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British Rail Engineering Limited shirt, Security/Gateman

Mark 3 Buffet Carriage

1976

East Coast Joint Stock passenger brake van

1908
Brochure - British Rail Engineering Limited Railway Rolling Stock. Colour brochure describing locomotives, multiple units, wagons and coaches made at the various BREL works including York and Shildon. 12pp.

British Rail Engineering Limited Railway Rolling Stock

Brochure - British Rail Engineering Limited General Engineering Facilities. Colour brochure describing facilities such as fabrication, machining, sheets and hoods and covers, and castings, at the various BREL works including York and Shildon. 12pp.

British Rail Engineering Limited General Engineering Facilities

BREL Security Man Jacket; Sample

Overseas Project Reports, approximately 10 boxes, British Rail Engineering Limited (ABB Transportation), in association with Development Bank Associates Inc. and funded by the World Bank.

Overseas Project Reports from British Rail Engineering Limited/Development Bank Associates/World Bank

1986-1995
British Rail Engineering Ltd. folder containing 12 sheets describing the various types of wagon manufactured, circa 1979. Types of wagon include aggregate wagons, flat wagons, tank wagons, hoppers, vans and car transporters.

British Rail Engineering Limited details of wagons

circa 1979

British Rail Bo-Bo Class 87 electric locomotive, No 87001, 1974

1974
Illustrated booklet issued by British Rail Engineering Limited entitled 'Doncaster Works', c 1960. Inside has black and white photographs with a brief explanation of the scene.

Doncaster Works

1955-1965

HST power car

1972
mechanical engineer; commercial director; managing director, BREL; director of engineering, BRB; British Rail workshops; locomotive manufacture; commercial organisation; sectorisation; British Rail Engineering Metro (BRE-METRO); Advanced Passenger Train (APT); comparison of different ethos of British Rail and railway manufacturing industry; d.o.b. 1928-04-14, railway work: c.1950-1985, English Electric Company; British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL);

Gardiner, Ian David

2002-03-20
Plaque, British Rail Engineering Limited, cast aluminium plaque of "Warship Class 2200 HP diesel hydraulic locomotive designed and built at Swindon in 1958. This plaque was cast in the B.R.E.L. Works at Swindon from metal reclaimed when the locomotives were broken up and is no 1651 of a limited issue of 3000". Text an reverse about D 800 class locomotives. With certificate. Overall: 194 mm x 266 mm x 13 mm.

Plaque of Warship Class 2200 HP diesel hydraulic locomotive

Bogie Ballast hopper, made at British Rail Engineering Limited Shildon in 1973, withdrawn from service 2006

British Railway Seacow Ballast wagon, DB982896

1973
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 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

2020-02-19
Oral history interview with Brian Clementson, conducted and recorded by Clifford Perry at the Member's Centre of the Institution of Railway Engineers, London on 14 May 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 25 min. 39 sec. Career; setting-up InterCity train operating units (TOUs); management buyout (MBO); rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); maintenance specifications; Porterbrook; impact of British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) experience; preparation of ROSCO for sale; financing; Master Operating Lease (MOLA); British Rail Maintenance Limited (BRML) sale; external appointments; safety; overhaul schedules; managing Director Railtest; reflections on success of train leasing; Porterbrook sale arrangements; Tim Gilbert; publicity; second sale of Porterbrook; impact of politics on commercial realities; Railtest services; retirement; Virgin West Coast; West Coast Main Line (WCML); Chris Green joined as Managing Director; Hatfield accident; investigating gauge corner cracking (GCC) ; Wheel Rail Interface Systems Authority (WRISA); Network Rail; Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC); Rail Safety and Standards (RSSB); impact of privatisation on recruitment and training; impact of British Rail Research’s privatisation

Brian Clementson interviewed by Clifford Perry

2018-05-14
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

High Speed Train Power Car diesel electric locomotive Class 43 number 43302

1978

Papers relating to the restoration of Flying Scotsman at BREL works, Derby, 1973

1973
Model railway carriage, with track, 1/20 scale, trailer open composite Class 317 EMU, made by BREL apprentices, York Works, 1980.

Model EMU carriage and track, 1980

1980
Hopper wagon made for domestic coal traffic; HEA coal hopper wagon 361000, built Shildon works 1977 and withdrawn from service c.2010

HEA coal hopper wagon 361000

1977
Oral history interview with Hugh Fenwick, conducted and recorded by David Wharton-Street at the interviewee's home in North Yorkshire on 1 May 2018. Duration: 2 hr. 4 min. 42 sec. Early career; British Rail Civil Engineering Training Scheme; delegated responsibility and authority; secondment to Doncaster District Engineer 1977; development of Concrete Bridge Design (CBDES) computer programme; designing route for Selby Diversion; land purchase; Resident Engineer for Selby Diversion 1980; Outside Parties Bridge Section Regional Civil Engineer’s Office York 1984; ambitions; role and responsibilities of Works Engineer; East Coast Main Line (ECML) electrification; Organising for Quality (OfQ); changes due to sectorisation; Drawing Office Planning and Control System (DOPACS); renaming of Design Department to York Engineering Services (YES); Self-Accounting Unit (SAU); Leadership 5000; Quality Accreditation BS5750; transfer of civil engineering staff to sectors 1991-1992; employment of consultants; Total Business Management (TBM); re-organisation; realignment of YES; new industry structure; profits made from contracts with sectors; computer aided design (CAD); reporting lines; AD Little consultants; reaction of British Rail Infrastructure Services (BRIS); consideration of management buyout (MBO); working with Railtrack; British Rail Vendor Unit; becoming a limited company; Civil Engineering Design Group (CEDG) Ltd.; British Steel as owners of CEDG; Managing Director British Steel CEDG; success; bids; role; reflections on privatisation process; sectorisation; effects of privatisation; Railtrack/Network Rail issues; vertical integration; effect on personal life

Hugh Fenwick interviewed by David Wharton-Street

2018-05-01
Model railway carriage, 1/20 scale, suburban DMU No E64302, sectioned to show internal construction, probably made by BREL Ltd apprentices, York Works, c 1975.

Model of sectioned DMU carriage, c 1975

1970-1980
Commemoratve plaque, cast aluminium, design based on London & North Eastern Railway centenary medal of 1925, cast at BREL Swindon works in 1975.

Commemoratve plaque

1975
Publicity material for the new Class 322 EMU, for British Railways Network South East trains on the Stanstead Airport route. Published by BREL. Cover Art; Class 322 Stanstead Express.

Class 322 EMU, for British Railways Network South East.

Worksplate, BREL LIMITED, aluminium, 1992. overall: 34 mm x 175 mm x 3 mm.

Worksplate - BREL LIMITED

1992
Small file, 2 paper documents, Feasibility Study for the Construction of A Replica of a Rainhill Trials Locomotive, by Dave Billmore, circa 1976. Contains the study and a preliminary report on the possibility of BREL (British Rail Engineering Ltd.) constructing a replica of the Rocket, Novelty or Sans Pareil. Includes survey of available sources including those seen at the NRM.

Feasibility Study for the Construction of A Replica of a Rainhill Trials Locomotive

circa 1976
Model railway carriage, with track, 1/20 scale, Class 150 DMU Driving motor lavatory second, made by BREL apprentices, York Works, November 1983, with 1 alternative end style.

Model DMU carriage and track, 1983

1983
Six page typed draft document, 'The Shildon Works of British Rail Engineering Ltd'. Undated and unattributed, possibly related to the production of an Open Day leaflet or similar publicity material.

The Shildon Works of BREL

1970-1979
British Rail Engineering Ltd. press releases "Manufacture of Class 56 Freight Locomotives" and "Technical Description of BR Class 56 Locomotives", 1977, desribing the manufacture of the locomotives at Doncaster. Issued by British Rail Engineering Ltd.'s Public Relations office at the Railway Technical Centre, Derby.

Manufacture of Class 56 Freight Locomotives

1977
Maintenance and repair records for Class 40 locomotive number 40155 (D355), including details of the repair after its collision with locomotive no 40117

Class 40 locomotive no 40155

British Rail Engineering Ltd. brochure "York Works Open Day 15th September 1984 - Souvenir Programme." Printed for the open day to commemorate the centenary year of York Works. Contains details of the current building programme, stock on display on the day, a tour of the workshops, and a history of the works. 12pp.

York Works Open Day 15th September 1984 - Souvenir Programme

1984
Leaflet produced by British Rail Engineering Ltd entitled 'Swindon Works'.Includes notes on the history of the works and a tour of the present works, with illustrations.

Swindon Works

1976
Leaflet, paper, British Rail Transport Technology, issued British Rail Engineering Ltd., March 1977. Describes the consultancy work of Transmark (Transportation Systems and Market Research Ltd.), the Research & Development Division of the BRB and BREL and BRE-Metro Ltd.'s manufacturing work. 20pp.

British Rail Transport Technology

1977-03
Plastic sleeve containing three press releases, a leaflet for the Rocket 150 event, three black and white photographic prints of the replica 'Sans Pareil' with a title sheet 'Shildon Works 2nd April 1980: Handing over of the Sans Pareil replica', produced by BRB Public Relations Office Euston for British Rail Engineering Ltd

Handing over of the Sans Pareil replica

1980
Leaflet, entitled 'Shildon Works', published August 1979 by British Rail Engineering Ltd., contains information relating to the history of Shildon Works and a tour of the site (with map), black and white photographic illustrations.

Shildon Works

1979
Folder of drawings and statistical information relating to types of track maintenance vehicles, c. 1967.

Folder of drawings and statistical information relating to types of track maintenance vehicles

1962-1972
Souvenir brochure titled 'Shildon Works Open Day: Saturday 21 August 1976' originally priced at 10p. Sixteen pages in black and white with photographs, diagrams and descriptions of the works and events on the day.

Souvenir brochure titled 'Shildon Works Open Day: Saturday 21 August 1976'

1976
British Rail Engineering Ltd. leaflet "Derby Locomotive Works," produced for tours of the works in the 1970s. Includes a plan of the works, brief details of the workshops, and various photographs.

Derby Locomotive Works

1970s
Folded publicity leaflet with yellow trim and many black and white images produced by British Rail Engineering Ltd to advertise their Shildon Works. Includes description and plan of the works.

Folded publicity leaflet, Shildon Works

circa 1980
British Rail Engineering Ltd. leaflet "Glasgow Works," describing a tour of the works and describing the activities. Includes site map and black & white photographs. 1980s?

Glasgow Works

1980-1989
British Rail Engineering Ltd. printed booklet for the Visit of the Board of British Rail Engineering Ltd. to Derby Locomotive Works, Wednesday 12 June 1974. Includes notes on the APT, photographs, statistics etc. 20pp.

Visit of the Board of British Rail Engineering Ltd. to Derby Locomotive Works

1974-06
Leaflet, British Rail Engineering York Works, containing a map of the works from 1971.

British Rail Engineering York Works

1971
29 additional files of BREL/Development Bank/World Bank reports dating between 1985 and 1994.

Additional BREL / World Bank files

1985-1994
Brochure published "to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the passenger carrying Stockton & Darlington Railway Company and Swindon's contribution to Railways during the period."

Swindon Works

2 Leaflets, entitled 'Shildon Works', published August 1979 by British Rail Engineering Ltd., contains information relating to the history of Shildon Works and a tour of the site (with map), black and white photographic illustrations.

Shildon Works

1979
Leaflet, entitled 'Shildon Works', published August 1979 by British Rail Engineering Ltd., contains information relating to the history of Shildon Works and a tour of the site (with map), black and white photographic illustrations.

Shildon Works

1979
Folder of trade literature from "Rail Lift 78", a working demonstration of British Rail engineering equipment held at Doncaster Works in July 1978. The folder contains press releases and brochures from the participating companies including British Rail Engineering Ltd., Ekco Instruments Ltd., Plasser & Theurer and Cowans Sheldon.

Rail Lift 78

1978