Railfreight Distribution facts for kids
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| State owned | |
| Industry | Rail freight |
| Fate | Split into regional sectors for privatisation |
| Predecessor | Split off from Railfreight in 1988. |
| Successor | 1995: Freightliner (Intermodal) 1996: English Welsh & Scottish (Wagonload) |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Services | Intermodal and Wagonload freight |
| Parent | British Rail |
| Divisions | Speedlink (Wagonload) and Freightliner (Intermodal) |
Railfreight Distribution was a special part of British Rail. It was created in 1987 to handle certain types of freight (goods) that were carried by train. This included moving goods in large containers and smaller loads that weren't full trains. Sometimes, it was also called Speedlink Distribution in its early days. Later, this company became responsible for moving freight trains through the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France.
Contents
History of Railfreight Distribution
In the 1980s, fewer goods were being sent by train. This happened for a few reasons. More companies started using trucks instead of trains. Also, the railway network became smaller, meaning trains couldn't reach as many places. Plus, there was less manufacturing in the UK, so fewer raw materials were needed and fewer finished products were shipped out.
In October 1988, British Rail decided to combine three of its freight services into one new company: Railfreight Distribution. These services were Speedlink (for smaller, individual wagon loads), Freightliner (for large containers), and Railfreight International (for goods going abroad).
Changes and Challenges
In 1991, the Speedlink service was stopped because it was losing money. It was very expensive to move individual wagons around in sorting yards and to pick them up or drop them off at different locations. About 80% of the costs came from these activities. It only made sense to use Speedlink if wagons traveled more than 500 miles or if there were at least 10 wagons daily.
However, about 70% of the goods that used to go by Speedlink were moved to more efficient "trainload" operations. This meant goods were sent in full trains or in trains specially hired by companies.
After this, Railfreight Distribution focused on the Channel Tunnel. They would be in charge of moving freight trains through it, working with the French train company SNCF. The company learned that long-distance trips were more profitable. They started to focus on moving containers from big ports like Felixstowe, Southampton, and London Thamesport. They hoped to see a big increase in freight coming from Europe once the Channel Tunnel opened in the mid-1990s. However, this big increase in traffic didn't happen until after the year 2000.
How Railfreight Distribution Was Divided and Sold
When British Rail was split up and sold to private companies, Railfreight Distribution was also divided. In 1995, the part of the business that handled containers (called intermodal) was separated. It became a new company called Freightliner.
Later, in 1997, the rest of Railfreight Distribution was bought by another company, English Welsh & Scottish.
Locomotives Used by Railfreight Distribution
By the time Railfreight Distribution was sold, its fleet of locomotives included several types. They had Class 47s, some Class 86s, and one special Class 87 (number 87101). They also had a group of Class 90s and Class 92s. Many of the Class 92s were new and waiting to be used.
Some of these locomotives were actually owned by other companies, like European Passenger Services and SNCF. They were all used together in a shared group. The main places where these trains were kept and maintained were Tinsley and Crewe Electric Depots. However, other depots were also used during the company's existence, especially for smaller shunting locomotives that moved wagons around yards.
Train Colors and Designs (Liveries)
In 1987, Railfreight Distribution introduced a new look for its trains. It used two shades of grey, similar to other British Rail freight services at the time. The logo was made of two red diamond shapes on a yellow background, placed on top of a red square.
In 1992, before the Channel Tunnel opened, the train colors were updated. This new "European" version had dark grey on the upper sides of the train, light grey on the lower sides, and a blue roof. The words 'Railfreight Distribution' were written on the side.
Also in 1992, three Class 90/1 trains (90128, 90129, and 90130) were painted in special "continental" colors. One was blue like trains from Belgium, one was red like trains from Germany, and one was grey like trains from France. This was to celebrate a conference called "Freightconnection." Each of these trains was named "Freightconnection" in the language matching its livery. These three Class 90s were later changed back to their original setup.
