Freightliner
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Although widely condemned both at the time and subsequently, the Beeching Report was not the wholly negative document of popular legend. Among the more positive aspects was Beeching's vision of the potential for the railway industry of the container and BR was one of the pioneers in the rail-borne exploitation of this type of traffic. At Sectorisation in the mid-1980s, Freightliner was created as a separate business within Railfreight and, at Privatisation, was acquired by its management. The new owners started an aggressive policy of expanding the business, launching Heavy Haul in competition with EWS in 1996.
Inheriting a motley selection of elderly locomotives from BR, Freightliner's fleet has been largely replaced by new Class 66s and a new batch of locomotives - the GE-built Class 70 - has now started to enter service. The company has also expanded overseas, launching a Polish subsidiary in 2006. In 2008 the bulk of the Freightliner business was acquired by the Arab-owned investment company Arcapita, although the management still retains a holding, and the new owners have announced plans for the company's further overseas expansion, with a new subsidiary launched in Australia.
An expert on the subject of freight on the railways, Paul Shannon is ideally placed to provide a history of Freightliner from its inception through to the modern age. Although looking back over almost 50 years, the book concentrates on the past two decades when the company's range of operations has expanded considerably.
