Lucy Gardner

Said the following about Chris Beck:

“I nominate Chris Beck for Rail Engineer of the Year. Chris is a railway signalling engineer working for Arup on Crossrail 2. Chris is a rail engineer through and through and railways are a part of every aspect of his life.

Outside of work, Chris started volunteering on heritage railways at the age of 10. By the age of 16 Chris was working on the footplate at the Colne Valley Railway as a loco cleaner. He gained the competence of fireman only 18 months later, 6 months before he was legally allowed to do the job. Before his 18th birthday he also gained the competencies of Signalman, Guard and Shunter.

In-between operational turns, Chris helped with the maintenance of the steam locos and the maintenance and improvements of the signalling system. This early knowledge of signalling systems was reinforced by undertaking some principle circuit design under the mentorship of the senior engineers. Chris worked his way up to become the signalling telegraph linesman, where he oversaw the condition of the signalling equipment, advised on necessary upgrades and put timelines on necessary corrective actions.

Chris now undertakes a range of roles on different railways. He continues to work on the Colne Valley Railway as a Steam Loco Driver and Signalman. He is the Signalling Inspector for the Mid Norfolk Railway. As the head of department, he deals with all operational issues that involve signalman, permission for trains to move and operating procedures. He manages and maintains all of the signalman’s competencies which includes writing and marking exam papers. In this role, Chris is undertaking the design of a new mechanical interlocking for signalling Dereham. As part of the Mid Norfolk, Chris also fires and maintains the steam locos on site. He was part of the team that last overhauled loco 9466. During this project, he undertook several large engineering tasks including the making of a new smoke box and the resetting of the locomotive valves.

Chris spends a few weekends a year working Exeter West Signalbox as a working exhibit to the public in the Crewe Heritage Centre.

Chris brings this wealth of knowledge into his project work. Whilst his passion is signalling design, on Crossrail 2 he has played a key role in establishing the strategy for the stabling and maintenance of the fleet and in reviewing VM options for their operational resilience, showing a level of experience and understanding well beyond his 4 years of work.

Chris has excellent communication skills and works well with team members, clients and stakeholders at all levels. He has shown great confidence and tenacity in presenting alternative proposals to high level stakeholders. He builds strong working relationships on the strength of his knowledge, initiative and honesty. Over the course of the year that Chris has been working on Crossrail 2, the team has grown to respect his opinion and call on Chris for advice on all things ops.

Chris is guaranteed to be focused on solutions that are best for project and founded on logical reasoning. He accommodates change readily, and always with a smile on his face!“