Railfreight sub-sectorisation

The freight flows into which Railfreight was divided were based on their principal traffics:

• Coal
• Construction
• Metals
• Petroleum

Some traffics, however, did not fit neatly into any of these bulk categories. To handle these, British Rail also maintained a wider distribution network which became known as Railfreight Distribution. From 1988 onwards, this was widely shortened to RfD.

RfD was BR’s intermodal and international freight business and also carried non-bulk traffics such as china clay, chemicals and automotive traffic. It incorporated the Speedlink network, formed in 1977, which handled air-braked wagonload freight and had replaced the older vacuum-braked network. Freightliner operations also formed part of this wider RfD structure for a time.

Speedlink eventually became unprofitable, losing traffic to the roads and being regarded as increasingly unsuitable for the distribution market of the day. It was withdrawn in 1991. Freightliner later separated in 1994 to become Freightliner Ltd.

In the 1990s, Railfreight Distribution increasingly focused on Channel Tunnel traffic, reflected in the order for thirty Class 92 locomotives specifically designed for international freight through the tunnel, alongside a further batch of sixteen Class 92s owned and operated by SNCF/SNCB and Eurostar interests.

The idea behind the main sub-sectors was straightforward: each would specialise in moving bulk trainloads of a particular commodity. Although each had its own managers, staff, rolling stock and locomotives, the sub-sectors still remained under the overall control of Railfreight and, ultimately, the British Rail Board.

Deciding which locomotives would belong to which sector was, in many respects, a pragmatic exercise, carried out within the DM&EE freight offices at Derby and influenced by traffic type, overhaul timing and broader operational planning.

Why the Class 58s went to Coal

When the time came to decide where the Class 58 fleet would sit within the new structure, there was initially some uncertainty. At one stage, the class was expected to be divided between the Coal and Speedlink sectors, reflecting the fact that the locomotives had become regular performers on Speedlink work in some areas, especially through the Hope Valley.

In the end, however, all fifty Class 58s were allocated to the Coal sector.

The principal reason was simple: during their conception and construction, the Class 58s had always been intended primarily for Merry-Go-Round coal traffic in the Midlands, and their construction had been partly funded by Railfreight’s coal division.

By the mid-1980s, Railfreight’s plans for sub-sectorisation were steadily taking shape. As with the original launch of Railfreight itself, the new structure required a distinct visual identity.

Sector logos and branding

Responsibility for designing the new liveries and visual identities for the sub-sectors was given to the Roundel Design Group, a specialist design consultancy. The livery they developed was the now-familiar triple-grey scheme, chosen because it could be applied easily across all Railfreight locomotive classes.

On its own, however, triple grey needed branding to distinguish one business from another. Once again, the Roundel Design Group, working with Derby’s freight management teams, developed a family of logos based around the major commodity carried by each sector:

• Coal — black diamonds representing coal
• Construction — blue and yellow squares representing building blocks
• Metals — blue and yellow chevrons representing corrugated iron
• Petroleum — blue and yellow wave forms representing the fluid nature of oil
• Railfreight Distribution — red diamonds on yellow, often said to represent the four corners of the UK, though this interpretation has never been universally agreed

All of these designs sat within a square format. In addition, Freight Division requested that each logo should subtly incorporate the letter F for freight. This can be seen in the shadowed top-left element of the designs.

The Railfreight sector logos developed for Coal, Construction, Metals, Petroleum and Railfreight Distribution.

The official launch of the Railfreight sub-sectors: October 1987

So where does Trainload fit into all this?

After the Ripple Lane launch, the Railfreight sectors increasingly specialised in moving bulk trainloads of a single commodity. From this practice came the broader generic term Trainload.

In late 1988 and early 1989, a rebranding exercise took place in which the Railfreight business officially adopted the name Trainload Freight. Railfreight Coal became Trainload Coal, Railfreight Metals became Trainload Metals, and so on.

The only sector that did not become a Trainload business was Railfreight Distribution, which continued separately as a BR Board subsidiary until 1998.

Trainload Freight became Britain’s largest heavy freight operator. In the year ending 31 March 1990, the sectors hauled more than 128 million tonnes of freight.

Trainload Coal was the largest of the sectors. It controlled more than 200 locomotives, including the entire fleet of fifty Class 58s, and around 11,000 wagons, all dedicated to the bulk rail movement of coal. In 1990 alone, the sector moved 75 million tonnes of coal, representing approximately 58% of Trainload Freight’s total traffic.

Depot plaques

All Railfreight locomotives were allocated to a home depot, even though in day-to-day service they were often out-stabled elsewhere for minor repairs or routine attention. Major repairs and examinations would usually see the locomotive return to its allocated home depot.

Depots were, and remain, a vital part of railway operations, providing the maintenance, servicing, fuelling and repair needed to keep locomotives working effectively.

As part of Railfreight’s growing identity programme, the depots too were given distinct visual identifiers. The Roundel Design Group produced a wide range of designs which became known as depot plaques.

Across the sectorisation era between 1987 and 1997 there were well over forty plaque and decal designs. Most were based on industries or local associations linked with the depot concerned, although some were devised locally by depot staff. Some plaques were cast in metal and fitted to locomotives, while painted or decal versions appeared on rolling stock, depot entrances, fuel tanks, offices and road vehicles.

Some plaque designs appeared at the same time as the sub-sector launch in October 1987. For example, 58050 in Coal livery introduced the Toton cooling towers plaque, while 37892 carried the Ripple Lane torch design. Other plaques, such as Immingham’s star and scroll, followed later.

Even now, many years later, the depot plaques remain instantly recognisable. The cooling towers evoke Toton and the Class 58s, the pit winding wheel recalls Knottingley, the Spitfire suggests Eastleigh and the seagull remains closely associated with Saltley.

Following the demise of Railfreight and Trainload and their replacement by Mainline Freight and ultimately EWS, these plaques were progressively removed in line with new livery policies. Their popularity, however, has never really disappeared, and original plaques remain highly sought after by collectors.

Class 58 operations

During the earlier Railfreight red-stripe era, the Class 58 was very much a “go anywhere, do anything” freight locomotive. Although principally intended for Merry-Go-Round coal circuits, the class could often be found on steel, enterprise, Freightliner and engineers’ trains as well. The 1984–85 miners’ strike demonstrated this versatility particularly clearly.

Once the freight business was broken into separate sub-sectors, each with its own staff, budget, rolling stock and locomotives, there was far less need for one class to range widely across many different traffics. A pool of locomotives assigned to a given sector was expected to concentrate on that sector’s core commodity.

In the case of the Class 58, its allocation to Coal meant it became an increasingly rare sight away from coal traffic, although exceptions did still occur from time to time for operational reasons.

Railtours, however, continued to offer enthusiasts the chance to enjoy Class 58 haulage away from normal coal workings, and these became some of the most memorable passenger appearances of the class.

Trainload Freight facts

Depot plaques

There were well over forty different depot plaque or decal designs during British Rail’s sectorisation period between 1987 and 1997. Most were created by the Roundel Design Group with reference to local industries and associations, although some were designed by depot staff themselves. Some plaques were cast and carried on locomotives, while others appeared as painted designs on rolling stock, depot buildings, fuel tanks, offices and even road vehicles.