There is a plaque and a tree outside Euston station which Rix planted to celebrate the memories of those killed in railway disasters. Rix founded the group Take Back the Track, which was successful in turning Railtrack into a not-for-profit publicly owned company in 2001. Rix's defeat in the election for General Secretary of ASLEF by Shaun Brady, a relatively right wing candidate, came as a great surprise to the left wing of the trade union movement. It was widely claimed that those in New Labour and the railway companies had a hand in his defeat. The defeat led to a period of instability in ASLEF culminating in a brawl at a barbecue at the union's London headquarters, which resulted in a number of senior officers being removed from their positions, including Brady.