History of the Collection
The History of the Archive and the people who support it
The present Collection has taken many years to create and it continues to develop. The initial Collection related to artefacts, materials and objects which now form part of the Archival Collection. In recent years, the Museum Collection has been expanded to include Rolling Stock, Lineside and Station Artefacts and Signalling and Telegraphing (S&T).
But for the enthusiasts who recorded visual memories of the days of steam, who diligently collected papers and artefacts, used their expertise to bring the NYMR into existence, and who also joined societies to purchase rolling stock, the heritage railway would not have the Collection it does today. We are truly indebted to these pioneers.
In the early days, there was no formal Archive location – the collection of various papers and artefacts which had been gathered by many people over the latter days of steam and, seeing the changes coming, were kept at members’ homes, in their lofts, garages and various other places. It was not until the Trust was incorporated in 1971 that the first Archivist was appointed – Mr G.D. Calvert.
Graham Reussner (you might have noted the learning centre on Platform 2 at Pickering is named after him in recognition of his contribution to the railway) was the person who really created the concept of a modern archive at the NYMRT. The foundations of the Archival Collection that we have today were laid by him: he undertook the task of pulling together in one place – originally the attic in the offices at 12 Park Street – the records and artefacts held in various places and by numerous individuals. Along with a few volunteers, Graham created the first database on which the artefacts of the newly-created Archive were recorded which was the forerunner of the computerised databases now used by the Archive team.
Mark Sissons was appointed Archivist in 2010, having been part of Graham’s team of volunteers, and transformed the Archive facility, moving it from the attic of 12 Park Street to a purpose-built facility in the Learning Centre which remains the base today.
The Archive store ensured that all of the artefacts cared for were located in a facility that was designed to meet all museum standards including mobile racking and an air filtering system to maintain constant temperature and humidity. The purpose-built facility was funded by a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant as part of the “Train of Thought” project, which also funded the design and re-instatement of the roof to Pickering Station.
The Mark Sissons Room
Mark’s encyclopaedic knowledge of railways enabled him to advise on the re-instatement of the roof on Pickering station to the same design as the original G T Andrews roof built in 1847 and in recognition of his contribution to the NYMR, the Archive Room in the Learning Centre was named “The Mark Sissons Room” not long before his death in 2018.
Steve Davison was appointed Archivist in 2018, having taken over the role on an acting basis in 2017. Steve’s first task was to deliver a successful re-accreditation by the Arts Council - this was confirmed in early 2018. There were two areas Steve and his team identified as in need of attention – first was how to make the Archival Collection more accessible both internally and externally, and how to make the Collection available on-line, and second to identify the artefacts in the Archival Collection that fell outside the current Collection Policy. A small number of themed exhibitions were created to show a selection of artefacts held in the Collection, with proper safeguards in place to avoid artefact handling and theft. These were highly successful with good footfall and positive visitor feedback. Visits to the Archive on a pre-arranged basis were actively encouraged. Over many years, there was probably no definitive Collection Policy, and the team set about putting in place, with Trust approval, a Policy that could be applied. A process started to identify those artefacts falling outside the policy, and identifying a means of re-assigning them to a more appropriate home.
Steve stepped down as Archivist in early 2023.
Carole and David Hardwick were appointed Joint Archivists in May 2023. A major project has been the planning for the next re-accreditation submission, involving making sure all the policies and procedures required as part of re-accreditation have been updated, or, as the Collection has expanded to include other elements, new policies covering the components of the Collection, its care and conservation and detailed procedures setting out how the Collection is managed. The Archive Team has continued work to audit and catalogue the Collection as well as developing new projects to enhance the information available for research. Identifying and “re-homing” artefacts outside Collection Policy continues enabling such artefacts and materials to be transferred to relevant railway societies or other museums.
The Archive Team has grown over the years. All of those who work in the Archive are volunteers and are vital to the its operation – most do not have a background in the railway industry but within the team, there is a wide range of skills crucial to effective management, development, care and use of the Archive.
The Trust has support from an external adviser and can always call on a range of expertise and knowledge across the railway and from other external organisations.