A CLASS 59 freight loco has become the first to be given the new DB Schenker livery, a move that will be followed gradually with the rest of the fleet.

DB Schenker is the new name for EWS, which was launched in 1996 when railway privatisation started. The new company, which is wholly owned by German Railways, Deutsche Bahn, was formed last year.

The Class 59 locomotive is used for hauling aggregate materials trains in the south of the country.

The distinctive red loco was put on two-day display on the National Railway Museum’s turntable in York as a ‘temporary exhibit’ in recognition of the NRM’s important role in recording the ever-evolving railway scene.

A DB Schenker spokesman said that the fleet of some 386 locomotives – including Class 59, 60, 66 and 67s – would gradually be reliveried, but there was no specific timescale.

“We are a proud supporter of the NRM and are pleased that its visitors were the first to view our new livery and brand, which is targeted to growing UK rail freight.”

-    The replacement of existing traditional stock with high-capacity, track-friendly hop-per wagons is a key element of CEMEX UK’s pioneering six-year contract with DB Schenker, which began in 2007.

Each of the 82 new CEMEX-branded vehicles is able to carry up to 76 tonnes of material for production of asphalt and ready-mixed concrete, transporting more than two million tonnes a year – over 10 per cent of all materials moved by the company.

CEMEX has an extensive network of railheads and depots across the country and is planning to invest in three new depots this year.

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