'Freightliner'-liveried containers

[Fat Controller]

I'd assumed that, with the shift to maritime traffic, Freightliner had long since ceased to operate their own boxes. However, at Milton Keynes on Tuesday, there was a 40' example on the rear of an Up Freightliner. It carried their red livery, with white lettering.

There were an awful lot of Intermodals around during daylight hours, both on the way to Stoke on Tuesday, and during the return today, with most being well-loaded.

[arran]

HI All

 

Freightliner have some containers in use between depots to carry stores round the country, this might be one of them.

 

Regards Arran

[Merfyn Jones]

I asked on another thread only last week, when Freightliner ceased using their own containers, but unfortunatly got no answer. The latest photograph I could find of one was at Cardiff in 1993.

I am pleasently supprised and will have to keep an eye out myself.

Mant thanks for that information.

Merfyn.

[Edwin_m]

There's a couple sitting in Longsight depot...

[Fat Controller]

I asked on another thread only last week, when Freightliner ceased using their own containers, but unfortunatly got no answer. The latest photograph I could find of one was at Cardiff in 1993.

I am pleasently supprised and will have to keep an eye out myself.

Mant thanks for that information.

Merfyn.

It was your post that prompted me to notice this box, Merfyn. I wonder what the stores they send around the country are, if they justify a 40' box....That's a heck of a lot of toilet paper.

[Merfyn Jones]

I took this grab shot a few years ago of a Freightliner lorry between Crewe works and Basford Hall. I now notice that the wheelsets and bogies are sitting on 2 x 20' flat containers in Freightliner green livery.

It seems like almost every depot in the country has at least one old container lying about, they would have been zero cost.

Merfyn.

[Fat Controller]

I presume the use of 20' flats means that they can use a standard skeletal trailer to transport the wheelsets, rather than having to have a dedicated flatbed.

[Glorious NSE]

This "kitbashed" one was in use during 2008 moving supplies to/from Ipswich stabling point, which I don't think is able to receive supplies by truck. http://thehumblebox.fotopic.net/p55341406.html - the sprayed on "BELU" marks and number are interesting, suggesting the kitbash may have originally been a Bell Lines box.

 

I also caught this one in 2009 with "on hire to Freightliner" decals:

http://thehumblebox.fotopic.net/p61044622.html

 

Not seen a "proper" freightliner box moving for years though, so nice to know it happens albeit occasionally!

[40044]

A number of RfD/Freightliner-liveried boxes moved from Bicester to Wakefield about 2 years ago. I think Brian Daniels made a post on the old forum?

 

Still quite a few dotted about the place in static use for depot storage. Most of the flat containers used by Freightliner for car traffic ae still dumped at Garston FLT.

[mr45144]

Howm very disappointing - I was expecting th o see grey boxes with a red stripe about a third of the way up. Must be getting old.

[Pugsley]

ISTR that there's one on the approach to Reading station (or at least there was, I don't know if it's been swept away in the remodelling). If memory serves correctly, it's by the washing plant, so is probably used for stores in connection with that.

[Southernman46]

We recently cut up and removed one of the original 10' Freightliner containers from the down cess between Hook and Basingstoke - unfortunately it was in too poor a condition to lift out in one piece

[new puritan]

There are plenty of 'unloved' Freightliner containers in various liveries scattered around. This one was photographed last October and is all that remains of the original 40 x 8 x 8 box. Manufactured by Adamsons of Stockport for those that may care. and I think there won't be many of you. ...

[Talltim]

There's some here

 

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=sx3ytggwk8hw&lvl=19.089336203431596&dir=3.8330430203744092&sty=o&eo=1&where1=Rotherham%2C%20Rotherham&q=rotherham

 

not been in service for a while tho

[Glorious NSE]

Probably not many Mark! Was there a build date on it by any chance?

I think the old style type code dates it to between 1984 and 1995 - 4500 suggests taller than 8'6" and the door markings (and features) suggest a "palletwide" box - wonder if it dates to early "tunnel" years? Nice catch.

 

Here's a more standard sized one, this one overlooks West Hampstead NLL platforms, sadly I think it's since been "repainted" - this one doesn't ever seem to have had proper interchange markings.

[new puritan]

Probably not many Mark! Was there a build date on it by any chance? I think the old style type code dates it to between 1984 and 1995 - 4500 suggests taller than 8'6" and the door markings (and features) suggest a "palletwide" box - wonder if it dates to early "tunnel" years? Nice catch. :)Here's a more standard sized one, this one overlooks West Hampstead NLL platforms, sadly I think it's since been "repainted" - this one doesn't ever seem to have had proper interchange markings.

 

Whoops You're correct as it is an 8'6" pallet-wide box Martyn. Should have looked at it before posting. No build date decipherable but I suspect early 1990s.

 

Tried to examine that one at West Hampstead from the other side and was refused permission. They would not believe that I only wanted some pictures of an old box!

 

 

How about one with a pantograph on top...

[Glorious NSE]

That's so far put me off doing much "overt" old box hunting, there's a few in the area i'd like to get close enough to get build date info for - but I suspect that will generally be the reaction!

 

Box with pantograph - awesome

[Fat Controller]

That's so far put me off doing much "overt" old box hunting, there's a few in the area i'd like to get close enough to get build date info for - but I suspect that will generally be the reaction!

 

Box with pantograph - awesome

The only time I can remember seeing 40' Freightliner boxes going through the tunnel would have been in the very early days- I believe they were used on a block train to Italy for the MoD, for onward transport to the Balkans. If my memory serves me correctly, they were loaded with Scimitar or similar AFVs.

[Dannogeezer]

I believe the ISO container code of 4500 - denotes a 40 foot high cube (H/C) of 9' 6" high

[Glorious NSE]

The old codes were much, much less exact for boxes like this that aren't "deep sea" standard sizes, which is why the new codes were introduced in the mid 90s, as you had a myriad of odd widths, lengths and heights being introduced to match specific uses in Europe (such as channel tunnel intermodal) that the old codes aimed at deep sea shipping just could not cope with.

 

The 1984 spec codes didn't acknowledge any alternative widths, and only had specific height data for:

 

8'

8'6"

Bigger than 8'6" 

Less than 4'

4' to 4'3"

4'3" to 8'

 

So, whilst a deep sea 40' x 9'6" x 8' dry box with no vents (nowadays 45G0) would indeed have been a 4500, so would a 40' x 8'9" x 2.5m unvented box which would nowadays be something like a 4DG0 - my suspicion is this box will be something odd in height like 8'9" or 9', which seems to have been quite a common height for containers built for the early days of the tunnel, presumably to match a specific combination of megafrets/multifrets/route clearances?

[Banger Blue]

ISTR that there's one on the approach to Reading station (or at least there was, I don't know if it's been swept away in the remodelling). If memory serves correctly, it's by the washing plant, so is probably used for stores in connection with that.

There is an old Freightliner container (it may be the same one) at the new depot, it sits down at the station end of the yard at the vehicle turning point. It won't be visible from the running lines as it sits behind the 'acoustic reduction barrier' (AKA a big wooden fence).

 

If I remember I'll try and grab a phot in the morning when I leave work.

[40044]

Still one, or maybe more ticked away in a corner of Trafford Park Euroterminal. I'll try and dig the pic out and post.

[40044]

83L28, Trafford Park, 4th June 2013.

[Banger Blue]

There is an old Freightliner container (it may be the same one) at the new depot, it sits down at the station end of the yard at the vehicle turning point. It won't be visible from the running lines as it sits behind the 'acoustic reduction barrier' (AKA a big wooden fence).

If I remember I'll try and grab a phot in the morning when I leave work.

As promised: Reading Train Care Depot. 20th May 14

 

 

[Glorious NSE]

Can confirm that is the one from the old Reading depot. If you ever get chance, the metal plate near the handles of the right hand door will likely give a build date and builder (if anyone is interested.)