Editing British Rail Engineering Limited

{{Short description|Railway rolling stock manufacturer}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = British Rail Engineering Limited
| logo = British Rail Engineering Limited Logo.svg
| fate = [[Privatisation of British Rail|Privatised]]
| predecessor = British Rail Workshops
| successor = [[ABB]]
| foundation = 1 January 1970
| defunct = September 1992
| location = [[Derby]], England
| industry = Train & carriage manufacturing & maintenance
| parent = [[British Railways Board]] (1969–1989)
}}

'''British Rail Engineering Limited''' ('''BREL''') was the [[rolling stock]] manufacturing and maintenance subsidiary of [[British Rail]].

It was established on 1 January 1970 by the [[British Railways Board]] to operate its 14 rolling stock maintenance centres and to provide construction, maintenance, and repair services to Britain’s railways. A key activity of BREL was the manufacturing of new rolling stock, such as the [[InterCity 125]] trainset, the [[British Rail Mark 3|Mark 3 carriage]], and the [[British Rail Class 58]] freight locomotive. Both domestic and international sales were pursued; rolling stock produced by BREL was exported to various nations, including [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Kenya]], [[Gabon]], [[Taiwan]], [[Sweden]], [[Malaysia]], [[Yugoslavia]], [[State Railway of Thailand ASR class|Thailand]], and [[Bangladesh]]. Numerous projects were undertaken on a collaborative basis with private sector manufacturers, including [[Brush Traction]], [[Metro-Cammell]], and [[Metropolitan-Vickers]]. BREL also built numerous prototype rail vehicles, such as the [[British Rail Class 140|Class 140]] and [[British Rail Class 210|Class 210]] [[diesel-electric multiple unit|DEMU]]s and the experimental high-speed [[Advanced Passenger Train]] (APT) [[tilting train]].

Throughout the 1980s, BREL was subjected to repeated restructuring and job cuts; various works, such as [[Ashford railway works|Ashford]], [[Shildon railway works|Shildon]], and [[Swindon Works|Swindon]] were closed permanently. The organisation was effectively cut in two when the maintenance arm was split off as British Rail Maintenance Limited in 1987. The British government sought to make BREL more internationally competitive. The design and building of trains was [[privatization|privatised]] in 1989,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.railwaybritain.co.uk/british%20rail%20workshops.html |title=British Rail Workshops |website=RailwayBritain.co.uk |access-date=2 August 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412011049/http://www.railwaybritain.co.uk/british%20rail%20workshops.html |archive-date=12 April 2010 }}</ref> purchased by the Swiss-Swedish conglomerate [[ABB|Asea Brown Boveri]] (40%), [[Trafalgar House (company)|Trafalgar House]] (40%), and a management-employee buy-out (20%). After [[ABB]] became the sole shareholder in September 1992, it was subsumed into ABB Transportation.

==History==
[[File:British Rail Engineering Limited Logo 2.png|thumb|Variant logo used on rolling stock and corporate sales]]
[[File:British Rail Engineering Limited Logo 1991.png|thumb|upright=1.0|Later logo, circa 1991]]
[[File:British Rail Class 43 at Chesterfield.jpg|thumb|The [[InterCity 125]] was formed from [[British Rail Class 43 (HST)|Class 43 powercars]] built at [[Crewe Works]] and [[British Rail Mark 3|Mark 3 carriages]] built at [[Derby Litchurch Lane Works]]]]
[[File:Taunton - Riviera_Trains Mk2f 3356.JPG|thumb|[[British Railways Mark 2|Mark 2 carriages ]] were built by BREL's [[Derby Litchurch Lane Works]]]]

BREL was established by the [[British Railways Board]] on 1 January 1970 to take over the management of its 14 rolling stock maintenance centres, including [[Ashford railway works|Ashford]], [[Crewe Works|Crewe]], [[Derby Litchurch Lane Works|Derby Litchurch Lane]], [[Derby Works|Derby Locomotive]], [[Doncaster Works|Doncaster]], [[Eastleigh Works|Eastleigh]], [[Glasgow Works|Glasgow]], [[Horwich Works|Horwich]], [[Shildon railway works|Shildon]], [[Swindon Works|Swindon]], [[Wolverton railway works|Wolverton]], and [[Holgate Road carriage works, York|York]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title= British Rail Engineering Limited formed |magazine=[[Railway Gazette International|Railway Gazette]] |date=5 December 1969 |page=882}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= New BR workshops company |magazine=[[Modern Railways]] |issue= 256 |date=January 1970 |page=41}}</ref> The principal object of BREL was the provision of a construction, maintenance, and repair services to Britain’s railways.<ref name = "sciencegroup summary">{{cite web |url = https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/people/ap96/british-rail-engineering-ltd |title = British Rail Engineering Ltd |publisher = [[Science Museum Group]] |access-date = 23 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-train-makers-1981-online |title = The Train Makers |publisher = British Transport Films |via = bfi.org.uk |date = 1981 |access-date = 23 September 2023}}</ref>

A key activity of BREL was the manufacturing of new rolling stock for use by British Rail. Amongst those rail vehicles is the [[InterCity 125]] trainset; produced between 1975 and 1982 and commonly referred to as the ''High Speed Train'', was a diesel-powered high speed passenger train that travelled faster than any previous production British train.<ref name = 'EarlyHighspeedBR' >{{cite journal |title=High speed track on the Western Region of British Railways |last= Collins |first=R.J. |volume=64 |issue=2 |date=May 1978 |pages=207–225 |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers |url=http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/doi/abs/10.1680/iicep.1978.2755 |doi=10.1680/iicep.1978.2755 |publisher= [[Institution of Civil Engineers]] |access-date = 2 October 2015|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrm.org.uk/OurCollection/LocomotivesAndRollingStock/CollectionItem.aspx?objid=1988-7000 |title=HST Power Car |publisher=[[National Railway Museum]] |access-date=18 May 2009 |archive-date=11 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011100217/http://www.nrm.org.uk/OurCollection/LocomotivesAndRollingStock/CollectionItem.aspx?objid=1988-7000 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Semmens1990">{{cite book |last1=Semmens |first1=Peter |title=Speed On The East Coast Main Line: A Century and a Half of Accelerated Services |date=1990 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |isbn=0-85059-930-X |pages=129–225}}</ref> In addition to production types, BREL built numerous prototypes, such as the [[British Rail Class 210|Class 210]] [[diesel-electric multiple unit|DEMU]] and the experimental high-speed [[Advanced Passenger Train]] (APT) [[tilting train]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apt-p.com/LeafletBritishRailTriLanguage.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718101907/http://www.apt-p.com/LeafletBritishRailTriLanguage.htm |archive-date=18 July 2012 |title=This is British Rail (''reproduction of the text of a British Rail leaflet'') |website=Apt-P.com }}</ref>

BREL did not have a [[monopoly]] on the manufacture of new rail vehicles; various private companies, such as [[Brush Traction]], [[Metro-Cammell]], and [[Metropolitan-Vickers]] amongst others, also manufactured rolling stock for British Rail, although in general, it was built to specifications produced by BREL. Furthermore, BREL often acted as a [[subcontractor]] to a main contractor, such as [[General Electric Company|GEC]], which supplied traction equipment. These contracts typically required BREL to build the frames, body shells, and [[Bogie|bogies]] and install the traction and ancillary equipment of the primary contractor. The majority of the electric locomotive construction programmes of the 1980s, such as [[British Rail Class 89|Classes 89]], [[British Rail Class 90|90]], and [[British Rail Class 91|91]], was carried out in this manner. The [[Sprinter (British Rail)|Sprinter]] and [[Pacer (British Rail)|Pacer]] families of [[diesel multiple-unit]]s (DMUs) were also manufactured with an emphasis on collaboration and competitive forces.<ref name = "hansard july1986"/><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/25731/from-the-archive-prototype-150-unveiled/ |title = From The Archive: Prototype '150' Unveiled |first = Alex |last = Bestwick |publisher = railwaymagazine.co.uk |date = 27 June 2023}}</ref>

In addition to the domestic market, BREL pursued international sales. The Mark 2 carriage proved to be attractive abroad, and derivatives were exported to [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]], [[Kenya]], and [[Taiwan]]. BREL's entry to the Chinese market in the late 1980s was hoped to lead to expansive orders for as many as 1,500 carriages.<ref name = "hansard july1986"/> Freight wagons of various sorts were produced for overseas customers in [[Sweden]], [[Malaysia]], [[Yugoslavia]], and [[Bangladesh]]. BREL was also a major supplier of components and general engineering equipment to numerous businesses that were not primarily involved in railways, such as the [[British Steel Corporation]].<ref name = "sciencegroup summary"/> During the 1980s, BREL produced the [[British Rail Class 58]] freight locomotive, which it had developed with the intention of attracting international orders.<ref name = "etwell 1986">{{cite journal |last1=Etwell |first1=M. W. J. |title=British Rail Class 58 Diesel Electric Locomotive |journal=Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Transport Engineering |date=1986 |volume=200 |issue=2 |pages=135–147 |doi=10.1243/PIME_PROC_1986_200_173_02 |issn=0265-1904 |citeseerx=10.1.1.920.246|s2cid=111208368 }}</ref><ref name="RailwayCentre">{{cite web | url = http://www.therailwaycentre.com/Recognition%20Pictures%20Loco/Artists_loco.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070118035253/http://www.therailwaycentre.com/Recognition%20Pictures%20Loco/Artists_loco.html | url-status = usurped | archive-date = 18 January 2007 | title = Artists Impressions – Locomotives | publisher = TheRailwayCentre.com | access-date= 25 October 2007}}</ref>

Throughout the 1980s, various sites operated by BREL were permanently closed, including Ashford Works in 1981, Shildon in 1984, and Swindon in 1986.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= Ashford Works to close this year |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=965 |date=September 1981 |page=407}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= Swindon to close |magazine=[[Rail Magazine|Rail Enthusiast]] |issue=46 |date=July 1985 |page=25}}</ref> During 1987, Doncaster, Eastleigh, Glasgow, and Wolverton were transferred to the newly created ''BR Maintenance''.<ref name = "sciencegroup summary"/><ref>{{cite magazine |title= BREL divided |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=1034 |date=June 1987 |page=390}}</ref> The maintenance requirements of British Rail's rolling stock was reduced as newer vehicles, such as the [[British Railways Mark 3|Mark 3]] carriages, were introduced that were designed to minimise operating costs; British Rail also progressively increased its use of electric traction which required less maintenance than diesel-powered trains, further reducing demand for BREL's services and leading to cuts in personnel employed by the organisation.<ref name = "hansard july1986"/><ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/workers-left-reeling-shock-news-545887 |title = Workers left reeling by shock news of 1,420 Derby BREL job losses in 1987 |first = Jane |last = Goddard |newspaper = Derbyshirelive |date = 28 September 2017}}</ref> The loss of such jobs and the closure of certain sites became a politically charged matter during the late 1980s, which included threats of [[industrial action]] and allegations of insufficient investment.<ref name = "hansard july1986">{{cite web |url = https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1986-07-24/debates/46c7e4c6-b87e-4306-a6b5-fbfb5646a4b4/BritishRailEngineering |title = British Rail Engineering |publisher = [[Hansard]] |volume = 102 |date = 24 July 1986}}</ref><ref name = "wcml losses"/><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dCCtV1A05Y |title = British Rail Engineering BREL Job Losses 1986 |date = 19 April 2018 |publisher = Youtube |access-date = 23 September 2023}}</ref>

As early as 1986, the British government were examining operations to privatise BREL and make it more competitive on the international market.<ref name = "hansard july1986"/> The [[Secretary of State for Transport]] announced on 24 November 1987 that BREL would be sold, with a plan to invite offers by the spring of 1988.<ref>{{cite news |title=BREL - For Sale |work=[[Rail (magazine)|Rail]] |issue=76 |date=January 1988 |page=7}}</ref> Accordingly, amid the wider [[privatisation of British Rail]] during the 1990s, BREL was sold via a [[management buyout]], with management and employees owning 20% and [[ABB|Asea Brown Boveri]] and [[Trafalgar House (company)|Trafalgar House]] 40% each.<ref>{{cite journal |url = https://www.jstor.org/stable/24438307 |title = The Restructuring and Privatisation of British Rail: Was It Really That Bad? |first1 = Michael G. |last1 = Pollitt |first2 = Andrew S. J. |last2 = Smith |journal = Fiscal Studies |volume = 23 |number = 4 |date = December 2002 |pages = 463–502|doi = 10.1111/j.1475-5890.2002.tb00069.x |jstor = 24438307 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= Buyer for BREL |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=1055 |date=March 1989 |page=143}}</ref><ref name = "wcml losses">{{cite web |url = https://www.wcml.org.uk/blogs/Lynette-Cawthra/Closure-of-British-Railways-Workshops/ |title = Closure of British Railways Workshops |publisher = wcml.org.uk |date = 1 September 2023 |first = Lynette |last = Cawthra}}</ref> At the time of the management buyout, BREL's locations comprised Crewe, York, and two separate works in Derby; Derby Locomotive Works was closed in 1991.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= Industry |magazine=[[Railway Gazette International]] |issue=January 1991 |page=13}}</ref><ref name = "sciencegroup summary"/> In March 1992, [[ABB]] bought out the other shareholders, making BREL a wholly-owned subsidiary. It was subsumed into ABB Transportation in September 1992.<ref>{{cite magazine |title= ABB to control BREL |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=1083 |date=May 1992 |page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= For BREL, read ABB |magazine=[[Rail Magazine]] |issue=183 |date=16 September 1992 |page=5}}</ref><ref name = "sciencegroup summary"/>

==Products==
[[File:58001 at Doncaster Works.JPG|thumb|[[British Rail Class 58|Class 58 locomotives]] were built by BREL's [[Doncaster Works]]]]
[[File:APT at Crewe.jpg|thumb|An [[British Rail Class 370|APT-P]] at [[Crewe Heritage Centre|Crewe]] in October 2006]]
The vast majority of BREL's output was rolling stock for [[British Rail]], including [[British Railways Mark 2|Mark 2]] and [[British Rail Mark 3|Mark 3]] carriages, the latter for locomotive haulage and [[InterCity 125]] diesel High-Speed Trains. BREL built the [[NIR 80 Class]] diesel-electric multiple units for [[NI Railways|Northern Ireland Railways]]. Other Mark 3 derived vehicles included [[British Rail Class 150|Class 150]] diesel multiple units in the 1980s and numerous electric multiple units such as [[British Rail Class 313|Classes 313]] and [[British Rail Class 317|317]].

BREL had success in the export market, notably with Mark 2 and Mark 3 carriages for [[Iarnród Éireann]] and the [[Taiwan Railway EMU100 series]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title= Taiwan emu delivery by BRE begins |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]]|issue=921 |date=January 1978|page=41}}</ref> Rolling stock was also manufactured for [[Ghana Railway Corporation|Ghana]], [[Rail transport in Kenya|Kenya]], [[Rail transport in Malaysia|Malaysia]], and [[Rail transport in Tanzania|Tanzania]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title= Wagons for Ghana |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=886 |date=February 1975 |page=55}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= Kenyan wagon contract shipment |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=923 |date=March 1978 |page=150}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= First contracts for BR Engineering |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=927 |date=March 1970 |page=125}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title= Derby Coaches for Tanzania |magazine=[[The Railway Magazine]] |issue=952 |date=August 1980 |page=366}}</ref>

===Diesels===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
*[[British Rail Class 41 (HST)|Class 41]]
*[[British Rail Class 43 (HST)|Class 43]]
*[[British Rail Class 56|Class 56]]
*[[British Rail Class 58|Class 58]]}}

===Electrics===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
*[[British Rail Class 87|Class 87]]
*[[British Rail Class 89|Class 89]]
*[[British Rail Class 90|Class 90]]
*[[British Rail Class 91|Class 91]]
}}

===Multiple units===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
*[[British Rail Class 140|Class 140]]
*[[British Rail Class 141|Class 141]]
*[[British Rail Class 142|Class 142]]
*[[British Rail Class 150|Class 150]]
*[[British Rail Class 158|Class 158]]
*[[British Rail Class 159|Class 159]]
*[[British Rail Class 165|Class 165]]
*[[British Rail Class 166|Class 166]]
*[[British Rail Class 210|Class 210]]
*[[British Rail Class 312|Class 312]]
*[[British Rail Class 313|Class 313]]
*[[British Rail Class 314|Class 314]]
*[[British Rail Class 315|Class 315]]
*[[British Rail Classes 316 and 457|Class 316/457]]
*[[British Rail Class 317|Class 317]]
*[[British Rail Class 318|Class 318]]
*[[British Rail Class 319|Class 319]]
*[[British Rail Class 320|Class 320]]
*[[British Rail Class 321|Class 321]]
*[[British Rail Class 322|Class 322]]
*[[British Rail Class 370|Class 370]]
*[[British Rail Class 442|Class 442]]
*[[British Rail Classes 445 and 446|Class 445/446]]
*[[British Rail Class 455|Class 455]]
*[[British Rail Class 456|Class 456]]
*[[British Rail Class 465|Class 465]]
*[[London Underground 1992 Stock|L.U 1992 Stock]]/[[British Rail Class 482|Class 482 (post BREL privatisation)]]
*[[British Rail Class 507|Class 507]]
*[[British Rail Class 508|Class 508]]
*[[British Rail Class 510|Class 510]]
*[[NIR Class 80]]
*[[NIR Class 450]]
*[[Taiwan Railway EMU100 series]]
*[[State Railway of Thailand ASR class]]}}

BREL also produced some [[British Rail Railbuses|railbuses]].

===Coaches===
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
*[[British Railways Mark 2|Mark 2]]
*[[British Rail Mark 3|Mark 3]]
*[[British Rail Mark 4|Mark 4]] (bodyshells)}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|British Rail Engineering Limited}}

{{British Rail}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:BREL}}
[[Category:1970 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1992 disestablishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:ABB]]
[[Category:British Rail research and development]]
[[Category:British Rail subsidiaries and divisions]]
[[Category:Companies based in Derby]]
[[Category:Locomotive manufacturers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1992]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1970]]
[[Category:Rolling stock manufacturers of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Science and technology in Derbyshire]]