Brief description of Centenary Book
Railway Study Association
Centenary Book
The RSA was founded in 1909 as the Association of Railway Students at the London School of Economics. The students were sponsored by the various private railway companies to attend the important railway courses run by the school at that time. The students thought it would be helpful to form an association to promote the sharing of knowledge and expertise, and to share best practice. The association flourished and still maintains contact with the LSE.
To celebrate the centenary, marked in the RSA's 1909-10 Session, a centenary book has been produced. Called A Century of Change - Britain's Railways and the Railway Study Association 1909-2009, and a view forward it describes the railway of 1909 and how it has changed in the intervening years, focusing on management practices rather than the 'train set'. This is followed by chapters describing the railways in 2109, inviting readers to consider how the world is changing and how they will have to adapt. The final chapter sets out some immediate challenges for the industry.
Members current in 2009, and joining in 2010-11, will get a free copy of the book, worth £18.50. A copy was presented to Lord Adonis, then Secretary of State for Transport, who was the guest of honour at the 2010 RSA dinner and who used the material extensively in his speech.
As it was not practicable to put many photographs in the book, it was decided to supply some accompanying web pages with some images selected to supplement the text, and these are supplied on the following pages.
