Brecknell Willis

Brecknell Willis is a Wabtec company[1] headquartered in Chard, Somerset, South West England and brand-name of electrification equipment for railways, mostly pantographs and contact shoes.

Since 1938 it has been in Chard, when known as Brecknell, Willis & Co. Ltd.[2] In 2023, site’s production facility was closed by Wabtec.

The Brecknell Willis Low Height pantograph is one of the four standard devices in use on British railway locomotives and multiple units and is a development of the standard Brecknell Willis High Speed pantograph.

[citation needed] Although it had been used on a few rapid transit systems and on a Blackpool tram,[citation needed] the first use of the high reach pantograph in the UK was the main lines was back in 1974 when a small number were fitted to some Class 309s based at Ilford EMU Depot.

The pantograph is the mainstay within the UK railway system, where it is used on most overhead electric locomotives and EMUs.