The railway for more than one hundred and fifty years has been a favourite subject for artists. Monet, Turner, Frith and Bourne all depicted 19th Century trains and railways. Gore and Hopper, to name but two depicted the heyday of the steam railway from the turn of the 20th century to the 1940's.

The Guild of Railway Artists was formed in the 1970's to forge a tangible link between artists whose interests include the depiction of the railway scene in all its facets both past and present.

Amongst the aims of the Guild is the furtherance of the artistic portrayal of railways; the staging of Railway Art Exhibitions and assistance in the historical research necessary to accurately portray railway subjects with correct detail.

Since its formation the GRA has mounted successful Rail-Art exhibitions annually throughout the United Kingdom.

Members of the Guild include professional, semi-professional and amateur artists painting in a wide variety of mediums - oils, acrylics, gouache, tempera, watercolour, ink, pencil, pastel, airbrush, silk screen and even digital.

Although primarily a UK guild, membership extends throughout Europe, USA, Australia and South Africa. The GRA meets on a regular basis at Members Days, Selection Panel meetings and the Annual General Meeting. Area Group Meetings are also held in locations throughout the British Isles.

The Guild is managed by The Guild Council which is elected by the membership at the AGM and contains full and associate members.

The day to day running of the Guild is carried out by the Chief Executive, Frank Hodges Hon GRA (see right). In addition to national exhibitions the Guild is also involved with book publishers, and projects include:

The Great Western Collection (1985)
To the Seaside (1990)
A Century of Railways (1996)
Along Artistic Lines (November 2003)