The main erecting shop at Simplex works in the late 1970s.
Simplex
Mechanical Handling
In 1972, with the new designs established, the South Africans disposed of their interest in the company to the Luton-Based Burnholme and Forder Ltd. (B&F). They brought with them a number of other companies and the resultant reorganisation left Motor Rail Ltd. as a holding company for a group of general engineering companies, including the new Simplex Mechanical Handling Ltd. (SMH), which was responsible for all operations related to locomotives, dumpers, trailers and fork lift attachments. Thus SMH became part of the Motor Rail Group of Companies, with Mr. Wenham still in charge. The financial situation during this period reflected the depressed state of the U.K. economy. Suppliers were feeling the pinch too, and Motor Rail’s long-term collaborators, W. H. Dorman of Stafford, withdrew their extended credit terms soon after the B&F takeover.
The new arrangements only lasted until 1977, when B&F went into compulsory liquidation. At this point a new financial backer, Mr. Andrew Wemyss stepped in. Wemyss was a Scottish businessman who owned brick factories in Scotland, tea plantations in Kenya, sheep farms in Australia and hotels and vineyards in France. His Wemyss Development Company bought control of SMH and Motor Rail Ltd. and Tony Wenham remained in charge until 1984. Although he remained a director, he died shortly afterwards. Martin Everitt took over as general manager in January 1985 but by this time the locomotive business had reduced to a very small part of the company’s operations.
Alan Keef
In 1986, with a one-off locomotive order received, SMH subcontracted the manufacture of a locomotive for the first time in its history, to Alan Keef Ltd. (AKL), a small light railway engineering firm operating from Cote in Oxfordshire. One further order would be completed in the same way over the next year until finally in August 1987 the decision was made to cease locomotive manufacture and close the factory at Bedford. All equipment and machine tools were sold at auction at Elstow Road on 15th September. The locomotive business was transferred to AKL at its new premises near Ross-on-Wye, with the attachment spares business being transferred to a new company, Simplex Attachment Spares Ltd. SMH continued to deal in drum handling machinery but the original 1911 Motor Rail company was dissolved on 15th December, 1987.
AKL continues to provide spares for Simplex locos and even new locomotives if required, although under the Alan Keef name. The last Simplex was produced in 1992, a 60S of the same general layout as John Abbott’s original Petrol Tractor design. Simplex locos can still be found working in British and overseas industry today, and indeed the oldest loco in British industrial service is believed to be Motor Rail 5402 of 1932, still at work on a Scottish peat farm.
The main erecting shop at Simplex works in the late 1970s.
The Works and its People
Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about Motor Rail was their size in comparison with their obvious competitors. In the 50s when the company was probably at its peak, there were no more than 150 employees, 120 of whom were involved in production, the remainder in the offices. In contrast, Hunslet had many hundreds of employees and Rustons had a workforce of thousands to call upon, albeit in a much more diverse range of products. Nevertheless Motor Rail, this tiny company, through the brilliant simplicity of its design, the quality of its manufacture and its network of worldwide agents was able to compete very successfully against the bigger players. As with other small family firms, employees recall the friendly atmosphere at Simplex Works with a great affection, which perhaps would not have existed in a larger undertaking. These sentiments are delightfully summed up in the words of former employee, Peter Cross:
"In my early days they took me down into the works and said 'this is Bill Millard, he builds gearboxes and he's been here 25 years,' then we went further down and they said 'here's somebody else, he's been here 30 years,' then someone else who'd been there 40 years. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't been on the Earth that long. I've often smiled that I was there 44 years. It was that sort of place. You didn't move, it was too good."
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