• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Train Building in the UK

Can we keep comments confined to the subject heading of this thread please? Many thanks. Viv.
 
Sorry.

I was, admittedly by inference, wondering where things might go next. A couple of members of my family worked for BRCW, it seems that building railway equipment of that sort has become a lost art in UK.
 
Vaguely remember when I moved to London in the 1980s some of the Tube carriages I think were made in Brum. Maybe Metro Cammel ? Not sure, but one of those things you ponder on laborious train journeys in to work. Viv.
 
Vaguely remember when I moved to London in the 1980s some of the Tube carriages I think were made in Brum. Maybe Metro Cammel ? Not sure, but one of those things you ponder on laborious train journeys in to work. Viv.
Viv i remember them.being made in washwood heath, and the road being closed, while they maneuvered them out of common lane on low loaders.
 
This is a link to the Wikipedia article for the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co, of Smethwick, which built tube stock amongst other things. I remember riding on the 1923 stock when I first started work in North London.

And later on the Isle of Wight, when they looked as though their next trip would be to the breakers.


 
Last edited:
This is a link to the Wikipedia article for the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co, of Smethwick, which built tube stock amongst other things. I remember riding on the 1923 stock when I first started work in North London.

And later on the Isle of Wight, when they looked as though their next trip would be to the breakers.


John, those are two great links.............A lot of history there!
 
Hi,

Whilst a lot of rolling stock was taken by road from Metro-Cammell, London
Transport stock generally went by rail. The company had interfacing vans with
BR couplings on one end and London Transport couplings on the other.

The LT cars were assembled into a train together with the interfacing vans, and shunted
by a company locomotive to where the side line met the BR track. BR then coupled up to them
and the cars were towed to London.

I remember that in the 70s they refurbished a lot of the 38 stock. I don't recollect seeing
LT stock going by road, but I can't say it never happened.

Kind regards
Dave
 
My mother-in-law used to be a “Tracer” for Metro-Cammell Washwood Heath. The draftsmen and designers would make their drawing in pencil, she would then trace it in Indian ink onto this very high-quality tracing paper. I recall her saying some of it had a silk base.

I have to say how skilled she was, and the level of detail and neatness was impressive. I do recall a lot of the drawing she worked on were London underground trains.
 
Mort, we act did tracing as a part of my technical apprenticeship at Brooke Tool. We put the ink onto a coated cloth, very fine. Most apprentices did not do the best job.

The skill level of people like you mother in law was SO and very respected at least in our office. Tracers had art like as well as strong technical skills!

when you messed up the Indian ink You had to scrape it off with a razor and polish the surface with a rubber. I became very skilled at this


My mother-in-law used to be a “Tracer” for Metro-Cammell Washwood Heath. The draftsmen and designers would make their drawing in pencil, she would then trace it in Indian ink onto this very high-quality tracing paper. I recall her saying some of it had a silk base.

I have to say how skilled she was, and the level of detail and neatness was impressive. I do recall a lot of the drawing she worked on were London underground trains.
 
Back
Top