Hi Everyone,
As the sun has now set on Terry's excellent reign of the County Project website, I thought I'd best introduce myself just so you know who is behind the new website.
My name is Chris and I am a Chartered Rolling Stock Engineer by trade, and Fellow of the IMechE. I am a consultant with a bespoke rail systems commercial engineering consultancy called IPEX Consultants. I spend most of my working life carrying out rolling stock strategy work and assisting financiers in buying new trains.
I live in York where I work from home and also work from the company offices in London. This means my visits to Didcot are few and far between - a few times before I was old enough to walk, and only once so far in adult life. However I wanted to help the County Project so offered my services and was promptly offered the Webmaster job.
So why is a Yorkshireman living in York interested in the County Project? Well, my father grew up in Gloucester and has always been keen on the GWR. My Great Grandfather was a stationmaster for the LNWR, and my Great Uncle was Bobby at Yeovil Junction 'box, and in fact by blood I'm Cornish, so all these things point West not North East!
Also as an Engineer, I am intrigued in Engineers striving to improve and not resting on what has gone before. That is what fascinates me about Hawksworth - in my view he really is the forgotten genius - often put down by traditionalists of the GWR but actually I think he was the most pure GW CME there was. At some point I hope to do a blog post or two on some Hawksworth history.
In my spare time I am building a model railway (very slowly) which you can follow here, and also very occasionally volunteering on the Ffestiniog Railway and with the Ardudwy Knights re-enactment group in Harlech. I am married and am bringing up two boys who keep me busy!
