The Swanage Railway Trust
- Introduction to the Swanage Railway Project
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The roots of the
Swanage Railway as we know it now can be traced back to the run down of
the Swanage branch in the years after the Beeching cuts in the
1960's. Whilst the line survived these closures, a cycle of
falling traffic and progressive withdrawal of services
eventually led to closure in 1972.
Momentum was quickly established to try and take over the branch and press for the return of a mainline connection. These activities became known as the Swanage Railway Project. Despite local and national attempts to first prevent closure and then lobby for re-opening, this was not enough to prevent much of the track being lifted. As a result to-day's Swanage Railway is really a railway built from scratch. The early days of the project saw several groups springing up with similar aims. These quickly came together and ultimately resulted in the formation of the Southern Steam Trust (SST). This charitable body was controlled by a number of Trustees who guided the Project. A separate company - the Swanage Railway Company (SRC) - was established by the SST to undertake trading and operations as required by charity legislation. The SRC continues to fulfil this role to-day. As the project developed the original constitution of the SST was found to be in need of review. Ultimately the Swanage Railway Trust (SRT) was formed and took over all the assets of the SST including all the voting shares in the Swanage Railway Company. Like the SST the SRT is a registered charity. The SST will continue for some time to allow possible benefactors to update wills and other legal documents. The arrangement of a Trust - the SRT - having 100% control of a Company - the SRC - has served the Project well but is kept under review. Many other heritage railways have moved to a structure whereby the operating body is a Public Limited Company and this may be an option for the future.
Swanage Railway TrustThe SRT is the senior decision making body of the Swanage Railway with an election is held each Autumn to appoint the Directors. Most SRT members are eligible to stand for election and to vote although employees of the Swanage Railway Company are not allowed to stand or be co-opted as Directors. The Board is commonly called the 'Council of Management' and its members serve a two year term. The role of the SRT is to set the agenda for the Project through the Trust's policies and to perform a 'watching brief' over the day to day operations of the Company. Inevitably raising both funds and the profile of the Project form a major part of the Trust's activities. The Trust has a number of functional groups which are tasked with considering aspects of the Trust's operation and making recommendations to the full CoM. The links provide more information on these groups. The Swanage Railway Trust is a registered charity (registered number 1087318) and a Company Limited by Guarantee (registered number 4115126).
Swanage Railway CompanyThe SRC is responsible for the day to day operation of the railway. All volunteers working on the railway are expected to comply with the Company's policies and procedures in the same way as the Company's employees. The Company is controlled by its Board of Directors with the Company's General Manager responsible for the day to day management. The Board is responsible for appointing Directors. However since the SRT holds all the voting shares in the Company, at least half of the Directors are always drawn from the SRT's Council of Management. The Swanage Railway Company is a Private Limited Company (registered number 1412568). |
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Home Page
More Information• Membership
Swanage Railway Trust• Council of Management• Memorandum of Association • Articles of Association • Policies
SRT Functional Groups•
Grants and Appeals
Swanage Railway CompanyAn expanded section on the Swanage Railway Company can be found here.
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Photographs |
| All photographs on this page by and copyright Andrew P.M. Wright, Swanage Railway official photographer. |