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Oral history interview with Donald Heath, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the interviewee's home in the East Riding of Yorkshire on 17 October 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 46 min. 2 sec. Early Career; British Rail (BR) Research track stability; development of stone blower; drop joints; relationships with other departments; Planning department British Rail: London Midland Region; Birmingham New Street track layout process; Newton Heath Maintenance Depot; programmes planning; development of networks critical path analysis; Signalling & Telecommunications (S&T) reluctance; rules of the route for possessions; over-runs factors; Manchester Central Area tunnel scheme development 1972; passenger transport executive (PTE); Transmark project in Tehran 1976-1980; Deputy Director Major Projects; Project Director East Coast Main Line (ECML) electrification; project progress; project scale; development of computerised management information systems; Durham Viaduct; Berwick-upon-Tweed; impact of organisational changes; first through electric train London to Edinburgh July 1991; Crossrail; failed Bill 1992; submission withdrawn 1993; retirement; consultancy; reflections

Donald Heath interviewed by Frank Paterson (Session 1 of 2)

2018-10-17
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

2019-12-11
Oral history interview with Dr Alan Wickens, former Director of Research at British Railways, conducted by Bob Gwynne and Dr Jonathan Aylen on the 16th April 2018. TOPS project; Educated as Aeronautical Engineer; Sea Slug; dynamics problems; Cl88 long range aircraft; Flutter and vibration specialist on Blue Steel project for AV Roe (1987.752); Recruited to BR Railway Technical Centre; observation of a coal train; using techniques from aircraft industry in the Rail industry; Derailment rate of freight wagons; PAL van critical speed; Use of computers to calculate and simulate motions of a railway vehicle; building own simulator; modifying analogue computers; British Rail Research Department; HSFV1; APT; Passenger business driving modernisation; use of CAD; finite element analysis; Research departments in other countries and businesses.

Dr Alan Wickens interviewed by Bob Gwynne and Dr Jonathan Aylen

2018-04-16
Oral history interview with David Russell, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the National Railway Museum, York on 1 October 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 25 min. 44 sec. Early career; Paddington Senior Technical Officer; troubleshooting Old Oak Common 1964 Assistant to Depot Engineer; Quality Control Engineer Old Oak Common 1966; working with contractors; Cardiff Canton 1967; Area Maintenance Engineer Old Oak Common 1970; staff shortages; Divisional Maintenance Engineer King's Cross 1973; preparation for Great Northern (GN) electrification; Class 43 High Speed Train (HST) replacing Class 55 Deltics; Regional Traction Engineer British Rail: Eastern Region 1976; HST; Freight Engineer Derby 1982; sectorisation; scale of business; range of locomotive types; Class 56; design concepts; Class 58; British/American design approach differences; Foster Yeoman; proposal to Director Freight for own locomotives; American locomotive procurement agreement process; contract signed for first Class 59s 20 November 1984; comparisons with British locomotives; delivery; maintenance staff seconded to Foster Yeoman; first Class 59 hauled train February 1986; further Class 59 imports; success criteria; Class 59 lessons not applied; Class 60 contract awarded to Brush; John Welsby; Class 60 development; late delivery; freight business reorganisation for privatisation; Director Railfreight Distribution; retirement; Head of Engineering Mendip Rail; created a licenced Vehicle Acceptance Body for heritage locomotives and carriages; processes and procedures outlined

David Russell interviewed by Frank Paterson

2018-10-01
Oral history interview with Dick Keegan, conducted by Frank Paterson in London on the 18th November 2021. Duration 57min. 08 sec. Early career; Kings Cross Development; Kings Cross Parliamentary Bill; Channel Tunnel terminal process and decisions; 1992 Director projects; Staffing at Management Buy Out; Expanding professions skills; Bid to Buy Transmark rejected; development of stand alone business; vendor unit support level; Rejected Bids; Department of Transport directed BRB to accept the offer; Company structure; Operational Research Staff salary directives; Business sold to Peter Watson Group; Personal views; Consultancy Business specialising in rail Infrastructure.

Dick Keegan interviewed by Frank Paterson

2021-11-18
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

2018-08-29
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

2019-03-21
Oral history interview with Roisin Tierney, describing her experiences working as a nurse with polio patients using iron lungs and later as a member of the Royal household. Interview conducted and recorded by Katie Dabin at the Science Museum in London on 11 July 2018. Duration: 113 min. 19 sec.

Roisin Tierney interviewed by Katie Dabin

2018-07-11
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

2019-02-05
Interview with Alan Galley, conducted by Christopher Mew on the 5th of August 2021 in Twickenham. Duration 19 min. 6 sec. This interview was conducted in a group with Douglas Downie and Paul Smart, please see corresponding interviews. Early career; becoming Managing Director of privatised Freightliner business; Freightliner management bid; Bid team; Business plan; Crewing considerations; Pay; new ways of working accepted; Trade Union supportive; overall improvements.

Alan Galley Interviewed by Christopher Mew

2021-08-05
Oral history interview with Graham Eccles, conducted and recorded by Mike Hodson in East Sussex on 17 April 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 42 min. 43 sec. Early career; Margaret Thatcher delay meeting; mentored by Gordon Pettitt; sectorisation; Chris Green; John Prideaux; General Manager of Southern Region and Anglia Region; privatisation model; London, Tilbury & Southend ticket fraud; South Central sale; John Welsby; bus companies prior experience of privatisation; Peter Field at South Western partnership with Compagnie Generale des Eaux (CGE) (Connex); Brian Souter; Stagecoach; Connex; privatisation model seen as flawed; separation of track and trains; reflections on Stagecoach; acquisition of Porterbrook rolling stock company (ROSCO); appointment of Geoff Mee; leading Stagecoach bids for subsequent franchises; Island Line; South West Trains (SWT); Operations Director SWT; driver shortage; Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) exploit industry structure to increase pay; profits driven by passenger numbers; Chief Operating Officer Rail Stagecoach Group; Non-Executive Director Network Rail; acquisition of Porterbrook; ROSCOs successfully privatised; fares innovation; unaligned objectives and directions; separation of track and trains remains unresolved; advising on the 2005 Transport Act; working at No.10 Downing Street Delivery Unit; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); quality of management; improvements in South West Trains; measuring success; facilitating change to Network Rail; rail privatisation overseas

Graham Eccles interviewed by Mike Hodson

2018-04-17
Interview with Simon Shepherd recorded by Polly McGillivray on 15th October 2024 at the Worthing Training Centre Depot, Worthing. Duration: 35min 17secs. Introduction, current job; born in South London, childhood, mixed ethnic background family, many siblings, Jamaican father, British mother; 1970s, experiences of homophobia and racism as a child in London, colour bar and segregation; examples of racist abuse, racism within black community, being protected by mother; [00:04:00] powerful Black activists figures; how not identifying to gay icons and stereotypes delayed coming out as gay in his 20s; commenting on LGBTQIA+ representation in the media; confronting homophobia in his family; [00:07:50] getting married, choosing marriage over civil partnership, what getting married meant for him; first Pride in Clapham Common, red balloons for people who died of AIDS; importance of LGBTQ+ rights activism; [00:09:45] first job, joining the railways, Railway Trainee Scheme (RTS) at 16 yo, different roles for 2 years, Network SouthEast; left railway and came back in 1990, fitter at Wimbeldon Park Depot, dirty work, colleagues’ behaviour and comments in communal showers, presenting as butch (very masculine) whilst questioning his own sexuality; how he identifies, how he feels in relation to LGBTQ+ community; communal showers at railway depots; shunter role at London Bridge, shunting activities; working up the grades, listing roles and grades, station control point, station announcer, duty station manager, filling up secondment/interim position but not being given permanent promotion; leaving station management roles to become a driver; [00:15:18] 1999, train driver; pay as a driver; homophobia, how other drivers acted towards him as a gay man, abuses, offensive graffiti in his cab, a friend being bullied, manager being clueless how to help; first Pride train 2004-2005, homophobic reactions and comments from colleagues, change to relationships with people finding out he is gay, coming out on Pride train 2004-2005; hiding being gay, Charing Cross’s ‘pink brigade’ secret meetings in LGBTQ+ bars, abuse when LGBTQ+ people came out or were outed, some supportive reaction when he came out; [00:19:25] secret safe LGBTQ+ spaces, the ‘pink brigade’ secret LGBTQ+ community, word-of-mouth on third carriage of a train being safe, secret clubs in Cornwall and Blackpool, getting together, sense of community, importance of knowing of like-minded people; how and when he realised he was gay, being confused about his sexuality; [00:23:30] first Pride train 2004, class 319, Brighton-Clapham Junction, positive reception, press coverage, LGBTQ+ crew on-board, Pride train then, journey experience on Pride train, balloons and champagne; [00:25:40] career progression from being a driver, not getting promotions because of being gay; first managing role in 2011, Driver Manager; 2012 changes to Driver Manager and Competency Development Manager (CDM) roles and drivers recruitment, diversity, open to change, resistance to change in some areas; CDM role; [00:28:45] reflecting on how LGBTQIA+ community perception and experience has changed during his career, comparing with Black Lives Matters, displays of tolerance but homophobia and racism still present, people behaviours, examples; his personal views on how social media impact on LGBTQ+ people representation, lack of diversity in gay or LGBTQ+ representations in popular form of entertainment/sports; [00:31:20] being considered a role-model by others, being the first openly gay CDM, unfairness of having to fight to get promotions, having to disclose being sexuality or gender identity; personal views on railway industry and LGBTQIA+ community inclusion, on People Pride and Progress oral history project; having knowledge of bullying and abuses suffered by LGBTQ+ people within the railway industry; final message to people listening interview, importance of being true to oneself, being ‘Born this way’ [end]

Simon Shepherd interviewed by Polly McGillivray

2024-10-15
Video oral history interview with John Palmer conducted and recorded by Gordon Pettitt on 18 June 2018, at the interviewer’s home. Duration: 2 hours 13 minutes. [Track 01] Career in Civil Service start 1952 to Head of Railways Directorate in 1976; challenges; creation of Department of Transport (DoT), identifying what was the job, frustration with British Rail, question if rail was declining; [00:04:30] business tackled; pigeon carriage, British Railways Board (BRB) St. Pancras-Bedford development investment proposals, re-signalling issues; [00:07:00] developing DoT and BRB relationship; [00:09:00] Transport White Paper, supported by DoT, not by BRB; [00:12:30] Joint Study of Electrification; Steering Group, opposing views of BRB and DOT, issues, political approach, conflict between DoT and BRB; [00:20:50] Impact of change of Government; BRB concerns, review of railways committee chaired by Sir David Serpell; [00:26:30] review outcome, Serpell Report; [00:31:00] questioning network efficiency, lack of feedback from Serpell report, conflicts within committee; [00:37:00] positive outcome from Serpell report; press conference; network maps concerns; end of Peter Parker’s BRB chairmanship, appointment of Bob Reid 1 (BR1), Nicholas Ridley (NR) Minister, 3 years plan for railways; good rapport between BR1 and NR, East Coast electrification; relationships between NR and Margaret Thatcher; [00:43:00] managing railways decline, moving towards a business led efficient railway, freight contracting; uneconomical passenger services, obstacles to closures, Bill Roger’s White Paper, Norman Fowler (NF)’s view of closures, resources for closures; [00:50:40] DoT Civil Service attitude; oil crisis impact on money to be transferred from road schemes to railways; no anti-rail lobby in the DoT; introduction of public obligation service grant, BRB reaction, challenges [00:59:59] [end of track 01] [Track 02] DoT and BRB relationship; fare change example; Ministers wanted railways run like a business; [00:06:10] NF appointed Secretary of State; NF and Peter Parker relationship; [00:08:30] privatisation politics, not part of Conservatives’ 1979 manifesto, railway’s privatisation considered after British Telecom's privatisation, suggestions for mini-privatisations, Slough-Eaton Riverside example; [00:13:40] DoT and Treasury relationship, only DoT dealt with BRB; impact and action taken due to economy recession, DoT information leak to BRB to address recession; after British Telecom privatisation and other industries Treasury focused on the railways privatisation; [00:20:30] Minister of Transport’s powers; St. Pancras- Bedford electrification; [00:22:10] DoT freedom in dealing with BRB, exceptions; dealing with strikes, conflicts examples; [00:28:00] changes with Thatcher government; BRB’s link with government, conflicts BRB and Unions; change to Labour Government, legislation impact on BRB and Unions relation; [00:31:30] changes following appointment of BR1, relationship with DoT [00:36:40] financial settlement; Quality Objectives introduced; Commuter Charter; [00:39:00] impact of changes Secretary of State (SoS), comments on different SoS; [00:45:30] Safety on the Railways; JP responsible for effectiveness of Railway Inspectorate, proposal for transfer of Railway Inspectorate transferred to Health and Safety Executive but maintained under DoT; [00:53:30] personal achievements at DoT; East Coast Electrification, railways changed to business led organisation; [00:56:30] latency from Conservative before privatisation took off; [01:01:20] JP joining BR, work on Channel Tunnel; [01:05:20] comparison between civil service and BR work; JP views of privatisation process; being removed from Channel Tunnel role, remaining as an adviser on privatisation; lawsuits; JP views of BRB on privatisation; JP focus ensuring that railway managers knew how to set up a bid as part of privatisation [01:13:34] [end of track 02] [end of interview]

John Palmer interviewed by Gordon Pettitt

2013-06-18
Oral history interview with Leslie Smith, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the interviewee's home in Edinburgh on 5 December 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 36 min. 10 sec. Career overview; freight marketing posts; Managing Director Trainload Freight (TLF); cost reductions; TFL profit subsidised Railfreight Distribution (RfD) losses; separation of freight; implementation processes; management buyouts (MBOs); Wisconsin Central bid; internal movement of engineering materials; English, Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS); Ed Burkhardt (Chief Executive Officer); Ian Braybrook (Managing Director); reversed strategy; open access; Foster Yeoman; Charterail; National Power contract; private owner wagons; Section 8 grants; Merehead Quarry; Class 59; financial improvements; retirement

Leslie Smith interviewed by Frank Paterson

2019-12-05
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)

2018-11-28
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

2019-12-11
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

2019-03-06
Oral history interview with David E. Rayner, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the interviewee's home in York on 2 May 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 42 min. 59 sec. Personal background; early career; Personal Assistant to David Bowick; Saatchi & Saatchi advertising; encouragement from Peter Parker; Deputy General Manager British Rail: Eastern Region 1985; British Rail: Anglia Region; electrification; Donald Heath; Board Member British Railways Board (BRB); Managing Director Engineering & Operations; British Transport Police (BTP); sectorisation; Clapham accident issues; King’s Cross fire; Safety Directorate established; Clapham accident Hidden Report; quality management ; David Maidment; foundation of penalty regime; Brian Burdsall; audit of re-organisation processes; Bob Reid 2 attitude to privatisation 1991; separation of trains and track feasibility; formation of shadow Railtrack John Welsby; Safety Cases; Health & Safety Executive (HSE) involvement; Railtrack floatation; Bob Horton; John Edmonds; analysis of recommendations from railway accident inquiries; Railtrack culture; train operating companies (TOC) management; composition of Railtrack Board; Gerald Corbett; privatisation achieved due to John Welsby; relationships with trade unions on safety; managerial responses; minimal involvement with Department of Transport (DoT); Board membership; personal reflections on privatisation

David Rayner interviewed by Frank Paterson

2018-05-02
Oral history interview with George Muir, conducted and recorded by Richard Malins at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London on 1 June 2018. Duration: 50 min. 1 sec. Early career; Connex South Eastern; Director General Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); lobbying and running schemes; train operating company (TOC) parent companies representation; inherited experience and knowledge from British Rail (BR); Rail Settlement Plan (RSP) challenge; BR legacy systems; policy tensions; TOCs and Railtrack; National Performance Task Force set-up; writing book; BR management analysis; prior experience of privatisation; Railtrack unrealistic objectives; politicians; media; rail users; safety; Ladbroke Grove accident; Grayrigg accident; Potters Bar accident; Hatfield accident; trade unions; reflections

George Muir interviewed by Richard Malins

2018-06-01
Oral history interview with Chris Green, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson on 19 September 2018 at King’s Cross Offices, London. Duration: 1 hr. 56 min. 31 sec. British Rail (BR) trainee 1965; Area Manager Hull; 1977 South West Divisional operations; trade union power; Operations Manager ScotRail; Managing Director (MD) London & South East sectors 1986; Network SouthEast (NSE) small team until 1991; matrix organisation; first 100 days of NSE; relationship with David Mitchell (Minister of Transport); Organising for Quality (OfQ); Managing Director (MD) InterCity; NSE and InterCity comparison; InterCity brand; preparing for privatisation; passenger satisfaction high; politicians’ refusal to debate; focus on quality; reducing train crews; John MacGregor (Secretary of State for Transport) TV announcement; privatisation model; relationship between government and the Board; oversaw 7 profit centres; keeping the InterCity brand post-privatisation; development of Great Western franchise; return to Scotrail 1993; English Heritage and consultancy experiences; Virgin Managing Director; last days of InterCity; good working relationship with (Richard) Branson; Virgin CrossCountry and West Coast franchises; implementation of privatisation in short period; Gatwick Express; impact on individuals; career highlights

Chris Green interviewed by Frank Paterson

2018-09-19
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)

2018-10-15
Oral history interview with Roger Salmon, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the interviewee's home in Cambridge on 30 October 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 41 min. 5 sec. Banking career; headhunted for first Director of Rail Franchising 1992; recruitment; setting-up team; personality analysis; Department of Transport attitudes; objectives; first draft franchise agreement rejected; Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) team working practices differences from civil service culture; network of contract documents; rolling stock issues; Andrew Pitt; Railtrack track access difficulties; British Rail (BR) good relationship with OPRAF; relationship with Department of Transport (DoT) and Treasury; documentation; breakdown of processes; Thameslink 2000; Allison Ingram; development of Schedule 8 performance concepts

Roger Salmon interviewed by Frank Paterson

2019-10-30
Oral history interview with Robert Urie, conducted and recorded by David Wharton-Street at the National Railway Museum, York on 12 April 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 4 min. 30 sec. Role as Infrastructure Project Director; appointment to Director Regional Railways North East (RRNE); track access agreement; RRNE steps towards privatisation; RRNE Directors' meeting; Mersey Travel Limited (MTL); formation of Railtrack in 1994; Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and rail safety; Association of Train Operating Companies [ATOC] and role; RRNE responsibilities; RRNE management buyout (MBO) team; progress towards privatisation; new rail initiatives; safety within RRNE; train service initiatives; safety within train operating unit (TOU) and train operating company (TOC); transfer of franchise to MTL; Passenger Transport Executives’ attitude to an external franchise; creation of Railtrack and British Rail Infrastructure Services (BRIS); rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); feelings on privatisation; benefits to public of privatisation

Robert Urie interviewed by David Wharton-Street

2018-04-12
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

2018-06-05
Oral history interview with Georgia Ehrmann, conducted and recorded by David Maidment at the interviewee's office in Avanti offices, London on 18 December 2019. Duration: 50 min. 47 sec. Childhood interest in railways; Chiltern Railways internship; Oxford Cowley branch feasibility report; permanent post in same team; customer engagement using Twitter; comparison with British Rail (BR) management training; Network Development Manager 2015/6; Track Access Manager Northern Rail April 2016; Leeds Institute for Transport Studies course; planning Northern Rail timetable change 2018; need for a whole system view over capacity; Head of Commercial Timetable Strategy Virgin Trains 2018; commercial and operating departments interface; complexity of commercial world and timetable needs; Class 220 Voyager replacement strategy 2022; reflections

Georgia Ehrmann interviewed by David Maidment

2019-12-18
Oral history interview with David Ward, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the National Railway Museum, York on 24 January 2020. Duration: 52 min. 34 sec. Career overview; InterCity changes; Class 43 High Speed Train (HST) moved from British Rail: Western Region to Midland Main Line (MML); Special Trains sub-sector; sleepers; Northern Belle; catering vehicles; profit centre remit; Royal Train; Venice-Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) in UK; separation from InterCity 1994; preparation for privatisation; Charles Belcher Managing Director; Cyril Bleasdale; John Prideaux; Chris Green; commendations from customers; sale of Special Trains rolling stock and locomotives to McAlpine/Waterman consortium; Flying Scotsman Enterprises; distribution of assets; retirement; reflections; Adviser to Marchington owner of Flying Scotsman; sale to National Railway Museum (NRM); involvement with Settle & Carlisle Trust

David Ward interviewed by Frank Paterson

2020-01-24
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

2020-03-02
Oral history interview with Glynn Waite conducted and recorded by Bob Gwynne on 22 September 2017 at the National Railway Museum. Duration: 2 hours 9 minutes 25 seconds. [Start of interview, 00:00:00] Joining British Rail 1960, Trains Office Derby, diagramming, train staff planning, special trains; [00:04:30] area covered, freight timetable, Derby to Barnt Green, Hornsbridge at Chesterfield; Birmingham, freight traffic analysis, wagon surveys; changes, introduction of diesels working ‘out and home’; [00:09:00] line occupation surveys; diagramming journeys and staff; [00:10:30] different jobs before being involved with TOPS; TOPS at Cardiff, start with Ebbw Vale cutover, TOPS in South Wales; [00:16:43] problem with Cardiff Tidal/East Maws works; use of Ventek terminals, issues, wagon surveys, [00:20:49] missing wagons, ‘Cripple roads’, loading wagon data into TOPS; [00:24:32] TOPS survey staff, cutover process, working hours; [00:29:25] impact of TOPS on Area Managers, attempts at economies, TOPS helping reduce amount of wagons and introduce air braked wagons; [00:35:26] TOPS and locomotive maintenance on Western Region; [00:42:39]economies, elimination of consignment notes, survey, traffic flow introduction of numbers for clients, economies on clerks and paper; [00:47:47] goods offices rationalisation, reduction in sidings, new methods of working enabling savings; [00:49:30] job at Speedlink 1984-1990; [00:50:21] TOPS moving into privatisation, non geographic allocation of reporting offices; [00:54:40] planning redundancy but kept on to work out how to affect the move away from geographic location; [00:57:36] TOPS 2000 introduction, link with privatisation; division within privatised freight network, change to Windows operating system; [01:02:23] TOPS 2000 implementation, TOPS offices for BR mainline; TOPS responsibility area (TRA), capacity limits and rationalisation, Worcester TOPS office closure, further rationalisation; [01:07:08] reason for TOPS office locations, marshalling yards, reasons for rationalisation and TOPS staff redeployment; [01:11:47] TOPS clerks, recruitment and grades; [01:14:40] Freightliner, coal/cement, links to TOPS; difference between TRUST and TOPS; [01:17:01] TRUST and LARTA, geolocated train departures; how to put in a new location [01:21:50] locations for companies; wagon load, marshalling yards, train loads rather than individual wagons; [01:25:07] merry-go-round system (MGR), automation, including wagon numbers and weights, MGR wagons kept in trains; Toton, only two roads on down-side, wagon weight limitation at some collieries, MGR wagons revolution; [01:30:17] TOPS 2000, more people understand the system, area managers and shunters can input TOPS; TOPS direct (Eric Straw), Wolverhampton Steel Terminal, training on using TOPS, including Masboro Control; [01:35:10] EWS move; cut over Swansea Borough, Newport 1974, returned 20 years later to cutover to shunters; removal of Rowntrees traffic, closure of Dringhouses yard, closing yards, Parkeston; reflection on railways during time of career, sectorisation hierarchy, Bury St Edmonds example, Peterborough-Grantham, division of payments in pre-privatisation era; [01:43:04] sectorisation process, new thinking, cost of running railway has increased, GNER causes wage inflation with drivers, causing train cancellations elsewhere;[01:49:02] career overview, lodging at Railway Hostel, Loco hostels, redundancy, WR change, traffic analysis, Rowsley, Derby, Crewe, Nantwich, Bridgend, Sheffield, TOPS implementation, Speedlink, RFD, Manchester, Islington; EWS attempts to replace TOPS; Freightliner poached Glynn from EWS with traffic; [02:01:20] work as a consultant sorting out new freight flows, sectorisation, end of Speedlink, lack of knowledge; Michael Portillo, every freight flow had to make 8.5% return on assets; [02:06:50], privatisation, increasing distance of freight flows [02:09:25] [end of interview]

Glynn Waite interviewed by Bob Gwynne

2017-09-18
Oral history interview with Paul Watkinson, conducted and recorded by David Maidment in Oxfordshire on 11 August 2020. Duration: 1 hr. 18 min. 33 sec. Early career; industrial relations issues 1984-1986; strike 1989; developing privatisation alongside John Welsby and Tony Roche in reference to personnel issues; re-structuring negotiating machinery from 1956; impact of Clapham accident; Organising for Quality (OfQ); pay dispute 1989; High Court judgement; strikes; settlement; changes in industrial relations processes; businesses take on industrial relations responsibilities from British Rail (BR) Headquarters; industrial relations processes change facilitated privatisation; General Election 1992; control of privatisation process at British Railways Board (BRB); industrial relations during privatisation; protection for staff agreed; video for staff; Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) support; Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) support; National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) against but saw no choice; working with Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (OPRAF) and government; working team responsible for implementing privatisation; ensuring train operating companies (TOCs) have competent teams; ensuring TOCs understand responsibilities; Roger Salmon; John Swift; signalling strike 1994; Railtrack lack of dispute handling experience; driver agreement restructuring; reflections

Paul Watkinson interviewed by David Maidment

2020-08-11
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

2019-10-22
Oral history interview with Robert Goundry, conducted and recorded by Christopher Mew on 4 April 2018 (session 1) at the interviewee's home in Warwickshire. Duration: 52 mins. 25 sec. Career until privatisation; setting up Provincial sector; process of creating train operating company (TOC); personal views on privatisation; difficulties of process; management buyout (MBO) process

Robert Goundry interviewed by Christopher Mew (session 1 of 2)

2018-04-04
Oral history interview with Graham Miller, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson at the National Railway Museum, York on 11 July 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 17 min. 40 sec. Management Trainee Scotland; Area Operations Assistant Girvan; Jimmy Knapp; trade union influence; Royal Train; Bellshill Area Manager; absenteeism; whisky thefts; Operations and Train Crew Manager; bonus schemes; Personal Assistant to Peter Parker; David Bowick; government objectives; lack of knowledge among civil service; Friends of National Railway Museum (FNRM); Nationalised Industries Chairmen’s Group; Margaret Thatcher; resignation; family business; consultancy; Freight Transport Association (FTA); road transport de-regulation; response to OBE award; Malcolm Rifkind; cost of safety; FTA rail freight group; aborted meeting with John MacGregor; 44 ton heavy axle load introduced; political incomprehension of railways’ complexity; Network Rail Advisory Board

Graham Miller interviewed by Frank Paterson

2018-07-11
Oral history interview with Dr. John Prideaux, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson (session 1) at the interviewee's home in London on 28 March 2019. Duration: 50 min. 42 sec. Early career; Serpell Report; British Rail Policy Unit; Director InterCity; aim to make InterCity profitable; quality improvements; European railways comparisons; exercise with University of Leeds; Civil Service acceptance of methodology; relationships between sectors and regions; Geoff Myers; John Edmonds; development of InterCity strategy; Stephan Glaister; Policy Unit; Richard Brown; Chris Stokes; Sidney Newey; InterCity branding; into profit 1989; East Coast Main Line (ECML) electrification; Cross Country and West Coast upgrades; recession 1991; Special Trains sub-sector; relationships with politicians and trade unions; privatisation discussions with Malcolm Rifkind; John Welsby move from InterCity; Chris Green move from Network South East (NSE); Evening Standard; Heathrow Express

Dr. John Prideaux interviewed by Frank Paterson (session 1 of 2)

2019-03-28
Oral history interview with Christopher Jago, conducted and recorded by Mike Hodson at the interviewee's home in East Sussex on 19 June 2018. Duration: 56 min. 13 sec. Early career; Network SouthEast (NSE); Railtrack; Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL); privatisation briefing; proposed structure seen as overly complex; Director of Restructuring; new structure placed excessive demands on engineer staffing; Hatfield accident; Network SouthEast restructuring process; post-privatisation issues; re-branding during privatisation; performance regimes; no incentive for train operating companies (TOCs) to mitigate delay; setting up Railtrack South; benefits of privatisation; NSE budget constraints; Railtrack transition into private ownership; effects of privatisation; Railtrack in Administration; shareholders; CTRL; summary of privatisation

Christopher Jago interviewed by Mike Hodson

2018-06-19
Oral history interview with Mark Causebrook, conducted and recorded by Theo Steel at the interviewee's home in Northampton on 17 June 2018. Duration: 3 hr. 4 min. 28 sec. Planning Office British Rail: London Midland Region London Division; Staff Entrant Management Trainee; traffic management; Rocket 150 celebrations; Motorail Kensington Olympia closure; preparing for Thameslink coal management unit; miners' strike; privatisation of subsidiaries; British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL); British Transport Hotels; investigating General Electric (GE) and General Motors (GM) freight locomotives; Regional Railways North East (RRNE); TransPennine; matrix management; John Edmonds (Director Regional Railways); Transport Users Consultative Committee (TUUC); West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (WYPTE); Class 14x Pacers; stopping single tracking; Settle & Carlisle line closure; Leadership 500; Sector Director Regional Railways Central (RRC); scale of operations; leadership team; staff relationships and pay; vertical integration; opinions on RRC; Class 158; 1992 election; separation of track and trains; profit centres; train operating units (TOUs); privatisation process; First Group and National Express bids; Centro/West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE); Dean Finch; National Express Central bid cost reductions; Passenger Service Requirement (PSR); Railtrack/Network Rail; National Express finances; joining Go Ahead; Thameslink; London Bridge issues; work with First Class Partnerships (FCP); rolling stock companies (ROSCOs)

Mark Causebrook interviewed by Theo Steel

2018-06-17
Oral history interview with Professor Robert Sells, describing his work in transplant surgery and his personal experiences of kidney dialysis. Interview conducted and recorded by Farrah Lawrence-Mackey at the Science Museum in London on 17 July 2019. Duration: 104 min. 41 sec.

Professor Robert Sells interviewed by Farrah Lawrence-Mackey

2019-07-17
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

2019-06-13
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

2018-05-08
Oral history interview with Prof. Roderick Muttram, conducted and recorded by David Maidment in the Fellows Room, Royal Academy of Engineering, Westminster, London on 6 March 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 20 min. 57 sec. Early career; Atomic Energy Authority; Chloride; Ferranti Instrumentation; headhunted for Railtrack 1993; Bob Reid; John Edmonds; solid state interlocking (SSI); Institute of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE); Clapham accident; sale of British Rail Research; post-Clapham consequences; British Rail Infrastructure Systems (BRIS) privatised; promotion of competition; privatisation of Railtrack 1996; Tom Winsor (Rail Regulator) new access rules; problems with West Coast Main Line (WCML) upgrade; Train Control System (TCS); shadowing David Rayner; Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems; Clapham and Purley accidents; investigations into signals passed at danger (SPADS); Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS); signals passed at danger reduction and mitigation (SPADRAM); driver reminder appliance (DRA); development of TPWS; implementation of TPWS; European Train Control Systems (ETCS); Southall accident 1997; Ladbroke Grove accident 1999; safety cases; Richard Spoors; Ladbroke Grove signalling; European Rail Train Monitoring System (ERTMS); role of privatisation in Hatfield accident; response to Hatfield; train protection systems; Safety Integrity Levels (SILs); IEC 61508 Functional Safety of Electrical/Electronic/Programmable Electronic Safety-related Systems; Confidential Incident Reporting and Action System (CIRAS); Railway Safety and Standards Board (RSSB); Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB); Railtrack focus on safety; departure from Railtrack Group; RSSB; doubts about RSSB model; driver only operation (DOO)

Prof. Roderick Muttram interviewed by David Maidment

2019-03-06
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

2019-02-12
Oral history interview with Professor the Lord Ara Darzi, explaining his surgical and political career including the impact of technology on healthcare. Interview conducted and recorded by Barbara Cadge at the Surgical Innovation Centre, St Mary's Hospital, London on 23 May 2018. Duration: 50 min. 46 sec.

Professor the Lord Ara Darzi interviewed by Barbara Cadge

2018-05-23
Oral history interview with Nick Illsley, conducted and recorded by Michael Robson in London on 28 June 2019. Duration: 1 hr. 21 min. 04 sec. Career overview; Department for Transport (DfT) view on privatisation; separation of Thames and Chiltern; Adrian Shooter (Managing Director); West Midland Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE); preparation of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) for franchising; on bidding and conflict of interest rules; Virgin bid for Thames; finance; differences of approach to ITT; Chair of Ticket and Settlement Management Group; Philip Benham; Computer Analysis of Passenger Revenue Information System (CAPRI); Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services (ORCATS); management buyout (MBO); Go Ahead; purchase of shares; relationship changes as privatisation progressed Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 payments; Chief Executive Officer National Rail Enquiries Service (NRES); British Telecom (BT); Serco; revenue growth; move to Transport Direct; future of rail industry

Nick Illsley interviewed by Michael Robson

2019-11-21
Oral history interview with Christopher Leah, conducted and recorded by Neil Butters at the Railway Heritage Trust, 1 Eversholt St, Euston on 17 July 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 2 min. 51 sec. Early career; Budget Clerk Rugby; Traffic Management Trainee (Staff Entrant) British Rail: London Midland Region 1970-1972; General Purpose Relief Supervisor; Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) Project; Assistant Area Manager; Motorail; Royal Train; Personal Assistant to David Bowick (Vice Chairman British Railways Board); Union Internationale des Chemins de fer (UIC); Station Cleaning Manager; Divisional Freight Officer; John Prideaux (Divisional Manager); sectorisation; Resource Manager Iron Steel and Motor Vehicles; Passenger Marketing Manager Scotland; Chris Green; Brian Souter; bus deregulation; working with Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive (SPTE); Scotland became part of Provincial; ScotRail; reporting to Chris Green and John Edmonds (Director Provincial); Class 15x Sprinters introduction; move to Birmingham; working with PTEs; dividing sub-sector; Regional Railways (RR); Gordon Pettitt; future career prospects; joining Railtrack; creation of Railtrack; dividing assets; organisational structure; Gerald Corbett; Ladbroke Grove accident; inquiry; Railtrack in Administration; gauge corner cracking (GCC); benefits of privatisation; sitting on Railway Heritage Trust Advisory Panel; Ffestiniog Railway; Welsh Highland Railway; Wensleydale Railway; Bressingham Steam & Gardens

Christopher Leah interviewed by Neil Butters

2018-07-17
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

2018-10-10
Oral history interview with Margaret Willmot conducted and recorded by Dr Jonathan Aylen on 8 December 2016. Duration: 1 hour 2 minutes 28 seconds. The interview focuses on Margaret Willmot’s experience as a junior programmer on TOPS (Total Operations Processing System) at British Rail. Start of railway career, TOPS (Total Operations Processing System), education, computing degree, job application; [00:03:23] British Rail induction, COBOL programming language, computing people vs railway people career approach; BR computer centres, machine types; work on TOPS at Blandford House, gender stereotypes, work on TOPSTRANS; [00:07:30] programming language in TOPSTRANS, assembler based macro language, how it worked, [00:14:23], computer core memory, data storage on magnetic tapes; TOPS customed built equipment, operating system; [00:18:30] disc drives vs tape drives, online vs offline processing; [00:20:00] TOPS wagons team, coding applications related to wagons, how coding was done, equipment used, punch cards, tele-type, team reaction to online machine, typing cards, programmers and typists, typing error example; [00:23:35] writing new enquiry for commodity code, modifying existing code, American code vs British Rail code, STANOX, TOPS Responsibility Areas (TRA), end of punch cards; [00:26:05] ventek cards 96 columns punch cards vs 80 column cards, no use of paper tape on TOPS; [00:29:51] enquiry for commodity code, security in TOPS; safety, preventative maintenance of wagons in TOPS, ‘cripples’ wagon; [00:32:20] TOPS wagon team, colleagues, organisation, way of working, hard coding, complexity of wagon movements in Scunthorpe area; [00:36:05] modification to original American TOPS for use by British Rail, example of obsolete codes for United Kingdom application; TOPS telecommunication, BR private phone lines; [00:41:10] British Rail choosing IBM over ICL; training on TOPSTRANS by Southern Pacific, relationship with Americans, helping with issues, BR staff visits to USA; interviewer discussing origin of TOPS; [00:46:20] example of computer crashing with application programme, technical issues and requirement, human errors rather than programme errors, example of issues with wagons, missing wagons, numbers painted on wagons; wagon audited against TOPS data; [00:55:00] working hours, office based work, junior position, reflections on experience on TOPS, camaraderie in TOPS team, TOPS experience useful in next job, if TOPS is still in use; date formatting in TOPS, space saving format; [00:59:30] leaving TOPS and British Railway, career after TOPS, San Francisco based computing company, revenue system for Eurotunnel; [01:01:00] further reflection on experience on TOPS [01:02:28] [end of interview]

Margaret Willmot interviewed by Jonathan Aylen

2016-12-08
Oral history interview with Gareth Hadley, conducted and recorded by Nick Mitchell in London on 13 December 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 21 min. 46 sec. Greater London Council (GLC); recruitment to British Rail Group Employee Relations Manager; meeting with trade unions; National Union of Railwaymen (NUR); Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA); Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF); first industrial dispute; politicians and Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS); Collective Bargaining Arrangements (CBA); privatisation discussions; setting up train operating companies (TOCs); preparing TOC directors for privatised industry; Scotrail dispute; succession planning; Promotion Transfer and Redundancy arrangements (PT&R)

Gareth Hadley interviewed by Nick Mitchell

2018-12-13
Oral history interview with Raymond Price conducted and recorded by Philip Benham in York on 2 August 2018. Duration: 4 hr. 59 min. 38 sec. Early career; Performance Manager King’s Cross; performance of Great Northern (GN) electrics following driver only operation (DOO) and industrial relations tensions; Area Operations Manager; Organising for Quality (OfQ); sectorisation; privatisation process and phasing; separation of track and trains; Railtrack senior management; Performance Manager West Anglia & Great Northern (WAGN); management down-sizing for privatisation; Railtrack signalling strike; track access agreements; Railtrack East Coast Main Line Route Rationalisation programme; Network Change provisions; preparation of WAGN for privatisation; limited productivity opportunities; WAGN driver re-structuring; trade union attitudes to privatisation; Associated Society of Locomotive Enginemen & Firemen (ASLEF); Rail Maritime & Transport Union (RMT); reasons for WAGN driver re-structuring failure; working on Heathrow Express project; recruitment to Railtrack; Michael Holden; train operating company (TOC) concerns about condition of infrastructure; appointment as Zone Director 1999; Winning is Green; West Anglia Route Modernisation scheme (WARM); relationships with TOC management; performance budget use; Rail Regulator as real Railtrack customer; Southall accident; Paddington accident; Ladbroke Grove accident; signals passed at danger (SPADs) management; Hatfield accident; gauge causing cracking (GCC); replacement of GCC rails; legacy of GCC on Railtrack; safety culture change; relationships with other bodies such as Health & Safety Executive (HSE); Managing Director (MD) Arriva Trains Northern (ATN); passenger transport executives (PTEs); franchise takeover; ATN driver shortage; relationship with Strategic Rail Authority (SRA); RMT conductors dispute; Class 333 issues; differences between Railtrack/Network Rail and TOCs; Northern timetable crisis 2018; successes of ATN; skills gap; Northern franchise shape; Managing Director Arriva Trains 2003; industry structure

Raymond Price interviewed by Philip Benham

2018-08-02
Video oral history interview with Richard Morris, conducted and recorded remotely by Neil Butters on Zoom video conferencing platform, on 8 March 2022. Duration: 51 minutes 18 seconds. Education; family history; holiday jobs; other job applications; training school Derby; [00:05:00] Tinsley marshalling yard Sheffield; review of board operations; punctuality at Liverpool St; move to Eurotunnel; [00:10:00] Privatisation, enthusiasm for privatisation; cannot sever train from track; no-one in charge; spoke to John Major; guards story; [00:15:00] negotiations on Channel Tunnel; issues with Bob Reid 1; freight through the tunnel; engineering in tunnel; simulator; impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on traffic; [00:20:00] approach to take over a Train Operating Company (TOC); financial challenges; privatisation antagonistic at higher levels; a lot of investment with privatisation; [00:25:00] electrification to Bath; first franchise to Chiltern was 20 years giving time to expand; later franchises were 7-8 years which were not so good; fire in Eurotunnel; [00:30:00] interview with Adrian Shooter; fire at Marylebone signal box; staff entrants in 1970’s; Bristol signal Box; [00:35:00] after organisation dividing it now looks like it is coming together; Romney Hythe and Dymchurch safety; after privatisation no-one in charge; accidents at Clapham and Potters Bar; lessons from other countries; Finland and Melbourne; [00:40:00] Delay Attribution Board, who was responsible for delays; Williams report; representative of TOC’s and Railtrack; Schedule 8; driven by money not by pride; [00:45:00] future of Delay Attribution Board, unique to UK; involvement in safety on Romney Hythe and Dymchurch; [00:50:00] TOPS (Total Operations Processing System) [00:51:18] [end of interview]

Richard Morris interviewed by Neil Butters

2022-03-08
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)

2017-02-22
Oral history interview with Sammie Read, describing her experiences of living with cystic fibrosis (CF). Interview conducted and recorded by Barbara Cadge at the Science Museum in London on 9 April 2018. Duration: 54 min. 13 sec.

Sammie Read interviewed by Barbara Cadge

2018-04-09