A fast-expanding North Yorkshire rail plant business is gearing itself up for more success after playing a key role in one of the BBC’s most memorable Top Gear shows.
Aquarius Railroad Technologies, based near Ripon, is a specialist manufacturer and provider of road-rail products to the rail industry.
Its core product is the groundbreaking ‘Rail Rover’ – essentially a Land Rover adapted for the rails – which has a variety of uses and can transport both people and materials.
The firm supplied two such vehicles to the BBC to for a recent episode of the iconic series in which the Top Gear team towed caravans down a railway track in various top-quality cars at high speeds.
One Rail Rover held a camera platform to allow the director to film from an adjacent rail line while the other was used as a mobile paramedic carrier.
Founded as a one-man outfit by managing director James Platt in 1999, Aquarius is expanding rapidly and now has 20 staff and a turnover of £1.4 million.
It currently has a fleet of 25 Rail Rovers and numerous other products, supplying to both national and international markets.
Aquarius managing director James Platt said:
“While it has been great fun to be involved in the production of such a landmark TV programme and to meet the likes of Jeremy Clarkson the fact that the BBC came to us underlines how much of a market leader we have become in our industry.
“The business continues to go from strength to strength and we are about to launch some very exciting products over the next few months.
“These include a vehicle designed to help clear snow off the rails that we piloted during the big freeze last winter and that could potentially save rail providers millions of pounds a year.”
