FREIGHTLINER (UK)

'Freightliner' is a British rail freight operating company, founded in 1995. It is the second largest rail freight operator, after EWS.

Contents

History

Fleet history

Locomotives

Notes

External links

History

The origins of the Freightliner concept go back to the mid-1960s with British Rail under Richard Beeching. As part of its modernisation and rationalisation programme, British Rail began moving freight using ISO containers on flat wagons between a series of dedicated inland terminals, using gantry cranes for transhipment between road and rail.
Although initially intended for domestic freight, this was soon overtaken by freight between deep-sea ports, such as Southampton Maritime, and inland distribution terminals associated with centres of manufacturing or population, such as Birmingham Landor Street.
In 1995, Freightliner was privatised as a stand-alone company, being bought out by its own management.
In 1999, it set up its "Heavy Haul" business alongside its traditional "Intermodal" container operation. Heavy Haul initially operated railway infrastructure trains moving ballast, rails etc. and later moving into other bulk loads including cement, coal, aggregates and scrap metal.
In 2004, it launched "Logico", providing short-term or one-off spaces on intermodal trains.
In 2006 it expanded its operations into Poland. A subsidiary company, "Freightliner PL", was established to exploit high volumes of coal traffic and the liberalisation of the Polish railway system.^[1] Freightliner PL is to use a variant of the Class 66 locomotive.^[2]

Fleet history

In its early days, the company struggled with an ageing fleet of Class 47 diesel locomotives, supplemented by Class 86 and newer Class 90 electric locomotives. In order to increase reliability, in 1997-1998, six Class 47 locomotives were rebuilt by Brush Traction, Loughborough with General Motors engines and reconditioned alternators, emerging as Class 57 locomotives. A further six locomotives were rebuilt in 1999–2000.

Locomotives

Class	Type	Introduced	Wheel Arr.	In Traffic	Nos.
'Class 08'	Shunter	1953	0-6-0	'10'	08077/530/531/575/585/624/691 764/785/891
'Class 47'	Diesel	1962	Co-Co	'4'	47811/816/830/841
'Class 57'	Diesel	1997	Co-Co	'6'	57001-006
'Class 66'	Diesel	1998	Co-Co	'93' (Class 66/5)	66501-520/522-594
				'25' (Class 66/6)	66601-625
				'2' (Class 66/9)	66951-952
'Class 86'	Electric	1965	Bo-Bo	'1' (Class 86/5)	86501
				'16' (Class 86/6)	86604/605/607/609/610/612-614 621/622/627/628/632/637-639
'Class 90'	Electric	1987	Bo-Bo	'10'	90016/041-049

Notes

1. http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/02/freightliner_and_db_enter_poli.html
2. http://www.therailwaycentre.com/UK%20News%20Pages%20March%2007/270307_66s.html

External links

★ Freightliner

★ Freightliner PL (in Polish)

★ Logico