The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Lifetime Achievement Award

Anthony Kerry

Said the following about Clive Williams:

“Clive has worked in the Rail industry for over 44 years and has been a constant in the signalling field in the North West. He has been a go to person in major delivery programmes such as West Coast Route Modernisation and more recently the North-West Electrification Project and has continued to deliver results.

Clive's career started in 1974 at the Area Signal Engineer's Office - Stoke on Trent. His work here culminated in leading installation teams and supporting the testing and commissioning of completed works. From here he was seconded into the Signalling and Telecommunications training centre at Crewe where he was given the task of devising and implementing the training materials for the first targeted installation courses in the London Midland region. Much of the material he produced using "MultiMate" and board and pencil was used in the first version of the Signalling Installation Handbook.

From the training centre Clive went into Technical Support at the launch of the Signalling and Telecommunications National Supply Centre at Crewe where as a part of his role developed the IT systems to support successful accreditation under the quality assurance banner BS5750.

Clive then became the Resident Engineer for the Manchester Airport and Style Line re-signalling. This was the second implementation of a Solid State Signalling Interlocking but the first on an existing classical style signallers control panel at Manchester Piccadilly Signalling Control Centre. Many schemes followed as British Rail went through the privatisation process and Clive’s role in Regional Railways North West became a part of Jarvis Plc. The largest of these schemes was the re-control of Hartford and Weaver Junctions to Winsford signal box on the West Coast Main Line where a part mechanical lever frame part entrance-exit panel solution was adopted. The only other place this had been done on the region was at Colwich junction. Again, Clive had been at the forefront of what needed to be done and what could be achieved.

Clive then had a move to Kennedy and Donkin (later Parsons Brinckerhoff) to run their consultancy office with the full remit of engineering under his control. This saw him involved in the early scoping phases of the West Coast Route Modernisation and the renewal of the signalling interlocking at Healey Mills. Other works also led Clive into the world of light rail as Technical Advisor during the early days of operation of Nottingham Tram Phase 1. Clive later found himself back working on the West Coast Route Modernisation for a six-month secondment to oversee the signalling design for the fast track renewals programme. This entailed the full mechanical and electrical refurbishment of five electro mechanical signal boxes, four of which dated back to the 1880's and the implementation of a new platform.

From here he continued to support the Sandbach- Wilmslow project which introduced a new signalling interlocking type to the UK Network holding a key role in the team that developed a phased implementation of the software interlocking rule set to control the infrastructure on the ground. Clive's continuous liaison and collaboration with operators and maintainer was essential during this period.

Clive's six-month secondment to the West Coast Route Modernisation had turned into six years and his final piece of work there was the implementation of the "missing link" Armitage to Colwich Junction. Trent Valley Four Tracking had delivered the main enhancement with 125mph running from Rugby to Armitage Junction. However, a fast track scheme, with limited budget, was required to reconfigure the Down lines to match those of Trent Valley Four Tracking. As a part of the team he led the development of a unique junction signalling arrangement at Colwich Junction. A solution that required a number of deviations to the standards and he was able to secure support across the industry and especially from the driving community. This had taken Clive back to his formative years where he had installed "flashing aspect sequences" in his work for the Area Signal Engineer's office.

After the West Coast work Clive went back to Parsons Brinckerhoff and a series of development schemes including the first implementations of the Obstacle Detector technology for level crossings before making a move to Network Rail's Northern Hub Programme. Here he became the Programme Engineering Manager and looked after the development and implementation of the North-West Electrification Programme: Phase 3 (Preston to Blackpool), Phase 4 (Preston to Manchester) and Phase 5 (Transpennine West). Well over £600million worth of investment in the North West.

He is currently trouble shooting various issues for the programme and looking after the development of the Phase 7 (Lostock to Wigan) electrification scheme as its Designated Project Engineer.

Throughout Clive's career his calm and collaborative manner has generated great results for the railway time after time and he has been called on many times to deliver what had been thought of as impossible.

Clive has been a keen supporter of the Institution of Railway Signalling Engineers ensuring the lessons of the discipline are shared with the industry. He joined the Institution of Railway Signal Engineer's Midland and North-Western Committee in 1999, was Chairman in 2000 and Hon Treasurer in 2001 gaining the Chairman's Award in 2016.

Throughout my career of 27 years I have had the good fortune to work with Clive on many occasions where he has been my line manager, Engineering Manager, consultant, client and advisor. Every aspect has been made better by his wise advice, direction and the use of the resources at his disposal.

The Railway is a better place with Clive in your corner“