Original West Coast Franchise Bidders - GNWR et al.

[Masboroughlad]

When West Coast was privatised, Sea Containers put in a bid as GNWR. I have vague memories of James Sherwood (owner of Sea Containers) being interviewed in a rail magazine. It may have been Modern Railways? Can anyone shed any light please - either in the magazine or in some other media.

Who else made the short-list that time?

 

[charley_17/7]

When West Coast was privatised, Sea Containers put in a bid as GNWR. I have vague memories of James Sherwood (owner of Sea Containers) being interviewed in a rail magazine. It may have been Modern Railways? Can anyone shed any light please - either in the magazine or in some other media.

Who else made the short-list that time?

He planned to make the ICWC and ICEC (sorry, GNWR/GNER!) fleets 'interchangeable' and thus drive economies of scale. Tilts would have been ordered for WC, and any surplus units used on EC.

The ROSCOs would have been bypassed and SC leased/owned its own fleet.

Stagecoach (in their own 100% right) was the third bidder.

 

[Bald Rick]

Yep, Sea Containers, Stagecoach and Virgin.

Sea Containers threw a lot into the bid; I remember meeting them and there were abut a dozen very well paid advisers, including a lawyer called Tom Winsor. Stagecoach meanwhile was one bloke.

As always with these things in those days it was pretty clear from the off who was going to win once you had met them all; Virgin ticked all the boxes for what the Government wanted and were much more ambitious than the others.

 

[Darren R]

...I remember meeting them and there were abut a dozen very well paid advisers, including a lawyer called Tom Winsor...

I wonder what became of him.

 

[pdeaves]

Stagecoach (in their own 100% right) was the third bidder.

This was, of course, before Stagecoach bought its 49% stake in Virgin Trains (thus no conflict of interest).