History

Pictures of Old Site

“The first purpose-built training college for railway staff opened in 1938 and is still performing its original function, a training solutions service provided by Catalis Ltd”

The former Railway School of Transport; the first of its kind in the United Kingdom; was designed by William H. Hamlyn, the principal architect to the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) and was built in 1937-38.

The plan was to provide a residential facility to train railway operatives and signallers. According to the Railway Gazette; Derby was chosen as the site for practical demonstrations which were available at the control offices, marshalling yards, locomotive, carriage, wagon works and the scientific laboratory. The School was designed to accommodate fifty members of the company’s staff at a time and, was officially opened on Friday 22nd July 1938 by Mr Leslie Burgin, the Minister of Transport.

During The Second World War the building became the railway training college for the Royal Engineers and, was used in conjunction with the local Melbourne Military Railway. It was subsequently; after the war, put to use to rehabilitate railway workers who had been involved in military action.

In the 1950’s a diesel traction demonstration building was added onto the site and a range of mechanical and electrical engineering courses were introduced. The school was re-titled in 1976, to become The Railway Engineering School; a central training school for Signalling and Telecommunications including electronics systems, and S&T engineering courses.

During the 1980’s further teaching accommodation was added and in 1991 a new conferencing suite was built and opened on the site by the Quality and Safety Services Department of British Rail. In 1994 the Civil Engineering Training Centre (CETC) transferred from Watford to Derby. The Railway Engineering School, Derby Signalling & Telecommunications Training Centres at Clapham, Crewe, Edinburgh, Ilford, Reading and York amalgamated to form the new corporate organisation called The College of Railway Technology, which was then vested as a limited company in preparation for transference into the private sector (the privatisation of British Rail).

The company was re-launched in 1998, under the name of Catalis Rail Training Ltd, providing a rail training service. In 2009, now known as Catalis Ltd; it has expanded its services to include Health & Safety, Environment, Electrical & Automation sectors.

It is the combination of professionally qualified staff and a wide range of technical equipment that makes Catalis a key provider in today’s training industry.