Woking | Science Museum Group Collection

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

Search our collection

gleneagles hotel

Kenwood Electric Chef' food mixer, model A700, with accessories, Woking, Surrey, 1950-1956

'Dishmaster' electric dishwasher made by Kenwood Manufacturing Co. Ltd

Huxley, Julian. At the Zoo (Woking: Unwin, 1936)

Two photograph albums compiled by Henry J O'Neill

Image of a group of Muslim leaders warming themselves around a heater

Dynascope by Vision Engineering Ltd.

Cycle handlebar grips

Kenwood model A200 electric food mixer

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

Master MiniDV 'Woking Old Signal box'

Master MiniDV 'Electrical control room Woking, 1'

Master MiniDV 'Electrical control room Woking, 2'

Dynascope' Optical Beam Scan Projector

Exhaust pipes from Formula One Grand Prix racing car, 1996

Air ventilated Aircrew Coverall (tropical flying suit) by RFD-GQ Ltd

Kenwood 'Minor' portable food mixer

papers concerning the southern railway servants orphanage

John Palmer interviewed by Gordon Pettitt

Motor cycle knee grips

Daily Herald Contact Sheet: Eid at Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking

Steam Iron

Master MiniDV 'Woking new and redundant signal boxes'

Master MiniDV 'Electrical control room Woking, 3'

Master MiniDV 'Railway heritage committee visit to Woking'

Gear selector shaft from Formula One car

Nose cone and front wing of Formula One car

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