Roger Ford is a British
journalist specialising in
rail transport. He is Industry and Technology Editor of the monthly trade and technical magazine
Modern Railways, where he is probably best known for his authoritative column
Informed Sources, noted for its in-depth analysis of railway technical, commercial and policy issues. He is also founding editor of
Rail Business Intelligence.
Ford trained as a mechanical engineer with
English Electric at
Rugby, specialising in
prime movers, and on qualification joined the head office of the company’s Traction Division. While at English Electric Traction he was seconded to the Maintenance Division, spending time at
Finsbury Park and
Stratford locomotive depots.
He subsequently pursued a career in industrial publicity management, with
British Standards,
Chloride and
Fairey, before deciding to become a full-time writer in 1976, specialising in railways. In the 1980s he also edited the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers Railway Division's quarterly technical journal
Railway Engineer and the
Railway Industry Association's
Railpower magazine, promoting the UK rail industry abroad.
With the start of privatisation of
British Rail in 1993 Ford began a parallel career as an independent consultant, with clients including the former
Office of Passenger Rail Franchising and a number of leading banks and leasing organisations. He has also presented technical and commercial papers to a wide range of learned societies and industry conferences.
In March 1995 he became the founding editor of the fortnightly subscription newsletter
Rail Privatisation News, created to provide inside information for financial, legal and commercial organisations taking part in the
privatisation of British Rail. Initially conceived as a short-term project linked to the privatisation programme, the
Railway Gazette International newsletter saw circulation continuing to expand after the
1997 general election, and in 1998 the title was changed to
Rail Business Intelligence to reflect its ongoing role.
To support his writing activities Roger Ford launched his own website
Alycidon Rail (named after the
British Rail Class 55 locomotive). This provides on-line resources including archives, research material and an acronym translator. The e-Preview newsletter offers a monthly e-mail outlining the contents of the next Informed Sources column in
Modern Railways, developments since the column went to press and a short blog.