Adams started his career with British Rail aged 15, working his way up to become a steam engine driver; local Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) trade union representative, Adams was voted in as General Secretary in 1987; towards the right of the trade union political spectrum, he vigorously opposed the Conservative governments' privatisation of British Rail; after being voted out of office in May 1998 Adams joined Virgin Trains as a training manager; he was later appointed to the rail regulatory authority set up by the new Labour Party government, the Strategic Rail Authority, and is a board member of the British Transport Police authority.