MGR Hooper! Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Hi, I've been doing some research but I can't come up with specific results. During the RfD days, what kind of stock (container flats/tankers) did RfD locos pull? How long did RfD exist and for how long after did their Class 86s, Class 47s and Class 37s carry the RfD liveries? What were the other companies that operated alongside RfD (both in terms of freight and passenger)? I can only think of InterCity. Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH-UK Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Well this is a can of worms. Here's a summary from my point of view. RfD came around circa 1988 when the entity known simply as Railfreight was divided into 5 subsectors, in that guise its locos hauled complete trains of container flats and mixed trains consisting of a wide variety of wagons including vans, covered hoppers, open wagons (including foreign traffic) as well as MOD traffic and wagons on their way to and from repair (and that's the tip of the iceberg). At this point other operators were Intercity, Network South East, Provincial, Parcels and Departmental. In 1991 most of the mixed trains - the Speedlink network - ceased operating but some of the traffic was retained. At this point Provincial had become Regional Railways but the other operators were more or less the same. Shortly after that the other four sectors became known as Trainload Freight and from an outsiders perspective RfD seemed to be a separate entity, it was still responsible for trains of container flats, MOD trains and traffic from Europe (this isn't an exhaustive list). In the runup to privatisation RfD continued in existence but the three regional freight companies took some of their traditional business, but they had container trains until they were effectively cut in half to create Freightliner in 1995 (again this is from my PoV, others may have different recollections). Other operators were TLF-West/Transrail, TLF-North/Loadhaul, TLF-South/Mainline and the rest of the network continued operating under the previous names while being chopped into manageable chunks in preparation for sale. I'm sure others can put more meat on the bones for you and point out the mistakes and shortcomings of my brief overview. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted August 21, 2016 Author Share Posted August 21, 2016 Hi Chris, Thanks for that lovely bit of info, I'm looking to model a fictional layout and RfD, interCity, Regional Railways and RES were the companies I wanted to portray. Good to know they all did run around the same time. Am I right in assuming that in the 1988-1999 wagons like the PFA/KFA container flats, Cargowaggon Ferry wagons, VTG Telescopic Hood wagons and ICA Silver Bullet tankers were in use? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted August 21, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 21, 2016 Its also worth noting that when BR originally set up RfD, it incorporated the Freightliner operation. In the run up to privatisation, the Freightliner parts of the business were spun off into a stand alone organisation again, which basically left RfD in charge of Channel Tunnel traffic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Hi Chris, Thanks for that lovely bit of info, I'm looking to model a fictional layout and RfD, interCity, Regional Railways and RES were the companies I wanted to portray. Good to know they all did run around the same time. Am I right in assuming that in the 1988-1999 wagons like the PFA/KFA container flats, Cargowaggon Ferry wagons, VTG Telescopic Hood wagons and ICA Silver Bullet tankers were in use? There were some PFA container flats, the earliest Tiphook ones coming out in the late 1980s. VTG coil wagons were around from the late 1970s; I did an article on modelling them that was in RM in 1983 or 1984, which I'd written a couple of years earlier. The various Cargowaggons that Heljan model date from the early 1980s onwards. Not sure about the Silver Bullets. You might find wagons being conveyed on behalf of another sub-sector, I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivercider Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 Not sure about the Silver Bullets. You might find wagons being conveyed on behalf of another sub-sector, I think. The silver bullets started in 1989, here they are when still, er, silver..... https://www.flickr.com/photos/126693116@N06/18871847543/in/photolist-HkVWzN-rHWvKV-uKD9MM-7c55rT-bDXNxZ-4mZFiV cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGR Hooper! Posted August 21, 2016 Author Share Posted August 21, 2016 There were some PFA container flats, the earliest Tiphook ones coming out in the late 1980s. VTG coil wagons were around from the late 1970s; I did an article on modelling them that was in RM in 1983 or 1984, which I'd written a couple of years earlier. The various Cargowaggons that Heljan model date from the early 1980s onwards. Not sure about the Silver Bullets. You might find wagons being conveyed on behalf of another sub-sector, I think. The silver bullets started in 1989, here they are when still, er, silver..... https://www.flickr.com/photos/126693116@N06/18871847543/in/photolist-HkVWzN-rHWvKV-uKD9MM-7c55rT-bDXNxZ-4mZFiV cheers Thank you gentleman...! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.