- TitleControl equipment schemes and details
- ReferenceGEC/2/2/3/1
- Production date1966 - 1967
- AEI Traction DivisionBiographyBiographyIn 1959 Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) created a self-contained company named AEI Traction Division to control the railway activities of both Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company Ltd and British Thomson-Houston (BTH). Included in this company were the interests of the Metropolitan-Vickers General Railway Signal Co., (later to become GEC General Railway Signal). The newly formed company established its headquarters, at Trafford Park, Manchester, and operated from three other sites, Attercliffe Common in Sheffield, Rugby Works, and Stockton Works supplying traction motors, machines, control gear and mechanical parts of locomotives. AEI Traction Limited’s product range encompassed electric and diesel-electric locomotives; electrical equipment for tramcars, trolley buses, trolley mining locomotives, traction motors and gears. In 1969 AEI Traction Division merged with English Electric Traction to form English Electric-AEI Traction Division.
- Scope and ContentThe roll contains c 30 acetate drawings of control equipment schemes and details for companies including London Transport Board, Pakistan Western railway and the National Coal Board. Drawing number range O.A.116551 - 1116600.
- Extent1 roll
- Archival historyThis roll of drawings was compiled by AEI Traction Limited
- Level of descriptionFILE
- Repository nameNational Railway Museum, York
- Pakistan Western RailwayBiographyBiographyIn 1947, a major portion of the North Western Railways 8,122 kilometer route (5,048 mi) was transferred to Pakistan and named the Pakistan Western Railway. The remaining 3,133 route kilometers (1,947 mi) were transferred to Indian control. In May 1974 it was renamed Pakistan Railways.
- National Coal BoardBiographyBiographyThe Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 provided for the complete nationalisation of the coal industry and on 12 July 1946 established the National Coal Board (NCB). This body, appointed on 15 July 1946, was made solely responsible for managing the industry and running it on business lines, except that the Minister of Fuel and Power, after consulting with the board, might give it directions of a general character. The minister appointed the members of the board, numbering nine in 1946, raised to a maximum of eleven of which eight should be full-time in 1949 and to a maximum of fourteen in 1973, and he presented the NCB's reports to Parliament. In October 1969 these general powers passed to the Ministry of Technology, in October 1970 to the Department of Trade and Industry, and in January 1974 to the Department of Energy. The eight departments of the National Coal Board headquarters - Production, Marketing, Finance, Labour Relations, Manpower and Welfare, Scientific, Legal and Secretary's - made up the National Board and formed the top tier of a four tier system. At the lowest level were the coalfields (each colliery had its own manager) which were divided into 48 geographical areas under the control of an area manager. The areas were grouped into 8 geographical divisions under a divisional board which reported to the National Board. On the vesting date, 1 January 1947, the productive assets of the 800 or more private colliery undertakings and the service contracts of their employees were transferred to the National Coal Board, as were the coal deposits and other assets of the Coal Commission and the functions and staff of the district selling schemes. Subsequently the board acquired other responsibilities, notably that for the coal survey from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in August 1947, and that for miners' hostels from the Ministry of Labour and National Service in the same year. In 1951 it took over some of the functions of the Miners' Welfare Commission, and in April 1952 it acquired responsibility for opencast coal mining from the Ministry of Fuel and Power. In 1973 it formed two holding companies, NCB (Coal Products) Ltd. and NCB (Ancillaries) Ltd. to handle two major aspects of its work not directly related to deep and opencast mining. The Coal Industry Act 1977 gave the board new powers in respect of the acquisition, treatment and sale of petroleum and of working minerals other than coal or petroleum which were discovered in the course of prospecting for or working coal and petroleum. The NCB was headed by a chairman and deputy chairman; each of the other members took charge of an executive department or research establishment. The main functions of the board as a whole were to decide and set objectives for the industry, to lay down policy directives and the limits within which management must work, to hold management to account and to provide for the future by means of research and development, and the recruitment and training of staff. It was also responsible for promoting the safety, health and welfare of employees. Many of these functions were exercised at the area and colliery level, a chain of command which replaced the previous five-tier system in 1967. The board itself continued to settle national policy, conduct national negotiations, obtain capital and provide common services such as scientific research. Before 1967 the divisional boards also exercised wide discretion in the forming of policy and applying it at area and colliery level. The headquarters departments advised the board on general policy and objectives, provided information and executed policy, and they also operated certain national services, including central workshops and the rescue service; and regional services in non-coalfield areas. On 1 January 1987, the NCB became the British Coal Corporation, which was wound up in 1997.
- Transport for LondonBiographyBiographyThe brand London Transport came into being in 1933 and remained until 2000. Prior to 1933, the transport system in London was owned and managed by several independent and separate organisations. The Underground railways were developed and owned by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (est. 1902) and the Metropolitan Railway (est. 1863) whilst the Tram and Trolleybus networks were under the control of various local authorities and public companies. The London County Council operated tram routes within the County of London but its responsibility did not extend to the bus or tram routes that ran outside its area and it did not hold responsibility for the railways which also extended into neighbouring counties. From 1933, the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB) was established in accordance with the 1933 London Passenger Transport Act and covered both the County of London and adjacent counties within a 48-km radius. For the first time services within the London area were amalgamated. A significant proportion of tram routes were brought under the responsibility of the LPTB, as were the Underground Electric Railways Company of London lines and the bus services; this became known as the London Passenger Transport Area. It was then that the familiar ‘roundel symbol’ (designed in 1918) and the tube map designed in 1931 were adopted by the LPTB. The second World War was to cause some disruption to the ongoing programme, resulting in delays and also the abandonment of some projects. During the post war years, the transport authority was the London Transport Executive until 1962. It was taken into public ownership and London Transport and British Railways were under the same jurisdiction for the first and only time. It was during this time that recruitment began directly from the Caribbean and work began on resolving war damage to stock and stations as well as the completion of projects previously delayed during the war. The post-war years also saw some major developments within London transport, including the withdrawal of both trams and trolleybuses and the introduction of the iconic AEC Routemaster bus in 1956. From 1963, the transport authority was the London Transport Board until 1969 and it reported directly to the Ministry of Transport and no longer held direct association with the management of British Railways. Public transport was not heavily invested in during this period and motor cars increased in popularity. Unprofitable railways across Britain were also closed. The 1960s also witnessed the opening of the underground Victoria line and also the introduction of the single-deck bus. From 1970, the Greater London Council was the transport authority and remained so until 1984. Control of green-coloured country buses and Green Line Coaches were passed on to London Country Bus Services which became part of the National Bus Company. As with many organisations during this period, London transport suffered a severe lack of funding from central government as well as major staff shortages. The inter-modal zonal ticketing system was also introduced in 1981. From 1984-2000 London Regional Transport was the transport authority and was also under direct state control, reporting to the Secretary of State for Transport. Under the London Regional Transport Act in the 1980s subsidiary companies were established to run Underground and bus services. This period also saw the inclusion of British Rail services into fare options and the opening of the Docklands Light Railway in 1987. From 2000 to the present day, the transport authority has been Transport for London (TfL). Unlike its predecessors, it has never been commonly known as London Transport and holds responsibility for many other transportation functions such as road management, taxi and private hire licensing and also cycling and walking. Responsibility for the Underground was not given until 2003. TfL have been the longest running transportation organisation in London to date.
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- contains 4 partsTOPGEC GEC Traction Archive
- contains 5 partsSUB-FONDSGEC/2 Drawing Office records
- contains 35 partsSERIESGEC/2/2 Drawings
- contains 14 partsSUB-SERIESGEC/2/2/3 AEI Traction Division drawings