Railway and Canal Historical Society facts for kids
 |
|
| Formation | 4 September 1954 |
|---|---|
| Founders |
|
| Founded at | Grandmere Hotel, Preston |
| Location | |
|
President
|
Gerald Leach |
| Publication | Journal of the Railway and Canal Historical Society |
The Railway and Canal Historical Society is a group in the United Kingdom that loves learning about the past of travel. It started in 1954. This society focuses especially on the history of trains and canals in Britain. Their main goals are to help people study history and make sure history books are well-written and accurate.
Contents
What the Society Does
As the society grew, it became more organized. On November 14, 1967, it officially registered as a special type of company. This helped them manage their activities better.
|
Abbreviated title (ISO 4)
|
J. Railw. Canal Hist. Soc. |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publication details | |
| Publisher |
Railway and Canal Historical Society (United Kingdom)
|
|
Publication history
|
1955–present |
| Frequency | Triannual |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 0033-8834 |
| OCLC no. | 637489628 |
| Links | |
|
|
The Society's Journal and Books
The society publishes a magazine called the Journal of the Railway and Canal Historical Society. This journal has been coming out regularly since 1955. It shares new historical research about railways and canals.
The society also publishes its own history books. They want to make sure these books are of high quality. Since 2004, they have given out annual awards. These awards recognize authors who write excellent books about trains, canals, and transport history. Winners receive a certificate, a silver cup, and a cash prize. The money for these awards comes from a gift left by a publisher named David St John Thomas. The society also creates a list each year of all the new books about transport history.
Meetings and Trips
The society organizes events across the country. These include meetings, which can be in person or online. They also arrange trips to interesting historical places.
There are also smaller groups in different regions. These regional groups hold their own meetings and trips.
Special Interest Groups
The society has special groups for different topics. These groups are for people who are really interested in specific areas. They cover things like:
- Early railways
- How railways developed over time
- The history of waterways (canals and rivers)
- Roads and road transport
- Air transport
- Modern transport
- Pipelines and how materials are moved
Most of these groups share information and discuss topics online.
Online Media Archive
As of 2021, the society is building an online archive. It's called the RCHS On-line Media Archive (ROMA). This archive will let people see old photos and other historical materials online. One very important collection in the archive is the Bertram Baxter collection. It has many materials about old tramroads.
Recognition
The National Railway Museum has said that the society is one of the groups that helped shape how we study and preserve railway history. A bookseller named Robert Humm called it "the top British society for serious transport research." He said this in an interview for The Bookseller magazine.
See also
