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The story of Metro-Cammell begins in 1845, when Joseph Wright, a London coach- builder, leased land in Saltley, Birmingham with the intention of building a factory for the production of railway rolling stock. Joseph Wright, realising that the future lay in the development of the railways devoted his energies, together with those of his sons to building rolling stock and by the 1850s his Saltley site had massively expanded and he was employing some 800 work people. In addition to building stock for practically all the home railways, the firm completed contracts for many countries world-wide.

In 1902 rationalisation of the rolling stock industry began when the Metropolitan Amalgamated Railway Carriage and Wagon Co. Ltd. was formed, incorporating Joseph Wright’s old firm with other well known companies such as Ashbury, Brown and Marshalls, Oldbury and Lancaster railway carriage companies. The following year Metropolitan Amalgamated began building Pullman Cars characterised by their luxurious interiors replete with leather arm chaired parlours and intricate marquetry.

In 1929 Vickers Ltd., after acquiring the shares of the Metropolitan Company, came together with Cammell Laird & Co. and each merged their rolling stock interests to form the great undertaking of Metropolitan-Cammell Ltd.

The Metro-Cammell collection (MS 99), as held by the Birmingham City Archives, comprises of over 100,000 railway rolling stock drawings together with over 100 photographic albums, rolling stock specifications, catalogues and pamphlets. The records date from c1850- c1950.

Category: Product

Institute: Birmingham Libraries Central Library