Freightliner Takes Over Mendip Stone Trains

Freightliner Begins Working Mendip Stone Trains

Starting tomorrow, Sunday 3rd November, DB Cargo will cease operating the Mendip stone trains with changeover to Freightliner . Following their successful contract win Freightliner will operate all trains on behalf of the Mendip rail joint venture between Aggregate Industries and Hanson.

Operating out of Merehead Quarry and Whatley Quarry, Freightliner will work the jumbo trains from these quarries to Acton yard in London, and Westbury Yard in Somerset.

Further reading: Freightliner class 70 successful trial on Mendip Jumbo Train

Onwards from Acton and Westbury, Freightliner will now operate aggregate trains across the South to Eastleigh, Botley, Newhaven, Ardingly, Crawley, and as far as Chelmsford in Essex. For the past few months, Freightliner have already taken over the Mendip workings for the Chichester Stone.

The Mendip contract was previously held by DB Cargo.

As part of the agreement, Freightliner have also purchased outright, Mendip’s eight class 59 locomotives.

59001  XYPO Aggregate Industries
59002  XYPO Aggregate Industries
59004  XYPO Aggregate Industries
59005  XYPO Aggregate Industries
59101  XYPA Hanson
59102  XYPA Hanson
59103  XYPA Hanson
59104  XYPA Hanson

Pool codes subject to change Sunday.

The purchase of the Mendip class 59/0s and 59/1s compliment’s their strong fleet of class 66/4, 66/5, 66/9 and class 66/6 locomotives. Freightliner also operate 19 class 70 locomotives although with replacement parts scarce, many of Freightliner’s class 70s are in storage at Leeds.

Freightliner Mendip Trains

Not all South East stone trains will be hauled by Freightliner, for it is only those that originate from the Mendips that are FL operated. Eg the Thursday working between Acton TC and Newhaven Day Aggregates remains DB for the Brentford ash flow, whilst M Tu W Fr workings change hands.

Below, I have exported a list of services which originate from one of the Somerset quarries (Merehead, Whatley) or one of their virtual quarry or distribution centers (Westbury, Acton TC etc).

I have made the assumption that the below are now operated by Freightliner and not DB Cargo, because their schedule start date is 4th November, and they’re in as WTT. Otherwise they would have been in the December WTT update instead.

If there is anything incorrect with the below table, or if a working isn’t Freightliner mendip train, please let us know in the comments (jump to comments) and we’ll hide it.

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Author: matt

Owner of Rail Record