JJ Hardy’s Great British Railways

A few weeks back, I boarded a train at Durham en route to France, where I was meeting with one of our international clients.

Any of you who have travelled on the East Coast Main Line will know the stop. It’s one of the most stunning views in the country when you catch it on a good day, providing a breath-taking view of the World Heritage Site and the Cathedral towering above the city.

Once we were away and began to head south, I plugged my headphones in, set up my laptop and started going over my presentation. Due to the nature of the client’s work, a lot of the content was geared around the precision components we produce for our clients in the rail sector, so it provided a fitting backdrop.

Naturally, you always make a boat load of last-minute changes as new ideas spring to mind, however something struck me that forced me to almost re-write the whole thing: how deeply woven our company is into the very fabric of Britain’s railways.

From the earliest steam trains to the London Underground, our 170-year-old business has played an understated yet critical role in shaping the trains and infrastructure that have kept Britain moving for almost two centuries.

We’ve always known this, however it wasn’t until I was sat taking in the views of the East Coast Main Line that it really hit home just how much of an impact we’ve had. Passing everything from Victorian viaducts to old steel bridges, historic stations and signage for the London Underground, every stretch of track I travelled made me realise just how many major rail projects JJ Hardy & Sons has supported over the years.

It all started from our first foundry, which opened in 1870. John Austin was commissioned to paint the workshop in “1906 the way we were” and you can see below just how strategically positioned we were to capitalise on the rail revolution which was just getting underway.

Then as rail travel continued to grow, so did we. We continued to invest in the latest leading-edge machinery, fine-tune our team’s skills and expand into modern manufacturing practices, while always staying true to our vision of tradition, innovation and commitment. It has provided us with some incredible case studies along the way, including…

• Supplying components for the original Eurostar line – a project that connected not just countries, but our legacy to the modern European network.
• Producing carriage and line components for the London Underground, from Bakerloo to Jubilee, ensuring the backbone of London’s transport continues to run safely and efficiently.
• Partnering with Transport for Wales in their ambitious rail modernisation efforts, delivering precision-engineered parts that withstand both time and terrain.
• Supplying high-specification components for Stadler, one of Europe’s leading rolling stock manufacturers, for their UK-based fleet projects.
• Collaborating with South Eastern and Transport for London on continuous improvements to their fleets and infrastructure, where our components remain a behind-the-scenes source of daily reliability.

Each project, whether it be rail spares, bespoke plastic components or parts for the tracks of urban and main railways, reflects the same commitment we’ve upheld for nearly two centuries: to ensure the services we deliver are at the forefront of engineering standards.

As I stepped onto the platform in France, I couldn’t help but think… this is more than just a business trip. It’s a continuation of a journey our company began 170 years ago – one that has bridged generations, spanned regions, and now connects nations.

In an industry that moves forward by the second, heritage is often overlooked. But in our case, it’s our heritage that drives our future. We’re proud to still be family-owned, and even prouder to fly the flag for Made in Britain and British engineering.

So, here’s to the next 170 years – and JJ Hardy & Sons covering even more miles of track!