Holgate Road carriage works, York facts for kids
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The Holgate Road carriage works was a large factory in York, England. It was built to make and fix railway carriages. These are the passenger cars pulled by trains.
The factory started making railway carriages in 1884. It was built to replace an older, smaller factory. The works grew a lot between 1897 and 1900. It also got many updates throughout the 1900s.
Over the years, different railway companies owned the factory. First, it was the North Eastern Railway. Then, it became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (in 1923). After that, British Railways took over (in 1948). Later, it was called British Rail Engineering Limited, or BREL York (from 1970). Finally, it was bought by ABB in 1989 and known as ABB York.
The factory closed in 1996 because it didn't get enough new orders. This happened after British Rail was privatised, causing a lot of uncertainty. From 1998 to 2002, another company, Thrall Car Manufacturing Company, used the factory to build freight wagons. After that, it closed again.
Since 2009, Network Rail uses the site. It's now called the Rail Fleet Engineering Centre (RFEC). Here, they maintain their own special trains and vehicles used for railway maintenance.
Sadly, many people who worked at the factory got sick. This was because they were exposed to a material called asbestos. More than a hundred workers have died from illnesses caused by asbestos. Even today, people are still getting sick from it.
Contents
The Factory's Story: How It Grew
Early Days with North Eastern Railway (1884–1923)
The North Eastern Railway decided to build a new factory in 1880. They wanted a better place to build railway carriages. Construction started soon after, and the factory was designed to have separate areas for each step of building a carriage.
The main buildings were made of brick, with nice stone details. Inside, they used strong iron columns and beams. Carriage building began in 1884. At first, they made 6-wheel carriages. By 1895, they started making longer, more modern coaches.
By the late 1890s, the factory was very busy. They needed more space, especially as carriages became longer. So, from 1897, they started expanding the works. They added a large lifting shop and new areas for electricity and gas. They also built more storage and washing sheds. Most of these new buildings were ready by 1900.
A special large wood drying store was also built. This made sure they always had well-prepared wood for making carriages.
In 1903, the factory built two special vehicles. These were early examples of trains that used electric power. The factory also made trains for the North Tyneside electric railway system.
During the First World War, the York factory helped with the war effort. They made equipment for moving supplies. They also turned old carriages into ambulance trains. They even built a complete train for a top general.
By 1920, the factory had buildings covering about 13.5 acres. The whole site was about 45 acres. This factory built all the passenger trains for the North Eastern Railway. It also repaired many carriages. About 1,500 people worked at the factory at this time.
London and North Eastern Railway Era (1923–1948)
When the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) took over, they checked the factory's capacity. They found it could build 200 coaches each year. To make more, they changed a varnishing shop into an extra building area in 1924.
Around the 1930s, the LNER added special moving platforms called traversers. These were at both ends of the main building. They helped move carriages around the factory more easily. By this time, the factory used a "sectionalised assembly" method. This was a bit like a production line, making building trains more efficient.
During the Second World War, the factory helped again. They made parts for Horsa Gliders. In 1944, a part of the factory that was making boats for the Royal Navy was destroyed by an accidental fire. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1947. Many workers during the war were women. They sometimes worked very long hours.
British Rail Period (1948–1989)
When the railways became nationalised in 1948, about 5,000 people worked at the factory.
In the 1950s, over 3,000 staff worked there. They maintained early diesel trains. The factory also built some of the first electric trains, like the Class 305.
In the 1960s, British Rail changed how its workshops were organised. York, along with Derby, was chosen to keep building carriages. They invested a lot of money to improve the site.
In 1970, the part of British Rail that built trains became a separate company. It was called British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL).
From the 1970s to 1989, BREL York built many of British Rail's electric passenger trains. This included many different "Class" types, like the Class 313, Class 315, and Class 319. They also built diesel trains like the Class 150.
BREL brought in modern ways of building trains. They used special machines for cutting metal. They also had places to test air conditioning units and repair electronics. The factory even had a short test track for trains.
After Privatisation (1989–)
BREL was sold to private companies in 1987. A group including ABB bought the company, including the York factory, in 1989. Train orders for British Rail started to be open for other companies to bid on. The factory's future depended on getting these orders. When they didn't win a big contract for new electric trains, 289 jobs were lost.
The factory did get contracts to build other trains. These included the Class 320, Class 365, and Class 465. They also built trams for the city of Strasbourg in France.
In 1995, ABB announced the factory would close. This was because there weren't enough new orders. Many people, including workers and politicians, believed this was due to the uncertainty after British Rail was privatised. The factory closed in 1996, and 750 people lost their jobs. ABB said the privatisation had delayed train orders, leaving them with no work.
A company called Thrall from the USA reopened the factory in 1997. They planned to build freight wagons. They won a large order to build 2,500 wagons. The first wagon was shown in July 1998. They built many types of wagons, including coal hoppers and container wagons.
However, Thrall didn't receive any more orders. In 2002, the factory was closed again by Thrall's new owner, Trinity Industries. This led to 260 more job losses.
In 2009, Network Rail bought the main building. They now use it to store and maintain their special trains that treat the railway tracks.
Important Information About the Factory
Asbestos Contamination
Asbestos was a material used in building trains. It was good for keeping heat and sound in or out. It was put between the inner and outer parts of the train body. It was also used in flooring and to insulate radiators. In the 1950s, a more dangerous type of asbestos became common. People didn't know how harmful it was at first.
In 1975, a former worker named Frank Summers died from an industrial disease. He had worked with asbestos at the York Carriage works. At that time, it was thought that asbestos use at the factory stopped in 1964. However, workers were not given masks or protection. They continued to be exposed to asbestos into the 1970s. Even family members got sick from dust on the workers' clothes.
A local newspaper reported in 2008 that "Many scores of former York Carriageworks employees have died over the last two or three decades from exposure to deadly asbestos dust at the Holgate Road factory in the 1950s, 60s, 70s and even 80s."
Even in the 1990s, some parts of the Holgate Road site still had asbestos. By 2012, it was believed that over 140 workers had died because of asbestos exposure.
Factory Buildings Today
Most of the smaller buildings around the main factory have been taken down since it closed. The area to the west was cleared and some houses were built there. The gas and electric shops were also demolished. A storage building in the northeast corner is now used by small businesses.
