The Signalling Record Society

Digital Archive Catalogue

Railway Industry Standards

Railway Standards in the form of requirements have been issued and published from quite early times. They mainly emanate from government or statutory bodies rather than the industry itself. Over the years the number of standards has increased and more recently become mandatory rather than advisory.

Where we have our own copy in the digital archive, members may download such. In other cases, where we have acquired our copy from another web site, a link to the external web site is provided instead.

Most documents in the digital archive are in PDF format. However, some larger files may be in JPG, PDF, PNG or TIF format. The files are supplied strictly “As Is”. The entries in each list will make it clear what is available to download and what is only available by other means.

Please do not pass copies of the files around, instead ask interested persons to contact the Society to obtain their own copy. In terms of copyright, British Railways (Residuary) Ltd confirmed to the Society that it was 'not interested' in historical documents that had outlived their operational usefulness and this line seems to have been followed by Railtrack and now Network Rail, as may be evidenced by the quantity of modern material that has entered the public domain through eBay and other auction houses and second hand bookstalls. Similar advice has been received from London Underground in respect of material obtained lawfully from their staff or is already in the public domain.

If there is a download link in the left hand column, the notice concerned may be downloaded free of charge but bear in mind that the file may not contain all the items listed. Otherwise, if there is a “Members' Download” entry present in the item description, then Members (only) may download a copy of the file. If both links are present then Members will sometimes find additional information or a cleaner copy is available by using the “Members' Download” link.

Members will find the information needed to Log-in in the current issue of SRS News. Non-members will need to JOIN the SRS first which will entitle them to receive copies of SRS News when they are published.

Items flagged with an asterisk (*) are not included in any offered free download file.

If you have been downloading files on a shared computer and have now finished doing so, please Log-out now.

The following items are currently available ...

BoT/MoT Requirements

Requirements for Passenger Lines and Recommendations for Goods Lines in Regard to Railway Construction and Operation were laid down from time to time by the Board of Trade (BoT) and its successors the Ministry of Transport (MoT).

The Railway Inspectorate would insist on these requirements being complied with before the Inspctor would sanction the opening of a line that would convey the public as passengers. The requirements were first issued in 1858 (nothing earlier has survived) and refined and expanded as the years went by. By 1950, there were sections dealing with:

• Documents to be furnished
• Block System
• Signalling
• Points
• Interlocking
• Stations
• Emergency Appliances
• Fire Precautions
• Gradients
• Turntables
• Bridges and Viaducts
• Permanent Way
• Standard Dimensions and Clearances
• Intervals between lines
• Refuges
• Level Crossings
• Electric Railways
• Continuous Brakes
• Light Railways
• Undertakings
• Operation of Single Lines

As might be imagined, the intent of these requirements were enshrined in the various books of rules and regulations issued by the railways.

Signal Sighting

In the past the railway industry itself set the standards for the sighting of signals and published its own guides and instructions.

Today, The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) are the custodians and controllers of railway group standards and copies of the standards are available on their web site in the standards catalogue. You will need to register an account with the RSSB web site before you can access the contents. Each issue of a standard superseeds the previous version.