Forty years for signals engineer and level crossing "go to man" Roy Percival

A life-long interest in electronics and a delight in working with complex circuit designs has kept Roy Percival busy in signals design during 40 years of work at KiwiRail and its predecessors.

To leaven the mix, Roy has also been the “go-to” guy on level crossings since 1989, leading the crossings protection upgrade work. Roy joined the rail industry in January 1971, straight from sixth form.

“I started as a drafting cadet in the signals design office, and was in room 201 in Wellington, which is the other corner of the building from where I am now.

“I don’t remember my first day, but I do remember my interview – I’d come from school, and two engineers were fighting about which department I’d join. One argued that signals engineering was the best area, and he was right.”

The 40 years has flashed by, he said. “This is a very specialized part of engineering. It really suits my personality.

“The stuff I’m most interested is checking complex circuit designs. I’m happy to had the level crossing work during that time too, some of that is really messy though.

“I’ve reduced the list by about half, and tackled the hard ones.” Roy said he had no family connections to the railways. It was a combination of a personal interest in electronics and an earlier ride on a steam train between Wellington and Taita that led him to sign on.

Many of the big signaling design and build jobs during the 1970s and 1980s, Roy had an involvement with, including works at Picton, the signals at Wellington’s A Box, North Island Main Trunk electrification, and the first computerized signaling in Middleton, Christchurch.

Lately, there has been the intensive work in Auckland and Wellington with the DART and WRRP projects.

Out of work hours, he is busy with his family, electronics and personal computers, and a strong interest in wine. He has a cellar of about 300 bottles, about half of which are French and Italian.

“It was a disaster for me when this building became an alcohol-free zone. I can’t show people the last bottles of anything interesting…

However, it’s quite understandable why it has to be that way.”