Lion locomotive

The Begining and End of BRC&W

Founded in 1854, the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company moved in 1864 to a new, site at Middlemore, Road, Smethwick where it employed hundreds of men and women in the manufacture of railway carriages and wagons and later locomotives for railways in all parts of the world. Ninety-nine years later with the company out of business the massive, 56 acre site was redeveloped into the Middlemore Industrial Estate.

The reason for the demise of the company must be viewed against the backdrop of 1960s British industrial politics. British Railways, in 1961 had lost some £87 million pounds of public money and the chairman, the infamous, Dr Beeching wrote his equally infamous report The Reshaping of British Railways. This short sighted document, commonly known as the “Beeching Report”, took the view that any unprofitable route should be axed. This decision devastated the British rail network and by 1966 more than 4,000 route miles had been cut and left Britain with just 13,721miles of track. By the end of the 60s, a further 2000 miles had gone.

The repercussions of “Beeching” was a cutback of rolling stock manufacture throughout the rail and supporting industry. In the case of BRC&W, a complete change of direction was decided upon and the building of locomotives and rolling stock came to an end in favour of finance. The once proud company changed its name and became the First National Finance Company.