The Heritage Railway Association (HRA) is a company limited by guarantee, and emerged from the rebranding of the Association of Independent Railways and Preservation Societies (AIRPS) in 1998. The HRA continues the work of the AIRPS, which was to promote the interests of the independent railway industry and the preservation movement. Furthermore, the HRA is responsible for publicity, and promoting best practice in heritage railway operation through training and the maintenance of basic safety standards to ensure a sustainable future for the industry. As of 2016, the President of the HRA is Lord Faulkner of Worcester. The structure currently includes a Board of 13 Directors chaired by Brian Simpson, which oversees the appointment of Secretaries to eleven Committees responsible for the following areas, some of which have been inherited from the Association of Independent Railways (AIR) and the Association of Railway Preservation Societies (ARPS): Awards Business Development Finance Directors Group Heritage Committee Heritage Tramways Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Member Services Operating and Safety Rail Mounted Cableways Scottish Training and Education HRA membership consists of corporate and associate members comprising over 200 independent railways, preservation societies, locomotive owning groups and ancillary organisations. The association is registered as a limited company in England, Registration No. 2226245.

The Association of Independent Railways and Preservation Societies (AIRPS) was the product of a merger between the Association of Independent Railways (AIR) and the Association of Railway Preservation Societies (ARPS) in March 1996. The merger was overseen by Ian Allan, Chairman of the AIR and David Morgan, a member of the ARPS Council of Management with responsibility for legal matters. Its registered office was located in Wednesbury, West Midlands. The merger of the two associations responded to a report published in 1995 by David Lawrence, which highlighted areas of duplication and overlap between the two associations. Although the Lawrence Report recommended better definition of the roles of the AIR and ARPS in the short-term, it foresaw the need for merger to improve coordination and increase the effectiveness of both as lobbying organisations. The spheres of activity undertaken by the AIRPS was a combination of those undertaken by the predecessor Associations, which was to promote the heritage industry, protect the preservation movement and fight off unnecessary legislation. The structure of the AIRPS was a Council of members combining the AIR Board and ARPS Council of Management, which stood down after the first year for re-election by the combined membership to a reduced Board. The first Chairman was Ian Allan and the Vice-Chairman was David Morgan. The new Board consisted of 12 members with responsibility for appointing members to committees responsible for areas such as: Legislation Marketing Operating Training Commercial Heritage Membership AIRPS was considered a temporary name for the Association, and was rebranded the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) in 1998.

The Association of Independent Railways (AIR) succeeded the Association of Minor Railway Companies (AMRC) in 1988, and was one of the preservation movement’s two controlling associations. It represented the views of heritage railway companies and their management. Membership of the AIR was open to independent railways; the association having inherited the members previously registered with the AMRC. Its aims were to promote the common interests of heritage and preserved railways at local and national level, as well as represent the movement on matters of legislation. The AIR continued the coordinating and publicity remits of its predecessor, and also assumed responsibility for the Railway Letter Service, which permitted the posting of letters at railway stations for conveyance by train until it could be posted at a location near to the addressee for an extra charge. A Board of nine Directors was chaired by the railway publisher Ian Allan. Allan was instrumental in implementing the merger with the Association of Railway Preservation Societies (ARPS) proposed by the Lawrence Report of 1995 which led to the creation of the combined Association of Independent Railways and Preservation Societies (AIRPS) in 1996.

The Association of Railway Preservation Societies (ARPS) succeeded the Railway Preservation Association (RPA) and incorporated the Railway Preservation Society (RPS) in providing an umbrella organisation for Britain’s railway preservation societies in January 1965. The Lawrence Report of 1995 refers to the ARPS as the ‘Trade Association’ of the railway heritage sector. Its Registered Office was located in Wednesbury, West Midlands. The ARPS became one of British railway preservation’s two controlling associations, and sought to set basic standards and best practice amongst Britain’s heritage railways by providing specialist legal, financial and engineering advice for member societies. It provided a platform for sharing skills and knowledge in the restoration and operation of preserved locomotives and rolling stock amongst its member societies. Membership was open to overseas railway societies. The ARPS published a journal, and compiled ‘Railways Restored’, a guide to Britain’s heritage railways published annually by Ian Allan between 1979 and 2013. The association also administered the granting of annual awards to heritage railways. The ARPS worked closely with the Association of Minor Railway Companies (AMRC) and its successor, the Association of Independent Railways (AIR) from 1988. In doing so, the ARPS administered surveys encompassing various aspects of Britain’s railways, including passenger footfall, and consequently used the information when lobbying on behalf of the preservation movement. In 1973, the association was registered as a limited company in England, Registration No. 1222717. In 1995, the association’s President was Dame Margaret Weston, and it consisted of a Council of Management consisting of 12 members. The Council of Management was Chaired by Capt. Peter Manisty, and oversaw a team of advisers with specialist knowledge in areas including publicity, commercial activities and marketing. Annual General Meetings were held at the headquarters of different member societies. Because of the administrative overlap and duplication of effort that sometimes resulted from the ARPS’ close relationship with the AIR, the Lawrence Report of 1995 recommended that both associations merge to create the Association of Independent Railways and Preservation Societies (AIRPS) in 1996.

The Railway Preservation Association (RPA) was formed at a meeting in Leeds in October 1961 when several districts of the Railway Preservation Society (RPS) and the Bluebell and Middleton Railway Preservation Societies expressed a desire to create a national organisation to increase coordination between railway preservation schemes. The RPA formally commenced in January 1962. The RPA’s principal remit was to oversee and further the interests of all societies engaged in railway preservation and operation, rather than exclusively focus upon its own preservation and fundraising projects. Membership was to be drawn exclusively from railway preservation societies. The RPA was to provide a means of liaising with British Railways and the general public through publicity; provided a meeting place for all preservation societies; disseminated information on proposed and existing preservation schemes, as well as coordination on matters of railway ethics and publicity. The RPA’s publication, ‘Forum’, was published between January 1962 and January 1965, when the RPA was wound up and succeeded by the Association of Railway Preservation Societies (ARPS).

The Association of Minor Railway Companies (AMRC) was created under the direction of the Derwent Valley Light Railway in 1938 as a successor to the Association of Railways of Local Interest (1929) and the Association of Minor Railways (1907) (AMR). The AMR was promoted by Col. Holman F. Stephens in 1907 to provide a platform for mutual support and a coordinated voice in government for Britain’s independent minor railway companies. The government’s jurisdiction over minor railways passed to the newly-created Ministry of Transport in 1919, which sought to reorganise Britain’s railways through the grouping of railway companies into the ‘Big Four’ concerns: the Great Western; London Midland and Scottish, London and North Eastern and Southern Railways. The AMR, under the direction of Col. Stephens, successfully campaigned to remove minor railways from the grouping proposals, which were ultimately enacted under the Railways Act, 1921. Despite further representations in government to secure the interests of the minor companies after grouping, no further independent railway companies were created. The AMRC was convened by the Derwent Valley Light Railway in 1938 to provide a collective response to the continuing expansion of road transport. This decision was also prompted by the intense collective lobbying undertaken by the ‘Big Four’ railway companies through the ‘Square Deal’ campaign, which attempted to improve the competitive position of Britain’s railway through the removal of anti-monopolist rate and traffic restrictions set by successive governments during the nineteenth century. Although the AMRC met occasionally to discuss the effect of railway nationalisation upon its members in 1948, it ceased to convene from 1952. In 1970, Alan Garraway, General Manager of the Ffestiniog Railway approached Jim Acklam, General Manager of the Derwent Valley Light Railway with a view to reactivating the organisation to provide an organisation which could support the interests of existing and nascent independent railway preservation schemes in relation to publicity, sharing of expertise and parliamentary representation on matters of policy. Although several of the original member railways had ceased to operate, new members consisted of emerging heritage railways. Other activities included negotiations with the Post Office and British Rail in 1974 concerning the continuation of the Railway Letter Service. This service permitted the posting of letters at railway stations for conveyance by train until it could be posted at a location near to the addressee for an extra charge. The AMRC became the Association of Independent Railways (AIR) in 1988.