Freightliner began life in the 1960s as the division of British Railways charged with moving containers between ports and inland terminals, where specialised cranes were then used to transfer the containers from rail to road vehicles.
Following the privatisation of British Rail in 1996, these operations were transferred to a new company called Freightliner 1995 Ltd, and once in the hands of private operators, the new company began to expand its operation into other areas of rail freight
In 1999 Freightliner set up a new division – Freightliner Heavyhaul – as a direct competitor to the bulk rail freight company English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS). Today, Freightliner has major maintenance depots at Crewe Basford Hall, and Leeds Midland Road, while the main marshalling yard and stabling point is at Crewe.
Freightliner Locomotives is an illustrated survey of the various locomotive classes used by Freightliner since rail privatisation in the mid-1990s. Each class of locomotive is featured in turn, including Classes 47, 57, 66 (several variants), 70, 86 and 90.
All the photographs are reproduced in colour and most are presented in two-per-page format. Many different locations around the country are illustrated and the book also reveals how the company has diversified in the twenty-first century. 96 pages.