Tony Roche interviewed by Cliff Perry

Oral history interview with Tony Roche, conducted and recorded by Cliff Perry in London on 2nd August 2021. Duration: 58 min. 43 sec. [Track 01] Career overview, apprentice fitter 1959, supernumerary foreman Crewe BREL Works 1968, technical assistant to Mr. A. Robson (Managing Director, BREL), 1969 Superintendent New Erecting for first two HST Power Cars, Production Manager Wolverton and Swindon, Works Manager Wolverton; [00:03:00] British Railway Board (BRB) 1986; working with David Blake and John Welsby, component exchange arrangements, BR Maintenance formed, BREL; BREL 1977, last DME; transfer of stock and staff to new organisations, closure; Director Fleet Engineering Inter-City, Chief Executive BRML, Deputy Director Network SE, MD Evershott Trains; Executive Board Member of Engineering, Safety and Services at BRB; Post retirement; Director of First-Class Partnerships; working 22 years in BRB management of change [00:04:52] [end of track 01] [Track 02] reasons for decrease of workshop capacity, history, Big 4 and post-nationalisation, policy and workload issues, competition from road and private sectors; decline of steam locomotive manufacturing, arrival of diesel electric traction, rationalisation work [00:04:56] [end of track 02] [Track 03] impact of closures, local communities; initiatives to address unemployment; subsidised rental costs to attract new industries, staff retraining; BR at the time of privatisation; component exchange implemented post 1985, competitive sourcing introduced, BREL work replaced by BR Maintenance and Level 5 sites, Works listed, BR Rolling Stock procurement transferred, BREL privatised (1989) sold to a Swedish conglomerate, bought by ABB (1992), became part of Bombardier and then Alstrom Group [00:04:00] BREL customer group organisation; BR main customers, overseas customers, closures of works, reduced customer based and employees; effect of BR re-organisation on customers; rolling stock orders from ROSCOs [00:07:33] [end of track 03] [Track 04] 1000 days hiatus; uncertainty refurbishment orders, impact on York, competition fear, concern for BREL, competition from ROSCOs; Works closures caused by competition; York, Derby, some refurbishment work, dramatic reduction in demand; [00:04:20] first years of privatisation, high investment in new rolling stock, passenger sector, freight new wagons for specific purposes, new entrants from overseas are prime providers of rolling stock, USA prime supplier of locomotives; customer base today, London Underground and ROSCOs for commuter market; BRML and Level 5 depots; maintenance focus, rationalisation, reduction in capacity, work changed [00:09:24] [end of track 04]; [Track 05] Change in practice from BR to private sector; workload reducing, contracts; asbestos removal example in DMUs, impact on the Works; contamination concerns, responsibilities, TUPE in place for staff, pension position; components procurement; reduction of role within BREL; [00:05:30] Impact of private part of buy-out group; new factors, long debates, insurance example, commercial aspects sorted out at a high level; workshop changes underestimated, long term concerns for remaining former BR workshops; [00:10:10] BR workshops replaced by new Workshops; infrastructure demands from overseas suppliers that are needed, examples given; change in staff skills; BREL privatisation necessary change towards a business led railway, technology changing rapidly, example change from slam to sliding carriage door; [00:18:00] demanding workload, safety aspects, challenges; [00:21:50] intense work demands the changeover period; [00:25:10] personal issues; Presidency of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, railway consultancy as Director of First-Class Partnerships; personal view of privatisation; main challenge, management of uncertainty for the staff involved, Wolverton Works example [00:31:42] [end of track 05] [Track 06] conclusion [00:00:14] [end of interview]

One of over 150 oral history recordings made as part of the Britain’s Railways All Change (BRAC) archive project. BRAC was set-up to cover gaps in documenting the railway privatisation process in the United Kingdom, between 1994 and 1997, when the government-owned British Rail was dismantled into over 100 privately-owned companies. The interviews capture the recollections of people involved in the planning and implementation of the privatisation process, the management of change and running the railway during privatisation.