Loadhaul

Last updated

Loadhaul Limited
IndustryRail freight
Founded9 June 1994 as Trainload Freight North East
Defunct1996
FateAcquired by Wisconsin Central Ltd.
Successor English Welsh & Scottish
Headquarters,
ServicesFreight train owner/operator
Parent British Rail

Loadhaul Ltd. was a railfreight operator based in the north-east of the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1994, as part of the privatisation of British Rail, and acquired in 1996 by a consortium headed by Wisconsin Central, then merged into a new company English Welsh & Scottish Railway. It is now part of DB Cargo.

Contents

History

Loadhaul was created in 1994, along with Transrail and Mainline as part of the broadly regional split of British Rail's Trainload Freight operations - Loadhaul's centre of operations were North East England, and South and East Yorkshire. The three companies were created with the aim of promoting competition between the businesses with the eventual aim of being privatised. It was initially and briefly named "Trainload Freight North East Limited" before being renamed Loadhaul Limited. [1] [2]

All three former Trainload Freight companies including Loadhaul were acquired in February 1996 by 'North-South Railways': a company formed by a consortium led by US railroad company Wisconsin Central, for a combined total of £225.15million (approximately $349 million). The USA based Omnitrax in association with Loadhaul management submitted an unsuccessful bid under the name "FirstFreight". The three companies together with Rail Express Systems were formed into a new company, English Welsh & Scottish (EWS). [1] [2] [3] [4]

Operations and traffic

Class 56 in Loadhaul livery with salt train at Tees Yard (July 1998) Trainload of salt from Boulby arriving at Tees Yard - geograph.org.uk - 492255.jpg
Class 56 in Loadhaul livery with salt train at Tees Yard (July 1998)

In late 1995 the company employed 1,650, with a fleet of 194 locomotives and over 5000 wagons, carrying 38 million tons of freight with a revenue of $225 million (£144.9 million). The company's main locomotive depots were Immingham TMD, Blyth, Healey Mills, Thornaby TMD, Knottingley and at Doncaster Carr rail depot. Headed by Ian Braybrook who was previously a director for Trainload Freight, the company was split into two operational areas, North East and Yorkshire/Humberside. Each area had its own manager and administrative staff.[ citation needed ]

Coal formed just over half of the company's income, with much of the traffic originating from the Yorkshire collieries and in particular the Selby Coalfield. The Aire Valley power stations received much of the coal, with each power station taking up to 30 MGR trainloads every 24 hours. Coal was also transported in huge volumes to Scunthorpe Steelworks along with imported iron ore. Semi-finished steel products were forwarded from Scunthorpe to British Steel plants at locations such as Lackenby and Wolverhampton. Loadhaul also carried large volumes of petroleum traffic from the Lindsey and Humber oil refineries. Crude oil from the Lincolnshire Oil Field was also delivered to refineries on the Humber. Smaller but regular volumes of other traffics were also carried including paper for news print to Barking, construction blocks from the Plasmor Block plant at Heck near Selby and Salt & Potash from Boulby. [5]

Fleet

The total fleet including stored locomotives consisted of 66 Class 37s, 24 Class 47s and 57 Class 56 diesel locomotives, as well as 33 of the then new Class 60 diesel locomotives. The company also had 48 Class 08/09 shunting locomotives on its books.

An unusual member of the fleet was class 122 'Bubblecar' No. 55012. This single car DMU was used as a driver route learner, for which it also carried the number 977941.

BR Class 56 in Loadhaul livery with coal hoppers at Knottingley 56039 Port of Hull.jpg
BR Class 56 in Loadhaul livery with coal hoppers at Knottingley

Loadhaul operated 2176 coal wagons, mostly HAA "MGR" hoppers used on power station coal circuits. Smaller numbers of older HEA hopper were used for industrial coal users. 40 MEA wagon conversions from redundant four wheel hoppers were ordered from RMS at Doncaster, these being delivered in 1996. These were primarily for industrial coal customers who relied on mechanical grabs to unload as opposed to having fixed hopper discharge facilities.

1250 wagons were operated on steel traffic, which included the bogie iron ore tippler wagons used on the Scunthorpe ore circuit. Closed vans and infrastructure vehicles contributed to over 1700 other wagons in the Loadhaul fleet.

Loadhaul also ran a number of articulated lorries with flatbed trailers out of the steel terminal at Rotherham. These include ERF and DAF 95 tractor units.

Motive Power Summary

ClassQuantityImageTypeNotes
Class 08/0948Diesel ShunterNo shunters ever wore Loadhaul livery
Class 37 66 37710 stabled at Didcot Yard.JPG Diesel Locomotive
Class 56 57 56109 at Barnetby.jpg
Class 60 33 60059 at Margam.jpg
Class 122 1Diesel Multiple UnitNumber 55012 was used for route learning

Livery and Branding

EWS locomotive 60064, seen still wearing Trainload Freight grey with Loadhaul logos EWS Freight Train - geograph.org.uk - 360436.jpg
EWS locomotive 60064, seen still wearing Trainload Freight grey with Loadhaul logos

The company was the first of the three trainload companies to introduce a completely new livery. Deliberately breaking with traditional railway colours of Yellow, Green, Red and Blue, Loadhaul introduced a livery of black with orange lower cabsides.

Produced by Venture Design, the livery was also favoured for its practicality. Gloss Black bodysides helped disguise bodyside ripples and oil leaks; Orange lower cab sides helped to hide brake deposits. The logo and livery, with large blocks of colour running across the bodysides as opposed to typical "linear" and "streamline" designs, were designed with the brief to convey the message "Big & Heavy". This livery was unveiled at Doncaster Locomotive Works' open day on 9 June 1994, with 37713 and 56039 being the first locos to wear the livery.

It was the intention of the company to only repaint locomotives where existing paintwork was in poor condition. The paintwork on the Class 60 locomotives was still under warranty and most remained in triple grey livery and received a large body side logo and orange flashes next to the cab doors. However, June 1995 saw 60059 repainted in full Loadhaul livery and named "Swinden Dalesman". Unveiled at the Hillhead Quarry exhibition, the repaint was part of a public relations exercise with Tilcon Roadstone.

Single car route learner DMU number 55012 also received Loadhaul livery, which it carried through the EWS era up to withdrawal. No shunters received Loadhaul livery despite being operated by the company. Inspection saloon number TDM395280 gained a version of the livery. This was all over black with the orange at full height on one end only. A horizontal orange stripe ran the length of the saloon, interrupted for a small logo.

Many wagons were repainted during the company's short existence, with revenue earning stock such as HEA domestic coal hoppers and BDA and BSA steel flats being reliveried during refurbishment. The 40 new MEA open box wagons received a black livery upon completion but didn't feature any orange markings. Many examples of non-revenue earning stock (engineering wagons) were also re-liveried. These included YGB and YGH ballast hoppers, ZFV, ZCA open spoil wagons and a shark brake van.

The fleet of road vehicles working out of Rotherham Steel Terminal received the Loadhaul livery. This consisted of an all-over black livery with small Loadhaul logos on the cab doors then an optional orange flash down the rear of the cab side. The wording "Rotherham Depot" in orange block letters was prominent on the cab headboard. Trailers had orange ends similar to flatbed rolling stock.

Branding of traction depots and yards was also in the design remit. External signage was black with an orange triangle low down in one corner. A small Loadhaul logo featured with the facility name in large white lettering.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DB Cargo UK</span> British rail freight company

DB Cargo UK, is a British rail freight company headquartered in Doncaster, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freightliner Group</span> Rail freight and logistics company

Freightliner Group is a rail freight and logistics company headquartered in the United Kingdom. It is presently a majority owned subsidiary of the American holding company Genesee & Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail brand names</span>

British Rail was the brand image of the nationalised railway owner and operator in Great Britain, the British Railways Board, used from 1965 until its breakup and sell-off from 1993 onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transrail Freight</span>

Transrail was a trainload rail freight operator based in St Blazey, England, UK with a large operating area including Scotland, Wales and the west of England. It was formed in 1994 from part of British Rail's Trainload Freight division, as part of the privatisation of British Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainline Freight</span>

Mainline Freight was a trainload rail freight operator based in Islington, London, England with operations extending to Yorkshire in the north and Somerset in the west. It was formed from part of British Rail's Trainload Freight division as part of the privatisation of British Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railfreight Distribution</span>

Railfreight Distribution was a sub-sector of British Rail, created by the division in 1987 of British Rail's previous Railfreight sector. It was responsible for non-trainload freight operations, as well as Freightliner and Intermodal services. In its early years, the division was occasionally referred to as Speedlink Distribution. It was later responsible for freight operations through the Channel Tunnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 37</span> Class of diesel-electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 37 is a diesel-electric locomotive. Also known as the English Electric Type 3, the class was ordered as part of the British Rail modernisation plan. They were numbered in two series, D6600–D6608 and D6700–D6999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 92</span> British electric railway freight locomotive

The British Rail Class 92 is a dual-voltage electric locomotive, which can run on 25 kV AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail. It was designed specifically to operate services through the Channel Tunnel between Great Britain and France. Eurotunnel indicates the Class 92 locomotive as the reference for other locomotives which railway undertakings might want to get certified for usage in the Channel tunnel.

Trainload Freight was the sector of British Rail responsible for trainload freight services. The division was subdivided into four sub-sectors; coal, petroleum, metals and construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 67</span> Class of diesel-electric locomotives

The Class 67 locomotives are a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives that were built for the English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) between 1999 and 2000 by Alstom at Meinfesa in Valencia, Spain with drive components from General Motors' Electro-Motive Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 60</span> Class of diesel electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 60 is a class of Co-Co heavy freight diesel-electric locomotives built by Brush Traction. They are nicknamed Tugs by rail enthusiasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 20</span> Class of diesel-electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 20, otherwise known as an English Electric Type 1, is a class of diesel-electric locomotive. In total, 228 locomotives in the class were built by English Electric between 1957 and 1968, the large number being in part because of the failure of other early designs in the same power range to provide reliable locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 56</span> Class of diesel electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 56 is a type of diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight work. It is a Type 5 locomotive, with a Ruston-Paxman power unit developing 3,250 bhp, and has a Co-Co wheel arrangement. Enthusiasts nicknamed them "Gridirons", due to the grid-like horn cover on the locomotive's cab ends fitted to nos. 56056 onwards. Under its Romanian railway factory nomenclature, the locomotive was named Electroputere LDE 3500, with LDE coming from Locomotivă Diesel-Electrică and the 3500 being the planned horsepower output.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 58</span> Class of 50 Co′Co′ 3300 hp diesel-electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 58 is a class of Co-Co diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight. The narrow body with cabs at either end led to them being given the nickname "Bone" by rail enthusiasts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 59</span> Class of diesel electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 59 is a fleet of Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives built between 1985 and 1995 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors for use in Great Britain. A total of 15 locomotives were built for three different operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merry-go-round train</span> Train that loads and unloads its cargo while moving

A merry-go-round train, often abbreviated to MGR, is a block train of hopper wagons which both loads and unloads its cargo while moving. In the United Kingdom, they are most commonly coal trains delivering to power stations. These trains were introduced in the 1960s, and were one of the few innovations of the Beeching cuts, along with investment from the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) and the NCB into new power stations and loading facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinsley Motive Power Depot</span> Railway depot near Sheffield, England

Tinsley Motive Power Depot, latterly Tinsley Traction Maintenance Depot (TMD), was a railway depot in Tinsley, South Yorkshire, near Sheffield. Access by road was from Brinsworth, near Rotherham. The depot was situated on the freight line between Treeton Junction and the A631 Shepcote Lane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railfreight</span> Former sector of British Rail


Railfreight was a sector of British Rail responsible for all freight operations on the British network. The division was created in 1982 when BR sought to assign particular stock and management to the evolving requirements of freight traffic.

Speedlink was a wagonload freight service that used air-braked wagons and was operated by British Rail from 1977 to 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail freight in Great Britain</span> History and types of freight moved by rail in Great Britain

The railway network in Great Britain has been used to transport goods of various types and in varying volumes since the early 19th century. Network Rail, which owns and maintains the network, aims to increase the amount of goods carried by rail. In 2015–16 Britain's railways moved 17.8 billion net tonne kilometres, a 20% fall compared to 2014–15. Coal accounted for 13.1% of goods transport in Britain, down considerably from previous years. There are no goods transported by railway in Northern Ireland.

References

  1. 1 2 C. Nash; T. Fowkes (2004), "Rail Privatisation in Britain - Lessons for the rail freight industry : 2. The privatisation process", in European Conference of Ministers of Transport. Economic Research Centre (ed.), Report of the Hundred and Twenty Fifth Round Table on Transport Economics Held in Paris on 28th-29th November 2002 on the Following Topic: European Integration of Rail Freight Transport, OECD Publishing, sections: C. Trainload, p.70; C1 EWS, pp.70-1, ISBN   9789282113196
  2. 1 2 Philippe Thalmann (2004), The dynamics of freight transport development: a UK and Swiss comparison, Ashgate Publishing, The Privatisation of the Freight Business, p.34-35, ISBN   9780754637561
  3. "Rail Privatisation". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Hansard, House of Commons, UK. 27 December 1996. volume 296, 275W.
  4. "WC group buys British freight services - Wisconsin Central buys Loadhaul, Transrail and Mainline Freight", Railway Age, Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, March 1996
  5. Walker, Mike (September 1996). "Wisconsin Central's British Empire". Railfan & Railroad . Vol. 15. Carstens Publications. p. 44.

Sources