Talltim Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 US based short line operator Genesee and Wyoming look set to take over Freightliner http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150224006904/en/Genesee-Wyoming-Enters-Agreement-Acquire-Freightliner-Group%23.VO2DmMrfWhA#.VO2QGIbfWc0 Although they are a short line operator, they own lots of them and run trains in the US, Canada, Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesee_%26_Wyoming_Inc Who's going to be the first to photoshop (a different) orange and black onto a 70? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 How long before they re-brand to GWR? Not sure what this brings to the UK market but it gives clear synergy to their European and Australian existing businesses. I see they are creating a $500m credit facility for investment. It will be fascinating to see where that gets spent, if at all. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 G&W already has a subsidiary in Australia called, unsurprisingly, Genesee & Wyoming Australia. It's possible that Freightliner Australia may be rolled up into GWA. Unless there is a really good business reason to retain the Freightliner branding, it's pretty certain the locos will go orange and black. Pretty much every G&W subsidiary does. This might give a rough idea of how the G&W styling might be applied to a class 70. Cheers David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indomitable026 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Another. http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/freight/single-view/view/gw-agrees-to-buy-freightliner-group.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Horse Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 That name rolls off the tongue doesn't it? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted February 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2015 Never 'eard of 'em! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Not sure what this brings to the UK market... I think it gives Freightliner (and their employees) a bit of certainty, it's been for sale (IIRC by an overseas investment group) for a while now, and now we know it's to be bought by a company with interest and experience of running railways (even ones in other open access environments) rather than a faceless investment house that could play fast and loose with jobs and security. For G&W it buys them into the competitive UK market in a fairly big way, starting from scratch is an expensive, risky and slow business! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) Never 'eard of 'em! They have more track* mileage than Network Rail! *or possibly route Edited February 25, 2015 by Talltim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted February 25, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 25, 2015 They have more track* mileage than Network Rail! *or possibly route Still never 'eard of 'em! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastwestdivide Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Never mind hearing of them, how do you pronounce Genesee? I can think of 3 or 4 possibilities, but usually with N American names, it turns out to be the 5th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) Never mind hearing of them, how do you pronounce Genesee? I can think of 3 or 4 possibilities, but usually with N American names, it turns out to be the 5th. Edited February 25, 2015 by Talltim 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Why oh me ??? Thought it was Wy-o-ming !!!!!!!!!!! The Yanks & Hun running our railroads / bahnen Whoever next ?- North Korea !!!!!!!!!!! Brit15 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
St. Simon Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Hi, If the 70's go into Orange and Black, they could be mistaken for the Colas 70's, even though the two schemes are quite different, a costumer wouldn't probably take too much notice and get them mixed up? Having looked at the news report, I can't imagine what £460 million CASH would look like, I can imagine what I do with it though! Simon 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Never mind hearing of them, how do you pronounce Genesee? I can think of 3 or 4 possibilities, but usually with N American names, it turns out to be the 5th.Invariably English names are highly unpredictable for the uninitiated. Americans struggle with the obvious ones like Worcester, Gloucester, Leicester, etc but also ones you might not expect like Barnstaple which an American would (logically) pronounce as barn-stay-pull. The same kind of things are true for Anglicized Australian Aboriginal names as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozexpatriate Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Still never 'eard of 'em! G&W own local short lines here like the Portland and Western (PNWR) and it's subsidiary the Willamette and Pacific (WPRR). The orange and black scheme is very familiar to me. It stands out in dreary rainy days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-UnitMad Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 The Yanks & Hun running our railroads / bahnen Whoever next ?- North Korea !!!!!!!!!!! Brit15 Not entirely new... Wisonsin Central owned EWS after all.The lack of Short Line-style operators in the UK, to hand over freight for local forwarding, was a problem apparently unanticipated by WC, & it affected operating costs. Be ironic if a US Short Line operator can't make UK freight pay for a similar reason.... Someone explain to Cap'n Kernow what a Short Line is, please? I know the West Country/realm of SWAG was always said to be quite isolated... I didn't realise how badly.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vin Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 At the moment anything UK based is up for grabs (at a price). They know what they are doing in freight haulage and transfers and they have many fingers in many pies. Freightliner is another string to their bow. Will it bring harmony and integrated freight movement, who knows? Rwgards Vin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oakydoke Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Not entirely new... Wisonsin Central owned EWS after all. Only briefly though, for five & a half years, before there was just under seven years of Canadian National ownership. As to the OP. Bahraini owned Arcapita (Freightliner's owners) have done well out of this deal if the reported figures are accurate. Bought for a reported £200m in 2008 and sold for £490m in 2015. Although it's not really that simplistic in reality. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB-AU Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 G&W is not quite as big as Network Rail in terms of track length. It owns 112 subsidiary railroads with 15,500 miles (24,900 km) of owned or leased track and has access rights to about another 3,000 miles. I don't actually think G&W is in this for the UK market. Although the UK operation is about 65% of Freightliner Group's revenue, it's only about 40% of the profit. I think they are in this for Freightliner's operations elsewhere, specifically the Saudi operation looks like it will be quite lucrative. CheersDavid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clay Country Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I don't actually think G&W is in this for the UK market. Although the UK operation is about 65% of Freightliner Group's revenue, it's only about 40% of the profit. I think they are in this for Freightliner's operations elsewhere, specifically the Saudi operation looks like it will be quite lucrative. Cheers David The Saudi deal is a five-year operational support contract, more of an extended consultancy role. Although this is an important development for FL I don't think it really influenced GWI's decision to shell out $755m and is fairly minor in the general scheme of things. As you mention, a lot of the non-UK operations, particularly ERS Railways' intermodal business and the Australian unit are a natural fit with GWI's existing business and must have been a key factor in the sale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious NSE Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Not entirely new... Wisonsin Central owned EWS after all. The lack of Short Line-style operators in the UK, to hand over freight for local forwarding, was a problem apparently unanticipated by WC, & it affected operating costs I think the differences between their home country and here will be less of an issue in this case as they already work in similar open access environments on the continent and Australia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 G&W is not quite as big as Network Rail in terms of track length. It owns 112 subsidiary railroads with 15,500 miles (24,900 km) of owned or leased track and has access rights to about another 3,000 miles. I don't actually think G&W is in this for the UK market. Although the UK operation is about 65% of Freightliner Group's revenue, it's only about 40% of the profit. I think they are in this for Freightliner's operations elsewhere, specifically the Saudi operation looks like it will be quite lucrative. Cheers David Asset stripping comes to mind - Freightliner has quite a few new(ish) locos - easily transferred abroad. Yank business tactics are gruesome. Brit15 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffP Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 The G&W colour scheme reminds me of CIE. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Yank business tactics are gruesome. Brit15 This is what worries me - and the first place I've read about it is on here, not so much as a dickie bird from my employer...! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted February 26, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 26, 2015 This is what worries me - and the first place I've read about it is on here, not so much as a dickie bird from my employer...! Regrettably, as with all/most big companies, what's it got to do with you? Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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