was formed from
Class 43 powercars built at
Crewe Works and
Mark 3 carriages built at
Derby Litchurch Lane Works 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,
Crewe,
Derby Litchurch Lane,
Derby Locomotive,
Doncaster,
Eastleigh,
Glasgow,
Horwich,
Shildon,
Swindon,
Wolverton, and
York. The principal object of BREL was the provision of a construction, maintenance, and repair services to Britain’s railways. 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. In addition to production types, BREL built numerous prototypes, such as the
Class 210 DEMU and the experimental high-speed
Advanced Passenger Train (APT)
tilting train. 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
GEC, which supplied traction equipment. These contracts typically required BREL to build the frames, body shells, and
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
Classes 89,
90, and
91, was carried out in this manner. The
Sprinter and
Pacer families of
diesel multiple-units (DMUs) were also manufactured with an emphasis on collaboration and competitive forces. In addition to the domestic market, BREL pursued international sales. The Mark 2 carriage proved to be attractive abroad, and derivatives were exported to
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. Throughout the 1980s, various sites operated by BREL were permanently closed, including Ashford Works in 1981, Shildon in 1984, and Swindon in 1986. During 1987, Doncaster, Eastleigh, Glasgow, and Wolverton were transferred to the newly created
BR Maintenance. The maintenance requirements of British Rail's rolling stock was reduced as newer vehicles, such as the
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. 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. As early as 1986, the British government were examining operations to privatise BREL and make it more competitive on the international market. 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
Asea Brown Boveri and
Trafalgar House 40% each. 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. ==Products==