David Horton
Chartered Mechanical Engineer

david.horton@gwr.com
www.gwr.com

David Horton

David Horton is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer working in the rail industry, with a specialism in rolling stock. He started his career at Bombardier (now Alstom) in Derby, which at the time was the UK's last remaining integrated facility where trains were designed, built and tested.

Following 9 years at Bombardier he spent a brief spell in the heritage railway sector, working as Head of Mechanical Engineering at the West Somerset Railway, before moving back into relatively mainstream rolling stock engineering with Vivarail Ltd. At Vivarail, David was the Chief Engineer responsible for designing several variants of the modular Class 230 train, upcycled from retired London Underground trains. This work culminated in the development of a pioneering battery train and fast charging system, which was later taken on and tested by Great Western Railway (GWR).

David's work on the battery train and fast charging system cements his passion for decarbonisation and the role that railways can play in this, not only through deployment of clean technology but also through modal shift from road and air to railway journeys.

David's enthusiasm for railways extends well outside of his engineering day job. As Chairman of the Abbey Line Rail Users' Group, he was involved in the establishment of the grassroots-led but government supported Community Rail Development Strategy, helping to set up the Abbey Line Community Rail Partnership, with the aim of promoting the use of local rail routes, thus improving their economic performance and long-term viability.

Later he co-founded and chaired the Bricket Wood Station Heritage Trust, a charity which succeeded in raising the money for and restoring the disused 1903 railway station at Bricket Wood in Hertfordshire, with beautifully recreated period features, which has become an award-winning and very popular Tea Room business, putting the railway right back at the heart of the local community and in turn making the railway a more attractive proposition for users.

He is also an active railway preservationist, being Chairman of the Thompson B1 Locomotive Trust, which is the custodian of ex-London & North Eastern Railway Class B1 steam locomotive no. 61264.