The Signalling Record Society

We have to Move this Summer!

And so does our immediate landlord, The London & North Western Society! We have shared the premises with them at Kenilworth for some time now but the premises have changed hands and the new owners have given NOTICE to QUIT to both societies. We both had to be out no later than 2nd September 2025.

The working and sharing relationship with The London & North Western Society has been to the benefit and advantage of members of both societies. There is a desire on both sides to continue with the arrangement and move to fresh premises that can accommodate both societies jointly.

Why our Archive is so Important

The archive is a key element of this Society and its activites:

What YOU can do to help

The move from Kenilworth to alternative premises is going to stretch our finances and we are going to need some volunteer help.

We need help in four different directions: First and foremost is somewhere to move to! We are open to any realistic suggestion to house our archive and that of the London & North Western Society.

Do you know of any premises that might be suitable? If so please email webmaster@s-r-s.org.uk to tell us where they are and, ideally, who we can contact with a view to possibly renting.

Currently our volunteers either live in the West Midlands or find it easy to get there.

Secondly help with the actual move so, if you are able,

• Packing up the archive securely
• Dismantling the shelving
• Moving it all from Kenilworth to new premises
• Assembling the shelving at new premises
• Unpacking the archive so that it can be used

Thirdly financial - our finances will be tested and stretched so, if you are able,

• Make a donation to our archive relocation fund
• Complete a gift aid form so we can claim an additional 25p top-up on every pound you donate

Fourthly digitisation - having more of our archive accessible in digital format and on-line so, if you are able,

• Digitise items held in the archive
• Provide digital copies of your records

Update 1: April 2025

The 1st of April may be 'All Fools Day' but this is no joke.

The search for premises so far has not found anywhere of sufficient size that is also affordable. The trustees are willing to seriously consider anywhere in England, Scotland or Wales that is accessible and can be staffed adequately. In the meantime, a temporary storage facility near to Kenilworth is being rented to facilitate the removal.

The April open day is postponed - see calendar page - due to road closures for HS2 works.

The archive premises will close to visitors after the end of May 2025 to allow us to concentrate on sorting and packing.

The AGM will now be on-line only.

Update 2: October 2025

As can be imagined, the quest for new premises for the archive has preoccupied the SRS governing body and remains a critical matter facing the Society. The Kenilworth archive was closed to members in early summer as preparations for moving began in earnest.

Following a great deal of effort by the SRS archive subcommittee and by the equivalent group from the LNWRS, seeking out suitable premises likely to meet our joint needs that were both available and affordable, the trustees are now reviewing such options as remain on the table at this ‘eleventh’ hour, with the date for vacating the Kenilworth premises upon us.

It seems that a degree of compromise will be required to go forward together with the LNWRS if we are to jointly occupy the sole currently available premises which, although well-appointed, are sadly not large enough to accommodate the entire physical archives of both Societies whilst keeping some space free for such as computers, scanning equipment, researcher workspace, meeting facilities, etc. The practical way forward - which is still being explored in detail by the two parties – will necessarily require some archive material to be stored elsewhere; this will be challenging to manage in the medium term.

Longer term, it is the aspiration of both Societies to make digital copies of all archive documents; the resulting digital records can of course then be stored virtually, effectively requiring minimal or even zero premises for storage. After digitisation, a decision on how (or even whether) to keep the original documents will ultimately be needed, but they could at least be kept in higher density ‘deep’ storage, as the need to access them would decline greatly. This will be no small task but the benefit to members would be immense, as the intention would be to make the full SRS (digital) archive available to members, in a searchable environment with ‘self-service’ access to documents directly of interest. Needless to say, if we are to execute these plans successfully, we will need the assistance of willing volunteers. You should expect to hear more about this in future communications.

Update 3: November 2025

After a lot of hard work we are approaching the conclusion of arrangements which will secure the future of the archive for at least the next five years. As reported in SRS News 27 we have been working with the London and North Western Railway Society in securing the lease of some well appointed premises, which we can now reveal are located at 35 Vine Street in Coventry. The lease is approaching completion and the SRS will be taking out a sub-lease for an area of the premises with an agreement on the joint use of the facilities. We will be establishing a joint managment sub committee to improve how the societies work together in managing the facility. This management sub committee will comprise two members of each society of which at least one will be a trustee.

The ground floor room which will form the study area

Looking to the future, we have struggled with the capacity of the current premises to accomodate material and to allow for the processing of donations. We are therefore delighted to have formed a partnership with the Online Transport Archive who have premises in Shrewsbury.

Having two facilities will offer us the capacity to rationalise our current storage requirements and improve the way the material is stored.

Next steps

As soon as we get access to the new premises in Vine Street we will need help with any decorating and erection of suitable shelving in preparation for the removal men. The current plan is for this phase to happen between the 12th November and the 10th December 2025. As ever the more volunteers the lighter the work.

We would also like to assemble a team of volunteers in the Shrewsbury area who could assist there. Initially this is likely to involve helping erect shelving and moving materials. If you are able to help at either location please email - archiverelocation@s-r-s.org.uk

Whilst we will miss the premises in Kenilworth the new location in Vine Street has the benefit of being more accessible by public transport and offers the opportunity to raise the profile of the archives. We look forward to welcoming you to the new premises in 2026.

Please check back here regularly for updates.