In 1910 the state-owned South African Railways and Harbours (SAR&H) organisation was created, after the four colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State were amalgamated into the new Union of South Africa. In 1916, SAR&H took over the activities of the Central South African Railways, the Cape Government Railways and the Natal Government Railways. In 1924 the last privately owned railway line in South Africa was taken over by SAR&H; the New Cape Central Railway between Worcester and Voor Bay. In 1920 electrification of South Africa’s railways was completed, and in 1924 the first electric test train ran between Ladysmith and Chieveley in Natal. In 1950 the first portion of the new Johannesburg station was opened and construction was completed on the huge workshops complex at Koedoespoort. In 1960, diesel locomotives were introduced on a large scale to SAR&H. In 1981, SAR&H changed its name to South African Transport Services (SATS) and took on South Africa’s railway, harbour, road transport, and aviation and pipeline operations.

Richard Bevan is a railway engineering consultant born on 13 March 1953 at Leigh, Lancashire. He was educated at Redruth Grammar School and then studied Physics with Electronics at Manchester University. After graduating in 1974 he worked at UMIST in the Control System Centre designing digital and analogue models for use in teaching post-graduate students the principles of advanced control techniques. In 1978 he moved to GEC Traction at Trafford Park to initiate the design of microprocessor electronic systems. The first application of a microprocessor by GEC was used to replace the conventional relay and contactor logic on two Class 6E1 locomotives for South African Railways (SAR). With the success of these locomotives, he directed a team of engineers in the design of a standard range of microprocessor control electronics for both ac and dc traction systems. These included the Class 90 and 91 locomotives and Class 319 multiple units for British rail, and the Class 10E1 locomotives for SAR. As a consequence of these contracts, GEC Traction was conferred with the Queen's Award for Technological Achievement in the field of electronic railway propulsion equipment in 1989. After the merger of GEC and Alsthom to form GEC Alsthom, he became Assistant Chief Engineer for the Systems Engineering Department in 1990 and embarked on the design of a train control and monitoring system (TCMS) for the 4000 series metro trains for Seoul. In 1995, after becoming the Design Cell Manager for the electronics production area in Trafford Park, he moved to Preston to join the standardisation team to aid production of the latest ac drive traction systems being supplied from the UK. In 1997 he moved into the tender engineering section, being responsible initially for the preliminary design on bidding projects in the USA and then the Far East. This enabled the first of many metro vehicle contracts for the French-Anglo company in China. Another notable success was the design for Melbourne Metro in Australia, which has resulted in many repeat orders. With a further change of company name to Alstom and the moving of the metro business to Belgium, Richard moved to Interfleet Technology in Derby as a Principal Engineer, and is currently working on various projects in the UK and abroad, including some for Alstom. He is still regularly contacted for advice relating to past projects at Alstom.

GEC Transportation Projects Ltd., (GEC-TPL) was established in 1974 and was based at St Albans and Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. It specialised in the design, execution and management of major railway and mass transit electrification projects around the world. In 1981 GEC-TPL was transferred to Trafford Park in Manchester took over residual responsibility for vehicle design from GEC Traction, e.g. British Railways Class 91s and locomotive equipment design, e.g., British Railways Class 90s. GEC-TPL project managed 406 track kilometres of electrification in Taiwan in 1984. It involved the design, supply and installation of equipment including catenary, substations, telecommunications, locomotives and multiple units. The company also supplied the 134, 3-car trains and project managed the equipment of Lines 3 and 4 of Seoul Metropolitan Subway Corporation. Closer to home, GEC-TPL was the project management company for Phase 1 of the Docklands Light Railway and the Manchester ‘Metrolink’ and supplied the initial vehicles for both systems. In 1987, GEC-TPL contracted to supply the body mounted power equipment for the initial build of Trans Manche Super Trains, later known as ‘Eurostars’, the bar car mechanical parts for which were supplied by its long term partner Metropolitan Cammell which later became part of GEC-TPL in 1989. In 1989, GEC Transportation Projects Ltd became part of the joint company, GEC Alsthom Transportation Projects Ltd., when GEC and Alsthom of France, part of Compagnie Générale d’Electricité (CGE) formed GEC Alsthom. The combined company acquired Metropolitan Cammell at this time. (Alsthom’s name had earlier been derived from ‘Alsace Thomson-Houston’, thereby revealing its earlier parentage from Thomson-Houston of America, as also had the British Thomson-Houston Co., of Rugby, another GEC constituent). In 1998 the company formally changed its name to ALSTOM.