Many types of railway organiza tion are in existence, owing to the problem that faces any two railways being different according to geographical or political conditions. A State owned and operated system will essentially have a different type of organization from a company owned and operated system. The former may be managed direct by a minis ter of railways or by a railway board, but in the majority of such cases the actual management is in the hands of one person, vari ously known as the director general, commissioner, president or general manager. The policy of a company owned railway is usually guided by a board of directors elected by the share holders, the board appointing a president or general manager to organize and manage the system. The system will be divided into departments reporting to the general manager; the number and titles of such departments differ, but usually there are depart ments headed by :—(1) the chief engineer, who is responsible for the track and civil engineering work, (2) the mechanical engineer, responsible for rolling stock and locomotive design and mainte nance, (3) the chief operating officer, responsible for operating the trains, mainly an expenditure department, and (4) the chief commercial officer, responsible for the charges made for pas sengers and freight carried, mainly a revenue department. In addi tion there are departments dealing with steamship services, hotels, docks, immigration, agricultural development, and so forth, de pending upon the railway in question. Matters appertaining to labour relations, such as wage rates and the hours and condi tions of work, are so important on British railways that the head of the staff department is usually a very high official and closely connected with the office of the general manager. Wage rates and hours and conditions of work are however primarily matters regulated by national agreements between the railways and the railway trades unions, of which the three important ones in Britain are the National Union of Railwaymen, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen and the Railway Clerks Association. Disputes with the trades unions are the sub ject of negotiation by the Central Wages Board, and, failing agreement, by the National Wages Board, which includes in its composition representatives of the general public as well as of the railways and the trades unions. Increasing attention is being given to "relations with the public" and to advertising.
Early railway legislation dealt primarily with the construction of railways and required the presentation of a bill to Parliament, which then authorized the company concerned to acquire the necessary lands, divert streams and possibly roads, and build tunnels, viaducts and embankments. Much of the earli est legislation was concerned with the question of adequate fenc ing of the right of way and protection of level crossings. Early railway bills were frequently opposed by rival railway bills and the opposition of landowners, which consequently increased the original cost of construction (see Section C). In return for the right to build a railway, which carried with it the understanding that no neighbouring parallel line would be constructed in such a manner as to divert all its revenue, it was realized at an early date that close regulation would have to be exercised on the charges which it made for carriage. Control of the standard of construction, so as to ensure safety both to passengers and to railway employees, stands out clearly throughout 19th cen tury railway regulation in Great Britain, which consists of a series of acts resulting from the deliberations of select parliamentary committees, enquiries and royal commissions. An act of 1840
for regulating railways required returns concerning rates, fares, traffic carried and accidents, while a Regulation Act, 1842, made possible great improvements in rolling stock; that of
is an important landmark as it visualized the possibility of State ownership 25 years later. In practice this never came about, but another of its provisions, relating to one train per day offering 3rd class accommodation, is the basis of cheap railway travel in Great Britain. The Railway Clauses Act, 1845, standardized railway bills, and the gauge commission of the same year did much to standardize the running gauge for the country. Amalgamation proved a difficult problem for Parliament for 7o years; until 1914, although hundreds of lines were gradually amalgamated, Parlia mentary efforts were mainly directed towards the preservation of competition. The Railways Act, 1921, resulting from the up heaval of the World War largely reversed that position. The Act of 185o recognized the Railway Clearing House formed 8 years previously, while the Railway and Canal Traffic Act,
introduced the principle of prohibiting the bestowal of "undue preference" upon any trader by the railway, thereby creating a new era in railway regulation. During the ensuing 20 years vari ous amending acts were passed, the amalgamation problem coming to the fore again during the 'dos. Stricter government inspection of new lines was enforced in 1871, a law which still applies, in addition to the provisions it contained relative to the reporting of accidents involving loss of life, collision or derailment of a pas senger train.
A Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1873, of vital importance, forced the publication of the fares and rates schedules, which was followed by legislation of 1878 requiring the provision of continu ous brakes on passenger trains; this latter resulted from a royal commission on railway accidents; the carriage of post office parcels by rail was the subject of an act of 1882. The Cheap Trains Act, 1883, made provision for the inauguration of cheap workmen's fares, a landmark in social, as well as railway, legislation; 6 years later came a law enforcing the use of the block system, inter locked signalling and automatic continuous brakes on passenger trains. Meanwhile a Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888, result ing from the 1png deliberations of a select committee, dealt with complaints of high railway charges. A uniform classification of freight was designed in connection with scales showing the maxima, charges, upon which were based the Rates and Charges Confirma tion Acts of 1891 and 1892. The form of maxima charges of 1893 lasted until 1928, although slight percentage advances were made in 1913 and further increased consequent on the higher prices ruling during and after the War. Labour conditions of railway employees received attention in 1891, introducing definite regu lation of the hours of duty and rest periods, while the 20th cen tury opened with the Railway Employment (Prevention of Acci dents) Act, 1900, aimed at reducing accidents to employees. Working agreements between railways were discouraged by Parlia ment as late as 1911, as tending towards elimination of compe tition, but legislation was destined ten years later to amalgamate forcibly the companies in question. The Railway Companies (Re turns and Accounts) Act, 1911, laid down rules of a more adequate presentation of the annual financial accounts and statistics, which still lasts in the form of a railway's annual report.