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Oral history interview with James Ward, conducted and recorded by Christopher Mew at another interviewee's home in Northamptonshire on 10 May 2019, includes a contribution from Philip Dunkley. Duration: 16 min. 7 sec. Constitution of safety case panels; career background; railway laboratories; Scientific Services; sale of Meldon Quarry; precursor for formal safety cases; safety case requirements; Adrian Shooter (Managing Director Chiltern); larger train operating companies (TOCs) more responsibilities and expertise

James Ward interviewed by Christopher Mew

Oral Histories

2019-05-10
Oral history interview with David Rollin, conducted and recorded by Richard Malins in Doncaster on 6 March 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 51 min. 47 sec. Early career; gaining commercial expertise with British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL); Project Director for InterCity 225/250; management buyout (MBO) interest; train engineering service units (TESCOs); acquiring business and expansion skills; bid finance; Interfleet deal; Vendor Unit; shares offers; sale of business; business growth; international operations; structure; SNC-Lavalin (SNCL) purchase; railway pensions; organisational culture and structure; bringing British Rail (BR) culture over; SNCL mergers; reflections on career; BREL; Class 91

David Rollin interviewed by Richard Malins

Oral Histories

2019-03-06
Oral history interview with Philip Dunkley, conducted and recorded by Christopher Mew at the interviewee's home in Northamptonshire on 10 May 2019. Duration: 11 min. 15 sec. Formation of Safety Case Panels; personal career; safety case process; comparison to safety under British Rail; train operating companies (TOCs) approaches varied

Philip Dunkley interviewed by Christopher Mew

Oral Histories

2019-05-10
Oral history interview with John Smith, conducted and recorded by Michael Robson (session 2) at the interviewee's office at GB Railfreight, London on 13 November 2019 (session 2). Duration: 41 min. 18 sec. Heavy haul freight; Class 66 locomotives; political understanding of rail freight; Class 73 refurbishment; Class 92; Caledonian Sleeper; Class 56; Brexit; productivity; overview of current situation; additional infrastructure needed to accommodate growth; safety improvements

John Smith interviewed by Michael Robson (session 2 of 2)

Oral Histories

2019-11-13
Oral history interview with Barry Grant, conducted and recorded by Christopher Mew at another interviewee's home in Herefordshire on 11 December 2019, includes contribution from Monty Hiatt. Duration: 20 min. 6 sec. Earliest Operational Research involvement with privatisation; Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services (ORCATS); factors; Model of Inter-Regional Activity (MOIRA) model; modal split; performance regime creation; revenue allocation and performance regime pivotal

Barry Grant interviewed by Christopher Mew

Oral Histories

2019-12-11
Oral history interview with Monty Hiatt, conducted and recorded by Christopher Mew at the interviewee's home in Herefordshire on 11 December 2019. Duration: 14 min. 21 sec. Operational Research (OR) Management Trainee 1965; description of team; initial use of OR; John Prideaux; Passenger Demand FOrecasting Handbook (PDFH); role of OR until privatisation; British Railways Board used OR during privatisation; privatisation as threat to OR as a central body; change in OR’s role post-privatisation

Monty Hiatt interviewed by Christopher Mew

Oral Histories

2019-12-11
Oral history interview with David Prescott, conducted and recorded by David Wharton-Street on 9 April 2018 at the National Railway Museum, York. Duration: 2 hr. 45 min. 19 sec. Introduction to Provincial Sector; approach to privatisation; interface between rail passenger businesses; Regional Railways fares; Railway Bill 1993; performance dialogue with Department of Transport (DoT); rolling stock leasing; interview with Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF); move to British Rail Commercial Manager; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); management of global rail travelcards; Routeing Guide; National Rail Enquiry Service (NRES); ATOC role; British Rail International/Eurostar; Rail Settlement Plan (RSP); Regional Railways revenue benefits of new rolling stock; perceived Government attitude to privatisation; National Express Scotrail franchise; ancillary businesses; new stations; interaction with Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive; Scottish Government involvement in rail; effect of privatisation on career and family; Organising for Quality (OfQ); Leadership 500; train operating units (TOUs); Railtrack shortcomings; necessity of privatisation; limitations; railway now less cost effective

David Prescott interviewed by David Wharton-Street

Oral Histories

2018-04-09
Oral history interview with Allison Ingram, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the HS1 Ltd. Head Office, York Way, London on 1 April 2019. Duration: 2 hr. 18 min. 41 sec. Station Manager Grove Park 1987; female staff experiences; Assistant Area Operations Manager Brighton 1989; relationships; analysis of performance; Service Group Manager Wales & West 1990; Gordon Pettitt; Class 158; Paul King; service patterns; train crews support; Class 14x Pacers; impact of privatisation 1993; split of Cardiff Valleys; John Swift; Roger Salmon; John Edmonds; Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF); Roger Salmon; organisational culture; Railtrack sale priority; performance regime; Operational Research input; negotiations with Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR); Michael Beswick; involvement with shadow train operating companies (TOCs); development of service requirement; track access; Infrastructure improvements incentives; West Coast Main Line (WCML) InterCity 250; moderation of competition; Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services (ORCATS); open access; sale of TOC franchisees; vetting bidders; East Coast franchise; vetting bids; employment status

Allison Ingram interviewed by Frank Paterson

Oral Histories

2019-06-03
Oral history interview with Terence Worrall, conducted and recorded by David Maidment at the interviewee's home in Ramsbury on 22 October 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 7 min. 34 sec. Early career; St Pancras; Management Trainee; Assistant Area Manager; Operations Director British Railways Board (BRB); Organising for Quality (OfQ); preparing for privatisation; safety case validation; BRB attitude to privatisation; politics; retirement; Transmark; Ladbroke Grove accident; Hatfield accident; infrastructure interface; Railtrack safety function; rolling stock safety; Managing Director Thames Trains; signals passed at danger (SPADs); electrification; safety implications of privatisation; Class 153 door safety; InterCity door locking; Cannon Street accident; industry acceptance of safety; safety management since privatisation

Terence Worrall interviewed by David Maidment

Oral Histories

2019-10-22
Oral history interview with Michael Beswick, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee in Hertfordshire on 10 September 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 3 min. 13 sec. Personal background; pre-1992 considerations on InterCity privatisation; 1992 election; implications for InterCity business and brand; John Ellis (InterCity Deputy Managing Director); Roger Salmon (Franchising Director) and John Swift (Rail Regulator) appointed; government urgency; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); Roger Freeman (Minister of Transport); paper on fares regulation leaked; joining Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR); ORR initially a small organisation; privatisation structure goes live; plans to privatise Railtrack; approving track access contracts; moderation of competition; Project Control Group; performance regimes; preparing to privatise Railtrack; Relationships with Franchising Director; regulating Railtrack; sale of Railtrack; benefits and disappointments about privatisation

Michael Beswick interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2018-09-10
Oral history interview with Gordon Pettitt, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson (session 1) at the interviewee's home in Woking on 22 February 2017. Duration: 1 hr. 39 min. 5 sec. Career overview; move to Provincial; implementing Organising for Quality (OfQ); rebranding; General Manager Southern Region; sectorisation; working with Chris Green; division of responsibilities; Clapham accident; movement from regions to sectors; role in OfQ; issues facing Provincial; Class 14x Pacers issues; relationships with passenger transport executives (PTEs); Class 158 issues; re-naming as Regional Railways; setting-up team; OfQ based on sub-sectors; sub-sector management; moving headquarters to Birmingham; emergence of privatisation; personal impact; Central Wales line issues; relationships with PTEs; shortcomings of public service obligation (PSO); industrial relations; regrets

Gordon Pettitt interviewed by Frank Paterson (session 1 of 2)

Oral Histories

2017-02-22
Oral history interview with Peter Field, conducted and recorded by Theo Steel at the interviewee's home in Surrey on 8 May 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 24 min. 20 sec. Personal background; early career; Assistant Station Manager Liverpool Street; area management; working with Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF); Gordon Pettitt; industrial relations changes; Network Director Eastern Liverpool Street; Chris Green; transfer of responsibilities from Regions; King's Lynn and Royston – Cambridge electrification scheme approvals; Operations Manager British Rail: Southern Region; splitting region; vertical integration; John Nelson; Organising for Quality (OfQ); preparation for privatisation; culture change; early years of Railtrack; John Edmonds (Chief Executive Officer Railtrack); contrast between management buyout (MBO) bid and Stagecoach bid; MBO team; exposing London, Tilbury & Southend (LTS) ticket fraud; rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); Stagecoach; BR forecasting issues; move into consultancy; joined Transport for London (TfL) as Rail Strategy Director; political issues; difficulties with train operating companies (TOCs) and lack of Mayoral control; fare evasion levels in TOCs; North London line to TfL and expansion; structuring of TfL concessions; retirement

Peter Field interviewed by Theo Steel

Oral Histories

2018-05-08
Oral history interview with Gordon Pettitt, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson (session 2) in Woking on 17 May 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 26 min. 42 sec. Retirement from Managing Director Regional Railways; management seminars; creating awareness of parliamentary process; Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF); encouragement of management buyouts (MBOs); reactions from participants; Organising for Quality (OfQ) financial systems facilitated subsequent privatisation; personal satisfaction from running seminars; reactions of participants to MBO opportunities; advisory roles; Advisor to John Swift (Rail Regulator); guidance to Rail Regulator from Secretary of State for initial period; track access agreements; Stephen Glaister; OPRAF and Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) roles; External Board Member to ORR; Advisor to British Airports Authority (BAA) Heathrow and Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) planning; John Prideaux (Managing Director Union Railways); North London Line to St Pancras option rejected; comparison between High Speed 1 (HS1) and High Speed 2 (HS2); Railtrack incentives to improve reliability; personal assessment of implementation of privatisation

Gordon Pettitt interviewed by Frank Paterson (session 2 of 2)

Oral Histories

2018-05-17
Oral history interview with Clifford Perry, conducted and recorded by Brian Clementson at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Birdcage Walk, London on 14 May 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 46 min. 11 sec. Career overview; attitude to privatisation; technical and people issues arising from privatisation; staff concerns; papers delivered to Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE); necessary expertise existing; future commercial opportunities; transition management; safety issues critical; Clapham accident response; new attitudes to risk; safety cases; national incident record; maintenance schedules efficiencies; Managing risk versus costs in British Rail (BR) role; new rolling stock introduction safety; Class 165 issues; clear contractual arrangements between companies responsibilities for wheel and rail post-privatisation; more rigorous risk management; rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); personal impact of privatisation; railway running through process; intellectual property ownership; different approaches required due to franchise turnover; safety implications; setting-up ROSCO exciting; dealing with lawyers/banks/insurance companies; Angel Trains; culture change over time; involvement of banks and asset values; supply chain and their readiness for privatised railway; reflections on privatisation

Clifford Perry interviewed by Brian Clementson

Oral Histories

2018-05-14
Oral history interview with Geoff Mee, conducted and recorded by Michael Robson at the Royal Over-Seas League, London on 14 June 2018. Duration: 59 min. 32 sec. Early career; Train Planning Manager South Eastern Division; Network SouthEast (NSE); Railtrack; British Railways Board (BRB) Privatisation Director; Booze Allan; Veolia; Qatar World Cup rail planning; views on privatisation; tension between BRB and Railtrack; privatisation teams structure; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) set-up; rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); Access Disputes Resolution Committee (ADRC); relationships between government/railways/future operators; income and expenditure; South Eastern and South Central franchises; less flexibility; increased investment

Geoff Mee interviewed by Michael Robson

Oral Histories

2018-06-14
Oral history interview with Adrian Shooter, conducted and recorded by David Maidment (session 3) at the Railway Children office, Sandbach, Cheshire on 29 August 2019. Duration: 58 min. 52 sec. British Transport Police (BTP) Committee; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); relationship with Railtrack/Network Rail; Chair Wrexham & Shropshire Railway; Chair Tyne & Wear Metro Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Vivarail; sustainability; Chair Vintage Trains Ltd/Tyseley Loco Works; decision to bid to be train operating company (TOC); steam specials and other businesses; training steam traction drivers; attitude of senior managers to railway enthusiasm

Adrian Shooter interviewed by David Maidment (session 3 of 3)

Oral Histories

2019-08-29
Oral history interview with David MacLean, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the National Railway Museum, York on 10 June 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 39 min. 48 sec. Personal background; apprenticeship; Signalling & Telecoms (S&T); merger; microwave radio Doncaster to Edinburgh; public address systems; King's Cross test bed; Anglia Region; Contracts Manager responsibilities; project management relationships; Organising for Quality (OfQ); establishment of British Rail Telecommunications (BRT); safety; approach to job; attitude to privatisation; John Drake; shadow train operating companies (TOCs); preparing for sale of BRT; Racal culture change; share value; trade unions

David MacLean interviewed by Frank Paterson

Oral Histories

2019-06-10
Oral history interview with Prof. Stephen Glaister, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee at the interviewee's home in London on 13 February 2019. Duration: 1 hr.13 min. 5 sec. Personal background; problem of growing rail subsidy; Margaret Thatcher; protecting unremunerative services; John Swift (Designate Rail Regulator); Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF); Roger Salmon (Franchising Director); Railtrack; Regulator’s advisory panel; government objectives; vision of competition; Initial tasks for Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR); government focus on public expenditure; sale of Railtrack; West Coast Main Line (WCML) upgrade; Passenger Upgrade 2 (PUG2); service growth; rolling stock companies (ROSCOs)

Prof. Stephen Glaister interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2019-02-13
Oral history interview with Philip Wiltshire, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the National Railway Museum, York on 10 October 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 25 min. 57 sec. Early career; Assistant Divisional Engineer Doncaster 1967; Retford South and Lincolnshire level crossing; Assistant Divisional Engineer Stratford 1968; culture; Liverpool Street derailments; Divisional Engineer Norwich 1971; half barriers for wheel-gated level crossings on trunk roads near Cambridge; Newcastle Divisional Engineer 1982; staffing problems; Group Standards organisation 1992; promoting good operating and technical practice; Health & Safety Executive (HSE); Safety & Standards moved to Railtrack; new standards emerged by consensus; discussions with Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI); informal liaison with European railways; Union internationale des chemins de fer (UIC); European Train Control System (ETCS); changes after retirement; impact of privatisation; WS Atkins consultant; post-Ladbroke Grove accident signals passed at danger (SPAD) project; Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann (IE)) review of signalling principles Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) licensing scheme

Philip Wiltshire interviewed by Frank Paterson

Oral Histories

2018-10-10
Oral history interview with Anton Valk, conducted and recorded by Michael Robson at the Science Museum, London on 11 September 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 18 min. 2 sec. Career and experience; setting-up Abellio; Meeting with Sir Alistair Morton; Strategic Rail Authority (SRA); South West bid with First Group; Hatfield accident; Brian Burdsall, join venture with Serco; Mersey Rail and Northern franchises; staff morale; stakeholder involvement; Transport Select Committee hearing; London Overground concession bid; European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM); change of name from Ned Rail to Abellio; Greater Anglia franchise bid; exchange of best practice; reflections on time in UK

Anton Valk interviewed by Michael Robson

Oral Histories

2018-09-11
Oral history interview with John Rhodes, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee at the interviewee's home in Hertfordshire on 18 April 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 30 min. Department of the Environment; West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE); British Rail Headquarters Business Review department; Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR); privatisation model; advising on the Railways Bill; developing regulation approach; industry financial structure; privatisation objectives; role at ORR; open access operators; Train Operating Units; decision to privatise Railtrack; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); Organising for Quality (OfQ); funding stability; rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); working with Office of Rail Passenger Franchising (OPRAF); trainload freight businesses; ticket retailing; risk transfer and passenger franchises

John Rhodes interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2018-04-18
Oral history interview with David Tyson, conducted and recorded by Richard Goldson at the Railway Pension Trust offices, Liverpool Street in London on 3 May 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 22 min. 24 sec. Driver’s Assistant; Driver; Norwich Depot; Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) Executive; Railways Pension Trustee; stagnation on railways 1980s; traincrew concept 1988; participation in ASLEF and rising up the hierarchy; privatisation preparation; Regional Railways Central (RRC) profit centre; increased supervision; possibility of management career; taking privatisation seriously 1992; ASLEF opposition; traditional link structures abolished; fears about Railtrack; creation of Anglia Railways; wage dispute 1995; Railway Savings Bank; passenger demand growth; GB Rail open access operations; Network Rail; approach to trade union negotiation; differences between franchisees; future of train driving; salary competition

David Tyson interviewed by Richard Goldson

Oral Histories

2018-05-03
Oral history interview with Robert Breakwell, conducted and recorded by David Maidment at the interviewee's home in Essex on 5 February 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 31 min. 6 sec. Joined as Clerk British Rail: Southern Region; station and area management; Train Crew Management British Rail: London Midland Region; Operations Planning Manager Great Eastern (GE); implementing Train Crew Agreement; Managing Director West Anglia/Great Northern; Managing Director GE Network SouthEast (NSE); preparing for privatisation; preparing bid with Compagnie Generale des Eaux (CGE); Drivers’ Manning Agreement; First Group successful bid; business plan; South West Trains (SWT) train crew problems; competition with Anglia; impact of accidents; merger with Anglia as First Greater Anglia; staff attitudes to privatisation; impact of rail defect problem; difficult relationship with Railtrack; preparation for new franchise bid; effects of privatisation on GE

Robert Breakwell interviewed by David Maidment

Oral Histories

2019-02-05
Oral history interview with Steve Murphy, conducted and recorded by Nick Mitchell at St Mary Axe, London on 22 November 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 10 min. 1 sec. Early career; Chiltern Trains management buyout (MBO); culture change; franchise agreement; Adrian Shooter; working with government regulators; 3i; Association of train operating Companies (ATOC); secondment to Irish Railways (Iarnród Éireann); London Overground; reflections on privatisation and franchising

Steve Murphy interviewed by Nick Mitchell

Oral Histories

2018-11-22
Oral history interview with David Dodd, conducted and recorded by Dick Fearn at the interviewee's home in Reading on 31 August 2018. Duration: 50 min. 17 sec. Overview of career; British Rail (BR) International marketing role in Paris; sectorisation; Organising for Quality (OfQ); franchising process; reaction to the split of Network SouthEast (NSE) Thames and Chiltern Division; decision not to join management buyout (MBO); joining Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF); role of OPRAF; background of OPRAF colleagues; contract preparation; first franchise sales processes; first bidders; role in process; formation of Strategic Rail Authority (SRA); differences between OPRAF and SRA; conclusions on benefits of privatisation; passenger growth

David Dodd interviewed by Anthony Richard Fearn

Oral Histories

2018-08-31
Oral history interview with Brian Maddison, conducted and recorded by Richard Spoors at the interviewee's home in Nottingham on 16 May 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 2 min. 37 sec. Peterborough District Civil Engineer’s office; King's Cross 1965; bridge reconstruction; Leicester Area Civil Engineer’s office 1968; Nottingham Division Buildings Section 1971; diving training 1968; Works Production Assistant; railway diving; bridge scour; Glanrhyd accident 1987; river bed measurement; InterCity Area Civil Engineer’s office Peterborough; Network SouthEast; New Barnet station vandalism; sectorisation changes; Renewals Assistant (Permanent Way); Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE); Assistant Area Civil Engineer Works 1993; part of British Rail Infrastructure Services (BRIS); setting up own company; no future for British Rail (BR) Works function; Bridgeway set up 1995; working with Railtrack; expertise reassembled

Brian Maddison interviewed by Richard Spoors

Oral Histories

2018-05-16
Oral history interview with Philip Benham, conducted and recorded by Brian Clementson at the interviewee's home in North Yorkshire on 12 February 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 49 min. 4 sec. Traffic Student; Divisional Inspector Nottingham; Area Manager York; Area Manager King's Cross; sectorisation; Organising for Quality (OfQ) implementation in Eastern Region operations; Customer Services and Retail Manager InterCity 1992; 1992 election; career implications of privatisation; East Coast Main Line (ECML) management buyout (MBO); franchise development role; workload; MBO unsuccessful; Ticketing and Inter-operator Contracts Implementation Team (TICIT); Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) part of franchise requirements; Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets System (ORCATS); ATOC framework; ticket conditions; legal issues and cultural change; network and train operating company (TOC independence; realities of privatisation; need for central co-ordination of industry; Rail Delivery Group (RDG); Double Arrow accepted as cross-industry brand marker; General Manager North York Moors Railway (NYMR); reflections on privatisation

Philip Benham interviewed by Brian Clementson

Oral Histories

2019-02-12
Oral history interview with Alan Dyke, conducted and recorded by Peter Willey at the interviewee's home in West Sussex on 6 February 2020. Duration: 1 hr. 1 min. 27 sec. Early career; civil engineering work undertaken in-house; changes in organisation post-privatisation; separation of track and trains; Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Project team; political context; King’s Cross international; Thameslink station; St. Pancras; development of Arup route; options for Stratford Station; international field of bidders; competition with Railtrack for infrastructure resources; funding difficulties; Hatfield accident impact; interface issues with Network Rail; North of London International Services; West Coast Main Line (WCML) train paths unavailable; incorporation of Thameslink station into St. Pancras; changes resulting from privatisation; advice to High Speed 2 (HS2); involvement of different Secretaries of State for Transport

Alan Dyke interviewed by Peter Willey

Oral Histories

2020-02-06
Oral history interview with Alec McTavish, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee at the interviewee's home in Chislehurst on 21 November 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 17 min. 41 sec. Personal background; Government Economic Service; John Welsby; Move to British Rail Policy Unit; sectorization; Planning and Strategy Manager Provincial; John Edmonds; personal views on privatisation proposals; Head of British Rail Business Systems; information technology (IT) organisation in Derby; Director of Operations Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); James Gordon; revenue clearing scheme; Rail Settlement Plan (RSP); involvement of train operating companies (TOCs); RSP franchise cancellation; telephone enquiries; Serco; views of staff; George Muir; station issues; ATOC involvement in franchise agreements; reflections on privatisation and career

Alec McTavish interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2019-11-21
Oral history interview with Alan Deboo, conducted and recorded by David Maidment at the interviewee's home in Wiltshire on 22 September 2020. Duration: 1 hr. 9 min. 41 sec. Early career; joined British Rail (BR) as Personnel Manager 1989; culture comparison; Organising for Quality (OfQ); policies; communications; bargaining; Cannon Street accident; support after accidents; privatisation; travel benefits; advising government; Travel Facilities Working Party; pensions and redundancy arrangements; communication with staff and trade unions; Ministry of Defence; redundancy support package; train operating company (TOC) profits; culture comparison; temporary companies; scale of work; BR sports facilities; advising government on change in trade union bargaining power due to fragmentation

Alan Deboo interviewed by David Maidment

Oral Histories

2020-09-22
Oral history interview with Stanley Judd, conducted and recorded by Christopher Mew at another interviewee's home in Northamptonshire on 10 May 2019, includes contributions from Philip Dunkley and James Ward. Duration: 21 min. 53 sec. Railway career; completion of Safety Cases; Chairmen could apply experience to safety considerations; Railtrack approach to safety; contractor management key safety responsibility; remit of Safety Cases

Stanley Judd interviewed by Christopher Mew

Oral Histories

2019-05-10
Oral history interview with Dr. Malcolm Reed, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the National Railway Museum, York on 13 June 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 37 min. 59 sec. Academic career; Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE); relationships; Chris Green; John Ellis; financial disputes; value for money review; Organising for Quality (OfQ); interactive processes on costs; rolling stock replacement programme; service improvements; privatisation political concerns; process of Railways Bill; lobbying; personal involvement in European developments; separation of track and trains issues; Association of Metropolitan Authorities (AMA); limited involvement of Scottish Office; John Swift and Roger Salmon visits; performance regimes; Chris Stokes; relationships with new industry bodies and companies; Roger Salmon; ScotRail issues; National Express success; relationships; timescale for privatisation; PTEs role in privatisation; investment due to privatisation; comparisons with current franchise process; Network Rail; Chief Executive Officer Transport Scotland 2002; recovery of £260 million investment in stock and infrastructure

Dr. Malcolm Reed interviewed by Frank Paterson

Oral Histories

2019-06-13
Oral history interview with John Smith, conducted and recorded by Michael Robson (session 1) at the interviewee's office at GB Railfreight, London on 28 June 2019. Duration: 56 min. 16 sec. Career overview; shadow Anglia franchise; Hull Trains; GB Railfreight; challenges compared to working for British Rail (BR); cultural differences between GB Railways and BR; Master Operating Lease Agreement (MOLA); Class 170; rolling stock costs; open access; Hull Trains; GB Railfreight (GBRf) contract for Railtrack infrastructure services; intermodal freight; Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC); English, Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS); GBRf principles; intermodal productivity; Class 66 maintenance; reflections on post-privatisation industry

John Smith interviewed by Michael Robson (session 1 of 2)

Oral Histories

2019-06-28
Oral history interview with Andrew Nock, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee at the interviewee's home in Bedfordshire on 24 April 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 13 min. 28 sec. Career overview; awareness of scope for freight privatisation 1980s; cash generation; Privatisation Studies group; action immediate after election 1992; freight privatisation team; working with Department for Transport (DfT); Trainload Freight (TLF) split geographically; contracts for engineering trains; freight management buy-out teams; Wisconsin Central; Ed Burkhardt; views in retrospect

Andrew Nock interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2018-04-24
Oral history interview with Sonia Braybrook, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson (session 1) at the interviewee's home in Lincolnshire on 21 January 2020. Duration: 40 min. 24 sec. Early career; British Rail (BR) Legal Department structure; move to Parliamentary division; Terence Jenner; freight contracts; job satisfaction; Railways Act 1993; becoming self accounting unit (SAU); Terence Jenner key to consistency and controls of privatisation; scale of task; external assistance; track access agreements; negotiations with Railtrack and shadow Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR); completing Railtrack vesting; Martin Shrubshole; Peter Trewin; range of contracts; impact on personal life

Sonia Braybrook interviewed by Frank Paterson (session 1 of 2)

Oral Histories

2020-01-21
Oral history interview with Michael Lee, conducted and recorded by David Wharton-Street (session 2) at the interviewee's home in Hertfordshire on 23 May 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 35 min. 31 sec. Creation of Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) teams for each franchise; South Central and West Anglia-Great Northern (WAGN) franchises; franchise length; forms and process documentation; successful bidders for South Central and WAGN; Transportation Consultants International (TCI); AEA Technology; Office of Rail and Road (ORR); open access; manipulation of Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services (ORCATS); ORR business plan and monitoring; disruption compensation; Network Rail; Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) and rail safety; ORR’s risk register; Network Rail devolution; investment scheme overruns and cost escalation; British Rail (BR) investment in developing people; overseas privatisations; Control Period (CP) 5 and Northern England; sectorisation; reflections on privatisation; Williams Review

Michael Lee interviewed by David Wharton Street (session 2 of 2)

Oral Histories

2019-05-23
Oral history interview with Adrian Clough, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee at the interviewee's office in London on 11 February 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 15 min. 16 sec. Personal background; Initial views on privatisation; Organising for Quality (OfQ); joining Office of Rail Passenger Franchising (OPRAF); Roger Salmon (Designate Franchising Director) Chris Stokes; early days at shadow OPRAF; performance regimes; Passenger and Interoperator Revenue and Ticketing Executive (PIRATE) working group; Ticketing and Inter-operator Contracts Implementation Team (TICIT); Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets System (ORCATS); team structure; workload; time pressures; OPRAF decision making process; franchise sales process; sale of rolling stock companies (ROSCOs) and Railtrack; reflections on OPRAF and privatisation

Adrian Clough interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2019-02-11
Oral history interview with Andrew Bliss, conducted and recorded by Gordon Dudman at the interviewee's office at Network Rail, Crewe on 23 March 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 5 min. 16 sec. Early career; changing nature of parcels business; Rail Express Systems (RES); InterCity allowed development of premium parcels business; business needed the support of all operations staff; realisation that privatisation would allow Red Star to control costs; impact of privatisation on decisions as Red Star Manager Birmingham; responsibility for 110 staff; Red Star Production Manager; first steps of privatisation early 1990s; Adrian Shooter (Managing Director Parcels); Ivan Coucher (Managing Director for Red Star); managerial appointments; different priorities of ex-British Rail (BR) managers and external managers; new general managers; appointment as Production Manager; early management buyout (MBO) discussions; early decisions to restructure Red Star; privatisation appropriate for parcels distribution business; outside management practices in Red Star replicated; views on privatisation of Red Star and wider rail industry

Andrew Bliss interviewed by Gordon Dudman

Oral Histories

2018-03-23
Oral history interview with Neil Butters, conducted and recorded by Brian Clementson at the Guild Hall, Bath on 29 June 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 42 min. 48 sec. Personal background; early career; Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) implementation; Western Region Management Services Reading; Arnold Kentridge; Management Development & Training Officer Freightliner; secondment to Enterprise Agency Bath 1985-1987; setting-up Salford University Transport Management MSc course with Bill Bradshaw; railway activities in secondment to Enterprise Agency seconded role; responsibilities at Transmark; Development Manager at The Grove; investment plan prepared; possibility of privatisation; decision to close The Grove 1995; interest in historical railways; role on Railway Heritage Committee; difficulties in legal interpretation of Railways Act 1993; establishment of Railway Heritage Committee (RHC); National Railway Museum (NRM); work of RHC; designation of records under Railway Heritage Act 1996; Secretary role became full-time; effects of privatisation on personal life; reflections on career

Neil Butters interviewed by Brian Clementson

Oral Histories

2018-06-29
Oral history interview with John Welsby, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the Union Jack Club, London on 19 February 2020. Duration: 1 hr. 27 min. 1 sec. Career background; secondment to British Railway Board (BRB); sectorisation; Director Provincial Services; Development of Ralibus; restructuring British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL); Manufacturing & Maintenance (M&M) study; Board Member for Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) 1989; development of Organising for Quality (OfQ); government-railway relationships; Conservative Party conference; Bob Reid 2; Bob Horton (Chief Executive Designate Railtrack); concern over separation of track from trains; Railtrack development; John Edmonds (Chief Executive Railtrack); pensions; relationships with government; Board Members’ incentives; reflections on Clapham accident; relationships with Railtrack; personal impact; delivery without adverse impact on service; key people; change of government; consequences of privatisation

John Welsby inteviewed by Frank Paterson

Oral Histories

2020-02-19
Oral history interview with Tim Stubbs, conducted and recorded by Brian Clementson at the interviewee's home in Burton-on-Trent on 2 March 2020. Duration: 38 min. 49 sec. Early career; engineering roles; move to training and development; Personnel Manager for rolling stock companies (ROSCOs) 1994; post-privatisation career; creating of graduate scheme for ROSCOs; British Rail (BR) arrangements for graduate engineers; allocation of graduate engineers to private companies; train engineering service companies (TESCOs) in-house accredited schemes; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) training scheme; Railtrack’s role in graduate training; professional engineering institutions co-operation with new industry; creation of ATOC training scheme; TOC involvement; reflections on career; effects of privatisation

Tim Stubbs interviewed by Brian Clementson

Oral Histories

2020-03-02
Oral history interview with Sonia Braybrook, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson (session 2) at the National Railway Museum, York on 11 February 2020. Duration: 1 hr. 10 min. 21 sec. Complexity of privatisation process; sectors worked without contracts; contracts required By Railway Act 1993; dispute resolution; self accounting unit (SAU); track access principles developed by Nigel Dewick (Railtrack lawyer); Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) role; Tom Winsor; preparing sale of freight; developing standard contracts; personal experiences; freight contracts approach; Claims Allocation and Handling Agreement; Section 8 license agreements; safety cases; Control mechanisms for working groups; freight vesting; reflections on work; voluntary redundancy; setting up independent legal firm for freight companies; recruited by English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) to establish a legal department; EWS involvement in Southall accident; EWS management ethos; Severn Tunnel inspection

Sonia Braybrook interviewed by Frank Paterson (session 2 of 2)

Oral Histories

2020-02-01
Oral history interview with Peter Forbes, conducted and recorded by Richard Spoors at the interviewee's home in Wiltshire on 5 June 2018. Duration: 55 min. 15 sec. Early career; Senior Technical Officer (STO) Swansea; Area Civil Engineer Preston; sectorisation; Civil Engineer Regional Railways; creation of Railtrack; creating Railtrack Zone boundaries; British Rail Infrastructure Services (BRIS); separation of renewals and maintenance; Western Infrastructure Maintenance Unit (Western IMU) management buyout (MBO); privatisation of BRIS; leading MBO; relationship with Railtrack; Amey; Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE); new transport fleet; Amey buyout of MBO team; retirement

Peter Forbes interviewed by Richard Spoors

Oral Histories

2018-06-05
Oral history interview with Peter Newbould, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee at the interviewee's home in Cambridgeshire on 13 March 2019. Duration: 53 min. 41 sec. Personal background and early career; civil engineering; Network SouthEast (NSE); Thameslink 2000; Franchise Development Manager South West Trains (SWT); Dominic Booth; Peter Field; Michael Holden; Mac Macintosh; Chris Kinchin-Smith; Strathclyde Marketing Manager; Cyril Bleasdale; Chris Green; Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE); Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE); management buyout (MBO) team; National Express won franchise; early work with SWT franchise development team; franchise management

Peter Newbould interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2019-03-13
Oral history interview with Stuart Baker, conducted and recorded by David Wharton-Street (session 1) at the interviewee's home in York on 28 November 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 20 min. 5 sec. Career overview; Shift Supervisor Barrow Hill; Total Operations Processing System (TOPS); Relief Manager Preston; Shift Duty Station Manager York; InterCity East Coast; open stations implementation; role of sector and Eastern Region; Prime User concept; Parcels sun-sector; Simon Frazer and Dr John Prideaux (Director InterCity); British Rail (BR) Charter Train business; Organising for Quality (OfQ); Lockington accident; Retail Manager Regional Railways North East (RRNE); passenger transport executives (PTEs); improving station quality; Robert Urie; Mike Hodson; direct reports; Railtrack; track access agreement; train operating units (TOUs) set-up; Paul King; safety case; Ais Gill accident; signalling strike; Railtrack and Safety Case Validation Audit; Regional Railways North East (RRNE) management buyout (MBO) team; Ian Yeowatt; Mersey Travel Ltd. (MTL) bid successful; RRNE last to be franchised; PTEs

Stuart Baker interviewed by David Wharton-Street (session 1 of 3)

Oral Histories

2018-11-28
Oral history interview with Lord William Bradshaw, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the interviewee's home in Oxfordshire on 9 April 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 39 min. 33 sec. British Rail (BR) career; departure in 1986; academic career; 1993 Railways Bill; Special adviser to Transport Select Committee; Chartered Institute of Transport (CIT); role of Select Committee; Adam Smith Institute; Gwyneth Dunwoody (Chair); Railtrack evidence; separation of track from trains; reports dismissed by government; Rail Regulator; Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF); rolling stock sold below true value; comparisons with other privatisations; lawyers and accountants; Labour government; Penmanshiel Tunnel; Andrew Haines; Select Committees reports rejected by government; appointed to Strategic Rail Authority (SRA); Alastair Morton; Channel Tunnel layout at St Pancras; work of SRA; Chiltern Railways franchise; John Prescott; Hatfield accident consequences

Lord WIlliam Bradshaw interviewed by Frank Paterson

Oral Histories

2019-04-09
Oral history interview with Ivor Warburton, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the interviewee's home in Croydon on 29 August 2018. Duration: 3 hr. 4 min. 5 sec. British Rail: London Midland Management Trainee; Assistant Area Manager Oldbury; Crewe Orphanage; Area Manager Luton; University of Warwick business school; Arnold Kentridge; management development; Overseas Tourist Manager; David Rayner; Regional Passenger Manager York; business sector management; Policy Unit; sectorisation; Passenger Marketing Services Director; APTIS (Accountancy and Passenger Ticket Issuing System) and Portable Operated Ticket Issuing System (PORTIS) implementation 1984; Assistant General Manager Birmingham; budget overspend; Cyril Bleasdale; employee relations 1987; Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF); National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT); British Railways Board (BRB) difficulties; Director Operations; General Manager London Midland 1990; Organising for Quality (OfQ); Nick Mitchell; Leadership 500; meeting with John MacGregor; Railtrack flotation; separation of track from trains; InterCity 250; management buyout (MBO); Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF); Virgin takeover; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) role; relationships

Ivor Warburton interviewed by Frank Paterson

Oral Histories

2018-08-29
Oral history interview with Jim Cornell, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson (session 1) at Network Rail Headquarters, 1 Eversholt Street, London on 15 October 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 13 min. 51 sec. British Rail (BR) Civil Engineer 5 year Student Apprentice; Chartered Engineer 1964; Divisional Engineer; bank slips; Great Northern electrification; man management; National Union of Railwayman (NUR) relationships; track speed restrictions; impact of Tyne & Wear Metro work; Scotland problems; Pitlochry derailment; Deputy General Manager; Regional Councils and Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE); Manning agreement disputes; General Manager 1987; Motherwell derailment; National Infrastructure Cost Review; preparation for privatisation; preparation of British Rail Infrastructure Services (BRIS) for sale; personal workload; golden handcuffs protection; management buyouts (MBOs); contracts with Railtrack difficult; retirement from BR December 1996; speedy sales undervalued units; poor relations with Railtrack; split maintenance from renewals; invitation to join Railtrack Board for year; Network Rail Board 7 years; chaired safety committee; speed of change; Organising for Quality (OfQ); interference from Department of Transport (DoT); trade unions ineffective; Jimmy Knapp

Jim Cornell interviewed by Frank Paterson (session 1 of 2)

Oral Histories

2018-10-15
Oral history interview with General Adrian Lyons, conducted and recorded by Richard Malins at the interviewee's home in West Berkshire on 21 March 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 50 min. 30 sec. Army involvement with railways at Longmoor and in Germany; privatisation impact; retirement from Army; joining Railway Forum; Hatfield accident; Great Heck accident interviews; Railway Forum formation; stakeholder involvement; Railtrack collapse; Strategic Rail Authority (SRA); Richard Bowker and Tom Winsor relationship; Railway Forum improving industry image; passenger growth; Rail Review 2005; SRA and Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) relationship; abolition of SRA; Network Rail; John Armitt; Iain Coucher; leaving Railway Forum 2006; effects of privatisation; Railway Conversion League; press tactics; Department for Transport (DfT) taking control; retirement; military railways in Germany; military railways; Royal Engineers (RE); cultural similarities between military and railways; technology change; Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS); integration of external technology; Crossrail; management culture change; South West Trains (SWT); Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB); standards to combine theoretical and practical; reflections on accidents; Network Rail

General Adrian Lyons interviewed by Richard Malins

Oral Histories

2019-03-21
Oral history interview with Janet Goodland, conducted and recorded by Michael Lee at the interviewee's home in Bedfordshire on 21 October 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 9 min. 59 sec. Personal background; 1992 election; Network SouthEast (NSE); joining Railtrack as Head of Strategy and Planning; preparations for split from British Rail (BR); splitting BR/Railtrack finances; handling mega schemes; Crossrail; Channel Tunnel cross-London services; Heathrow Express; Don Heath (BR Director Projects); Geoff Maynard (NSE); working relationships; West Coast Main Line (WCML) project; Thameslink; King's Cross interchange; Railtrack; Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR) access charges review; developing balance sheet; Railtrack licence; verification; contract with Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) for Thameslink; managing Railtrack; John Edmonds; Gerald Corbett; reflections; going into administration

Janet Goodland interviewed by Michael Lee

Oral Histories

2018-10-21