Preserved vehicles

There are over 250 vehicles at Bo'ness, of which 150 are accessioned to the museum collection and are owned by the Scottish Railway Museum Collections Trust. The oldest is a Neilson-built locomotive of 1879. Other gems include North British Railway C Class 0-6-0 locomotive No.673 "Maude" and Caledonian Railway 0-4-4T No.419. Diesel locomotives include examples of most of the main types which were introduced in Scotland by the British Railways Modernisation Plan. Also on site are a Swindon-built Inter-City Diesel Multiple Unit and a Glasgow Blue Train Electric Multiple Unit. The carriage collection includes 15 built in or before 1923, 6 LNER coaches and 5 to LMS designs. The wagon collection numbers 89 vehicles, and demonstrates the range of traffic that the railways carried.

The Society has a major programme of planned future development, much of it new buildings in which to care for the collection and present it to the public. It is looking to expand its activities so as to increase public awareness and enjoyment of Scottish Railway heritage. The collection offers great development potential.