VPRS 18283 Victorian Railways Plan Room Control Records, Subsidiary Location Indexes and Registers

The Victorian Railways Plan Room acted as a central registry or repository for all plans and survey documentation created and used by the Victorian Railways. Plans were held here and either copied or issued for use when required.Evidence suggests that the Plan Room has existed possibly from c 1885. Evidence also suggests that it may have originally held only plans created by the Construction Branch, Chief Engineers Branch and Way and Works Branch (Office of the Engineer for Existing Lines).It appears that the Plan Room with the control system may have been established in 1937. Plans from other Branches were gradually brought under the control of the centralised system rather than continuing to be held by the creating Branch.Not all plans which may originally have been held in the Plan Room were incorporated into this control system. Such as plans that had ceased functional use before the implementation of the Plan Room Record Number control system or collected as reference information after the cessation of the use of the control system.All plans were allocated a Record Number recorded on the top right hand corner of the standard record card. This record number, preceded by the letter 'R', was placed on the plan or record book. In the case of plans this was on the top left hand corner; in the case of volumes on the spine or the cover. Record Numbers were consecutive numbers. Initially, it appears that these were allocated in blocks to specific groups of plans or record volumes as they were incorporated into the system.The Record Number and the Description (or title) of the plan or volume was entered in the Master Index kept on double sided cards with provision for eight entries on either side (16 per card, location not known). Some entries also included a notation regarding the Branch responsible for that plan or volume. Cards were filed in the Master Index in Record Number order.Subsidiary indexes were created for plans and volumes relating to specific groups or belonging to specific Branches. This system is referred to in the Plan Room Manual as the Location / Apparatus Index. These subsidiary indexes are:P1 Alphabetical Location Index Cards, Apparatus, Way and Works Branch.P2 Alphabetical Location Index Cards, Signals and CommunicationsP3 Alphabetical Location Index Cards, Track Design and PlanningP4 Alphabetical Location Index Cards, Level Books, General Services, Engineering, Way and Works BranchP5 Numerical Location Index Cards, Structural DesignP6 Alphabetical Location Index Cards, ArchitectsP7 Numerical Location Index Cards, Electrical BranchP8 Numerical Location Index Cards, Plans and Specifications, Estate OfficeP9 Alphabetical Location Index Cards, Notices to Treat, Estate OfficeP10 Numerical Location Index Cards, Planning Office (PN78)P 11 Numerical Location Index Cards, Special Works, Level Books, General Services, Engineering, Way and Works BranchP 12 Numerical Location Index Cards, Mechanical ServicesP 13 Alphabetical Location Index Cards, Field BooksCard Index to Plan and Section Books (refer to VPRS 18047)Other RecordsSome records found in the Plan Room have not been given a Record Number and are thus not included in the control system. It is hypothesised that these are either older records which were not deemed necessary for the ongoing exercise of functions at the time of the establishment of the control system or records which were transferred from another location, but not included in the active system. The Plan Room Manual (location not known) indicates that these are controlled by the Contract Books (location not known) and by the maps showing line sections, VPRS 18045 Railway Maps of Victoria.