BR Region Boards?

[Andy873]

I have just one letter headed The London Midland Railway Board, did every BR region have a board between the BRB (at the top level) and the region's head office (below them)? and if so, would it be this region's board that would say yes or no to a proposal to close a branch line under their remit?

 

[Rescars]

AIUI there were statutory regional boards which reported to the BRB. So there should have been a London Midland Region Board. The heading "London Midland Railway Board" feels unusual though. Is your letter on headed paper? What is the date on the letter?

I'm afraid I don't know the extent to which a regional board would have been involved in closure decisions, but it seems highly likely that this sort of action would require some sort of regional board approval.

 

[Clarence Yard]

Yes, it would be the Regional Board who would make the final internal decision on line closures in that particular Region.

Sometimes a minor freight line or facility closure wouldn’t have needed Board approval but may just have been included “for noting” in a periodic report from the Regional GM, or one of his direct reports, if they were also on the Board.

 

[Merle Haggard]

The Regional Boards seemed to mysterious organisations of arcane importance. Nothing to do with the regional General Managers' organisations. Their sole role seemed to be roving around the Region in a saloon. Having used an office in their organisation for a meeting I found it very large, totally devoid of any paperwork and filing cabinets but with a monogrammed letter opener with what looked like an ivory handle on an enormous polished wood desk.
On one occasion they decided to have a 'jolly' down the Cowley branch sabotaging the working of Rover Group company trains. My boss wrote an angry letter of complaint, describing them as 'Coelacanth'.

Coelacanth is an organism of which a living member had recently been re-discovered, having been thought to be extinct for several million years. I wonder if the recipient understood the implied insult

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I seem to remember a series of posters promoting the "London Midland Railway", probably just after the initial electrification scheme was complete around 1967.
At some point the BRB removed such independence notions, as it did on the Western Region (hydraulic locos, GW-pattern AWS etc).

 

[SargeNpton]

Each region had a Regional Manager, who did the day-to-day running of the region. However, he was answerable to the Regional Board with regards to policy decisions and major issues that were not of enough import to put to the British Railways Board.

Similar to subsidiary companies having their own boards, rather than everything being dealt with at the owning company's senior managers.

 

[Magdalia]

I have just one letter headed The London Midland Railway Board, did every BR region have a board between the BRB (at the top level) and the region's head office (below them)?

The Regional Boards were established as part of Nationalisation in 1948. At first they had quite a lot of independence, with only a small British Railways central organisation sitting between them and the British Transport Commission.

The Transport Act 1962 abolished the British Transport Commission and established the British Railways Board, Beeching being its first Chairman. But the Regional Boards continued, and the regional and divisional management reported to the Regional Boards.

 

[simonw]

The Regional Boards were established as part of Nationalisation in 1948. At first they had quite a lot of independence, with only a small British Railways central organisation sitting between them and the British Transport Commission.

A similar structure was created with the gas industry.

Regional boards were quite common in other businesses in the days when communication wasn't as quick and easy as it is now.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The Regional Boards were established as part of Nationalisation in 1948. At first they had quite a lot of independence, with only a small British Railways central organisation sitting between them and the British Transport Commission.

The Transport Act 1962 abolished the British Transport Commission and established the British Railways Board, Beeching being its first Chairman. But the Regional Boards continued, and the regional and divisional management reported to the Regional Boards.

I think the Regional Boards were set up with the Transport Act 1953 - the Conservatives came to power in 1951 - which abolished the Railway Executive (and denationalised road haulage). The idea was a sort of quasi-return to the Big Four (Six) - the WR started painting coaching stock chocolate and cream for named expresses (which proliferated!) and the SR reverted to green. It also resulted in a ludicrous number of DMU variants. Dr. B. clipped the Boards' wings.

Transport Act 1953

The structure of Executives was dramatically altered by the Transport Act 1953, which abolished all Executives, with the exception of London Transport. Responsibility for the operation and maintenance of transport systems was delegated to the chief regional managers. The railways were reorganised into a system of area boards for each of its six regions. In September 1953, Sir Brian Robertson became Chairman. Disposal of the haulage fleet also began at this time, but a lack of buyers made this difficult.

 

[Dr Hoo]

The Regional Board continued into the Sector era in Scotland at least. I accompanied them on a few tours of inspection to point out innovations and present current plans. A nice, relaxed atmosphere. It was possible to use the opportunity to introduce local staff and suchlike. On one occasion the Board invited a 50-year service chap to dinner with the Board that evening, bringing his partner.

 

[Harpo]

At privatisation, Anglia Region bequeathed Railtrack a ‘boardroom’ in the second generation Hamilton House.

The subsequently renamed Norfolk Room retained its huge polished hardwood table of about 4 metres by 2 metres, best remembered for a subsequently knighted grown-up discovering two senior persons polishing the table in a most unconventional way one Friday evening.

 

[Andy873]

The heading "London Midland Railway Board" feels unusual though. Is your letter on headed paper? What is the date on the letter?

No, the title is typed up, and the letter is dated 2 Jan 1964.

Yes, it would be the Regional Board who would make the final internal decision on line closures in that particular Region.

Sometimes a minor freight line or facility closure wouldn’t have needed Board approval but may just have been included “for noting” in a periodic report from the Regional GM, or one of his direct reports, if they were also on the Board.

I've looked more closely at this letter which is actually a memo, the letter preceding it is from the Line Manager (Manchester) to the General Manager at HO, Euston. On the Line manager's letter, hand written on it is "3 copies received" and also "Copy of submission to TSO 1/1/64".

Here's what I think happened... When the General Manager receives this closure proposal from the Line Manager (Manchester), he sends one copy of the closure submission to someone on the LM Region Board. 3 Jan 1964 the LM Board simply send a memo back to the General Manager basically acknowledging closure has been proposed for a section of branch line and BR will be £9,400 better off.

This is the LM Region Board's opportunity to object to the closure, as they have no objection they simply acknowledge it's to be closed. With that, it's down to the General Manager in this case to make his own mind up, 9 Jan 1964 he writes back to the Line Manager (Manchester) basically saying "Yes, close it".

Thanks everyone for your input on this, as always it's appreciated!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The majority of newspaper references to "The London Midland Railway Board" all appear to be line closure notices / withdrawal of railway passenger services notices issued in the mid 1960s, pursuant to Secrion 56(7) of The Transport Act, 1962. As mentioned upthread, there were, I think, a number of regional boards elsewhere, including a North Eastern Railway Board.

(Chairman of the Eastern Railway Board in 1966 was a certain G.F. Fiennes, not too long before he had to leave British Rail).

My boss wrote an angry letter of complaint, describing them as 'Coelacanth'.

A rare fish, wasn't it, rediscovered in 1938, after having believed to have gone extinct maybe some 60 million years previously?

 

[Magdalia]

I think the Regional Boards were set up with the Transport Act 1953

Thanks, I'd missed the significance of the 1953 Act.

 

[Rescars]

Does anyone know who sat on the regional boards? Were they a mix of senior railway professionals and well-connected representatives of the great and good? And how were they styled? Members perhaps? Surely not directors - or were they?

 

[stuving]

Does anyone know who sat on the regional boards? Were they a mix of senior railway professionals and well-connected representatives of the great and good? And how were they styled? Members perhaps? Surely not directors - or were they?

They were called members. The chairman appears to have usually been the general manger of the relevant region as well. When H. C. Johnson was appointed in 1967 as vice-chairman of the British Railways Board, he was replaced as chairman of the London Midland Railway Board and general manager of the region by W. G. Thorpe. So Johnson's new role on the BRB must have been seen as a full-time job; chairman of the LMR board was not.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Does anyone know who sat on the regional boards? Were they a mix of senior railway professionals and well-connected representatives of the great and good? And how were they styled? Members perhaps? Surely not directors - or were they?

If you read G F Fiennes career autobiography I tried to run a railway you will see that it mentions the regional boards of the Western, Eastern and merged Eastern/North Eastern regions. There are some photos and lists of members, many of which are mentioned in the general flow of the text but 60 years later it isn't especially easy to understand their precise role or responsibilities. My take, for what it's worth, is that they seemed to be largely BR functional reps rather than local grandees or political appointees but I won't press the point.

 

[Gloster]

The following is from Part 1, 1 (4) of the Transport Act 1962 as originally enacted and available on .legislation.gov.uk. The British Railways Board shall consist of a chairman, a vice chairman, or two vice chairmen, and not more than sixteen nor less than ten other members; the chairmen and other members of the Board shall be appointed from among persons who appear to the Minister to have wide experience of, and to have shown capacity in, transport, industrial, commercial or financial matters, administration, applied science or the organisation of workers, and the Minister in appointing them shall have regard to the desirability of having members who are familiar with the special requirements and circumstances of particular regions and areas served by the Board.’

Part 2, 2 covers the Regional Railway Boards and, although it does not explicitly say so, it is to be inferred that the same guiding principles applied to them as to the main Board. The Act does give the official name as London Midland Railway Board.

I am fairly sure that Scottish Board, at least, had several members of the ‘great and good‘. Some of these were inclined to devote a lot of effort to their hobby-horses.

 

[Andy873]

The following is from Part 1, 1 (4) of the Transport Act 1962 as originally enacted and available on .legislation.gov.uk. The British Railways Board shall consist of a chairman, a vice chairman, or two vice chairmen, and not more than sixteen nor less than ten other members; the chairmen and other members of the Board shall be appointed from among persons who appear to the Minister to have wide experience of, and to have shown capacity in, transport, industrial, commercial or financial matters, administration, applied science or the organisation of workers, and the Minister in appointing them shall have regard to the desirability of having members who are familiar with the special requirements and circumstances of particular regions and areas served by the Board.’

Part 2, 2 covers the Regional Railway Boards and, although it does not explicitly say so, it is to be inferred that the same guiding principles applied to them as to the main Board. The Act does give the official name as London Midland Railway Board.

A detailed insight to these board's composition.

Question - Would the Chairman of each BR Region Board sit on the top level BRB board? It would seem logical to have them included as in theory at least the BRB should be able to see the larger picture or given what @Gloster mentions, is that too simple?

 

[Gloster]

A detailed insight to these board's composition.

Question - Would the Chairman of each BR Region Board sit on the top level BRB board? It would seem logical to have them included as in theory at least the BRB should be able to see the larger picture or given what @Gloster mentions, is that too simple?

I am not sure, but I don’t think so, although it is quite possible that one or two Regional Board members (or recent Regional Board members) did sit on the BRB. For that matter, I have a feeling that the chairmen, or possibly vice-chairmen, of the regional boards were the Regional Managers.

 

[stuving]

A detailed insight to these board's composition.

Question - Would the Chairman of each BR Region Board sit on the top level BRB board? It would seem logical to have them included as in theory at least the BRB should be able to see the larger picture or given what @Gloster mentions, is that too simple?

That depends on the date. The 1953 Transport Act said the BTC had to set up "area authorities" but gave only broad advice as to how the scheme they devised should work (apart from Scotland having its own board). Then the "new deal" of 1960/61 implemented in the Transport Act 1962) created regional boards with executive powers, budgets, etc.

But by the 1970s the regional boards were purely advisory non-executive bodies. The Transport Act 1968 removed the requirement for regional boards, so I presume they were removed as executive bodes soon after. It looks as if the name was reused for these new part-time advisory bodies. The rapid succession of renamings (and reuse of names) is confusing, and I wonder if different kinds of regional body ever existed at the same time.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Purely by way of illustration, I note from Wikipedia that John Cameron CBE, noted sheep farmer and railway preservationist, was "Chairman of ScotRail and a member of the British Railways Board from 1990 to 1996".

 

[Elecman]

Purely by way of illustration, I note from Wikipedia that John Cameron CBE, noted sheep farmer and railway preservationist, was "Chairman of ScotRail and a member of the British Railways Board from 1990 to 1996".

I think William McAlpine was also a Regional Board member