DB Cargo UK has named one of its Class 66 locomotives (66186) in honour of Antony Slater, the late founder of the Plasmor Group, one of the UK’s largest independent manufacturers of concrete products.
Plasmor started using rail to transport products in 1986, when new sidings were built to connect the factory to the adjacent East Coast Main Line at Great Heck, where the naming ceremony took place.
DB Cargo UK has been an important part of Plasmor’s supply chain for the past 40 years and was recently awarded a new five-year contract which will see the company continue to provide safe and reliable rail freight services until the end of 2031.
Under the terms of the new contract, DB Cargo UK will operate up to six trains per week between the Great Heck site and Plasmor’s distribution terminals at Biggleswade in Bedfordshire and Bow in East London.
DB Cargo UK’s Chief Commercial Officer Roger Neary, who performed today’s unveiling, said: “It has been an honour to work with the Slater family and their colleagues at Plasmor over the past four decades, providing a safe and reliable solution to their everyday transport needs.
“With the recent signing of a new five-year contract, we thought that naming one of our locomotives after one of the company’s founders was a very fitting way to demonstrate the depth of our relationship.
“We wish everyone at Plasmor the very best for the future!” added Roger.
Plasmor Chairman Julian Slater, commented: “Our longstanding strategic partnership with DB Cargo UK evidences a 40-year commitment to sustainable distribution into London and the South East.
“A single daily train to our depots at Biggleswade in Bedfordshire and Bow in East London negates the need for 50 HGV movements. My father Antony was always innovating and DB’s naming of the Class 66 locomotive in recognition of his foresight is a proud moment for my family and for Plasmor.”
Image credit: DB Cargo
