Roger Ford (journalist)

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Roger Ford
Roger Ford 2015.jpg
In the cab of class 800002 at North Pole Train Maintenance Centre, 2015
Born
United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Occupation Railway journalist
Years active1976–present
Known for Modern Railways

Roger Ford is a British journalist specialising in rail transport. [1] He is Industry and Technology Editor of the monthly trade and technical magazine Modern Railways , where he is probably best known for his column Informed Sources, noted for its in-depth analysis of railway technical, commercial and policy issues. [2] He is also founding editor of Rail Business Intelligence . [3]

Contents

Biography

Ford trained as a mechanical engineer with English Electric at Rugby, specialising in prime movers, and on qualification joined the head office of the company’s Traction Division. While at English Electric Traction he was seconded to the Maintenance Division, spending time at Finsbury Park and Stratford locomotive depots.

He subsequently pursued a career in industrial publicity management, with British Standards, Chloride and Fairey, before deciding to become a full-time writer in 1976, specialising in railways. In the 1980s he also edited the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Railway Division's quarterly technical journal Railway Engineer and the Railway Industry Association's Railpower magazine, promoting the UK rail industry abroad.

With the start of privatisation of British Rail in 1993 Ford began a parallel career as an independent consultant, with clients including the former Office of Passenger Rail Franchising and a number of leading banks and leasing organisations. He has also presented technical and commercial papers to a wide range of learned societies and industry conferences.

In March 1995 he became the founding editor of the fortnightly subscription newsletter Rail Privatisation News , created to provide inside information for financial, legal and commercial organisations taking part in the privatisation of British Rail. Initially conceived as a short-term project linked to the privatisation programme, the Railway Gazette International newsletter saw circulation continuing to expand after the 1997 general election, and in 1998 the title was changed to Rail Business Intelligence to reflect its ongoing role. [4]

To support his writing activities Roger Ford launched his own website Alycidon Rail (named after the British Rail Class 55 locomotive [5] ). This provides on-line resources including archives, research material and an acronym translator. The e-Preview newsletter offers a monthly e-mail outlining the contents of the next Informed Sources column in Modern Railways, developments since the column went to press and a short blog.

Writing style and media appearances

Roger appeared on the Equinox TV programme series on Channel 4 entitled "Running to time" in 1988. [6] He has also appeared before the government Transport Select Committee on several occasions. His style can be scathing and he is credited with inventing the term "Bionic Duckweed." [7] [8] [9]

He also came up with the idea of Informed Sources Laws which are an irreverent and tongue-in-cheek way of looking at railways but also based on experience. [10] They are:

Awards

90006 at Liverpool Street 90006 at Liverpool Street.jpg
90006 at Liverpool Street

Roger Ford was the Chartered Institute of Transport's Journalist of the Year in 1993 and received the same award from the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport in 2003. [2] He is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics & Transport and an Associate of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers.

Class 90 locomotive 90006 is named Roger Ford on one side, and Modern Railways on the other. [11]

Related Research Articles

British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies, and was privatised in stages between 1994 and 1997. Originally a trading brand of the Railway Executive of the British Transport Commission, it became an independent statutory corporation in January 1963, when it was formally renamed the British Railways Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 55</span> Class of diesel electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 55, also known as a Deltic, or English Electric type 5, is a class of diesel locomotive built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric for British Railways. Twenty-two locomotives were built, designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between Edinburgh and London King's Cross. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic, which in turn was named after its Napier Deltic power units. At the time of their introduction into service in 1961, the Class 55s were the most powerful single-unit diesel locomotives in the world, with a power output of 3,300 hp (2,500 kW). They had an official maximum speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h), and introduced the first regular 100 mph diesel passenger service to Britain, they were however capable of higher speeds than this, and often exceeded their official maximum in service, especially in their later years, with speeds of up to 117 miles per hour (188 km/h), being recorded on level gradients, and up to 125 miles per hour (201 km/h) whilst descending Stoke Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DB Cargo UK</span> British rail freight company

DB Cargo UK, is a British rail freight company headquartered in Doncaster, England.

The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, it had been completed by 1997. The deregulation of the industry was initiated by EU Directive 91/440 in 1991, which aimed to create a more efficient rail network by creating greater competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 357</span> British alternating current (AC) electric multiple units (EMUs) were built by Adtranz

The British Rail Class 357Electrostar alternating current (AC) electric multiple-unit passenger trains (EMUs) were built by Adtranz at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works, England, in two batches from 1999 to 2002 at a cost of approximately £292 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Railways</span> Former part of British Rail

Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1997, two years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterCity 225</span> British train

The InterCity 225 is an electric high speed train in the United Kingdom, comprising a Class 91 electric locomotive, nine Mark 4 coaches and a Driving Van Trailer (DVT). The Class 91 locomotives were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Crewe Works as a spin-off from the Advanced Passenger Train project, which was abandoned during the 1980s, whilst the coaches and DVT were constructed by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham and Breda in Italy, again borrowing heavily from the Advanced Passenger Train. The trains were designed to operate at up to 140 mph (225 km/h) in regular service, but are limited to 125 mph (200 km/h) principally due to a lack of cab signalling and the limitations of the current overhead line equipment. They were introduced into service between 1989 and 1991 for intercity services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) from London King's Cross to Leeds, York and Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 91</span> Class of high-speed electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 91 is a high-speed electric locomotive, which produces power of 4,830 kW (6,480 hp); it was ordered as a component of the East Coast Main Line modernisation and electrification programme of the late 1980s. The Class 91s were given the auxiliary name of InterCity 225 to indicate their envisaged top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph); they were also referred to as Electras by British Rail during their development and throughout the electrification of the East Coast Main Line. The other end of the InterCity 225 train set is formed of a Mark 4 Driving Van Trailer, built with a similar body shell to the Class 91 locomotives but with only one driving cab. The locomotive body shells are of all-steel construction. Unusually, the motors are body mounted and drive bogie-mounted gearboxes via cardan shafts; this reduces the unsprung mass and hence track wear at high speeds. The locomotive also features an underslung transformer, therefore the body is relatively empty compared to contemporary electric locomotives. Much of the engineering specification for the locomotive was derived from the research and operational experience of the APT-P.

Trainload Freight was the sector of British Rail responsible for trainload freight services. The division was subdivided into four sub-sectors; coal, petroleum, metals and construction.

<i>Modern Railways</i> British magazine

Modern Railways is a British monthly magazine covering the rail transport industry which was published by Ian Allan until March 2012, and Key Publishing since then. It has been published since 1962. The magazine was originally based in Shepperton, Middlesex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 60</span> Class of diesel electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 60 is a class of Co-Co heavy freight diesel-electric locomotives built by Brush Traction. They are nicknamed Tugs by rail enthusiasts.

Rail transport – means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks consisting of steel rails installed on sleepers/ties and ballast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deltic Preservation Society</span>

The Deltic Preservation Society is a railway preservation group based in England. The society is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the remaining Class 55 "Deltic" diesel locomotives operated by British Rail from the 1960s to the 1980s.

The Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering, abbreviated as IRSME, is one of the group 'A' central engineering services of the Indian railways. The officers of this service are responsible for managing the Mechanical Engineering Division of the Indian Railways. Till 2019, IRSME officers were drawn from the Combined Engineering Service Examination (ESE) conducted by Union Public Service Commission. All appointments to the Group 'A' services are made by the president of India.

The history of rail transport in Great Britain 1948–1994 covers the period when the British railway system was nationalised under the name of 'British Railways', latterly known as British Rail until its eventual privatisation in 1994.

<i>Rail Business Intelligence</i>

Rail Business Intelligence was a fortnightly subscription newsletter for senior managers, investors, lawyers, contractors, consultants, local authorities, trade unionists, manufacturers and service providers working in the United Kingdom's rail industry. After 23 years and 554 issues the final print edition was produced in March 2018, and Railway Gazette Group's UK news is now published online as Rail Business UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class 34-800</span>

The South African Railways Class 34-800 of 1978 is a diesel-electric locomotive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Brown (transport executive)</span> British transport executive

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The Campaign to Electrify Britain's Railway (CEBR) is an internet-based campaign group formed in 2018 whose aim is to convince the government to completely electrify the British Railway network. Its slogan is "Down with Dirty Diesel." The campaign promotes a rolling programme of electrification, which it considers essential to improve UK railways and help to decarbonise transport. It collaborates with groups such as the Railway Industry Association, Rail Delivery Group, Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, Campaign for Better Transport, Institute of Electrical Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution. The group has given evidence to the Transport Select Committee. Huw Merriman the committee chair at the time, put it writing he agreed with their view. Merriman was appointed as Minister of State for Rail and HS2 in October 2022. The desire to achieve net zero carbon in transport has increased calls for electrification.

References

  1. "What do rail delay excuses really mean?". BBC News. 22 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Logistics and Transport Journalist of the Year". Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK. 21 November 2003.
  3. "Signal failures on the track". The Daily Telegraph . London. 15 October 2001.
  4. "A brief history of Railway Gazette". Railway Gazette International.
  5. "Why Alycidon?". Archived from the original on 25 October 2010.
  6. stablestaple (24 October 2011), Running to Time. Equinoxe. Channel 4. (1988), archived from the original on 19 December 2021, retrieved 7 November 2018
  7. Fenton, Tim (20 July 2017). "Zelo Street: Grayling Rail Scandal EXPOSED". Zelo Street. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  8. Committee, Great Britain Parliament House of Commons Transport (24 July 2008). Delivering a Sustainable Railway: A 30-year Strategy for the Railways? : Tenth Report of Session 2007-08 : Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence. The Stationery Office. ISBN   9780215522221.
  9. Westlake, Stian (25 September 2020). "Bionic duckweed: using the future to fight the present". Medium. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  10. "'Informed Sources' Laws 2020". www.modernrailways.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  11. "About Roger Ford". alycidon.com. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.