Retrospect: BREL clsures was it good or bad.

[03_179]

Hope this is a good discussion.

Was the decision to close all the BREL work throughout the UK such a good idea? Since the 2000s began we have seen many new trains being built surely this would have been better to have BREL building them?

Yes the number of train being ordered in the 80s and 90s stagnated but why did the powers that be not think of selling overseas?

I am throwing open this as a discussion as I'd like to see what people really think shold have happened to BREL.

Play nice and discuss ....

 

[starrymarkb]

I think they did try touting UK built stock abroad with the 58 and International coach. But a big issue is anything built to continental size has to go out by road/sea.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

Bad decision to close BREL.
Building trains by BREL gave employment to British workers, directly & indirectly (supply firms, and ancillary businesses) Something that's needed, especially at the moment.
If they were kept open, probably Pacers would have remained on the drawing board! Mk 1 units would have been rebuilt instead at Swindon.

 

[gordonthemoron]

werent' Pacers built by BREL/Leyland whilst BREL still existed?

 

[sprinterguy]

werent' Pacers built by BREL/Leyland whilst BREL still existed?

Yes - The bodies of the 144s are mounted on BREL frames, and BREL were very much involved in the development of the Pacer design from the single car prototypes onwards, using as they did a chassis design derived from BR's high speed freight vehicle.
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Yes the number of train being ordered in the 80s and 90s stagnated but why did the powers that be not think of selling overseas?

Regarding the company itself rather than it's products, BREL was sold off to Swiss/Swedish firm ABB at the end of the eighties. I can't see what could have been done differently from the train manufacturer's perspective: The 1,064 day drought of new train orders that accompanied privatisation essentially killed off the remnants of BREL. I appreciate the OP's sentiment, but there was no sense keeping factories open, tooled up and ready to go but doing nothing, for three years waiting for the next train order to come along, even with the benefit of hindsight.

 

[Yew]

Its a shame that it was sold off to other rolling stock contractors, and not a private investment firm.

 

[gordonthemoron]

if it had been sold to a private investment firm, it'd have been closed down and the land sold for development, which is probably what has/will happen(ed)

 

[daddsie71b]

Annoyed me the other night when an Italian chap on Portillo's railway journeys was waxing lyrically about their Pendilino and what a fantastic Italian idea it was.

RTC and BREL idea and development I believe, just that the government at the time decided to pull the plug.