FM Rail
| Predecessor |
Fragonset Merlin Rail |
|---|---|
| Founded | September 1997 |
| Founder | Mark Sargent |
| Defunct | December 2006 |
| Headquarters | Derby |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Services | Freight Operating Company |
FM Rail was a railway charter company based in Derby, England. The company was formed when spot hire company Fragonset Railways and charter operator Merlin Rail merged. It went into administration in 2006.
History
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Fragonset Railways
Fragonset Railways was formed in 1997 as a spot hire company when four Class 47/7 locomotives were purchased from Pete Waterman with the operation initially based at the Tyseley Locomotive Works.[1] In November 1997, Fragonset commenced its first contract providing locomotives for Virgin CrossCountry.[2] A further Class 47/7 owned by the Lear family was also managed. A permanent base was established at the Railway Technical Centre, Derby. The locomotives were repainted into a new livery of black with a broad maroon mid-bodyside stripe.[3]
In 1998, Fragonset purchased several redundant Class 31 locomotives from EWS. The first of these, 31452, was quickly repaired at the company's base at Tyseley Locomotive Works. A further four Class 31s quickly followed. They were initially employed on Silverlink services on the Marston Vale Line, operating in top and tail mode with two carriages.[4] The use of the Class 31s continued until 1999, when Class 150/1 diesel multiple units replaced them.[5] Following this, the Class 31 fleet was employed on a variety of duties, including hire to WAGN to haul electrical multiple units between depots for maintenance.
Fragonset would go on to purchase many redundant locomotives from EWS, mainly of classes 31, 33, 47 and 73. By 2002 it had purchased 75.[6]
First Great Western, Midland Mainline and Virgin CrossCountry all hired Class 47s.[7][8] Wessex Trains hired Class 31s to haul passenger services from Bristol-Weymouth and Bristol-Brighton with 31601 repainted into Wessex Trains pink livery.[9] First North Western hired Class 31s to work Blackpool-Manchester-Chester services.[10]
Railtrack hired 31190 and 31601 to haul test trains. Both locomotives were repainted into Railtrack's blue and lime green livery. Network Rail (Railtrack's successor) purchased its own fleet of 31s, so no longer requires the Fragonset locomotives. First GBRf hires Class 73s to supplement their own fleet.
South West Trains hired Class 33s and 73s to act as Thunderbird rescue locomotives West Coast Railway Company hired 31190. It was repainted into Royal Scotsman maroon livery.
Some locomotives, notably 47355 and 73107, were repainted into a freight livery of all-over black with large Fragonset lettering.
Merlin Rail
Merlin received its train operating licence in July 2002.[11][12][13] It was originally very decentralised, considering itself to be a "virtual company" operating over the internet with no central office, although the control office was initially in Maidstone, Kent. As the business grew the need for a central location became apparent and offices at Wyvern House, by Derby station, were rented from mid-2003.
Merlin saw itself as an operator of specialist, individually planned trains, and felt that such trains were not the core activity for conventional train operating companies and therefore did not always enjoy the best of operational and organisational arrangements. Merlin passionately believed that a dedicated specialist train operator in this niche market could provide a high quality total service for all potential clients requiring individually planned trains.
Merlin was the first train operator to receive approval through the stringent Railway (Safety Case) Regulations, 2000. Merlin held one of the widest railway safety cases, allowing full geographic coverage of the network with all classes and types of conventional locomotives, passenger rolling stock and loaded and unloaded freight vehicles. Merlin was specifically authorised to operate new, unusual and novel vehicles.
FM Rail
In January 2005, Fragonset and Merlin merged to form FM Rail.[14][15][16] In August 2005, the business of Hertfordshire Rail Tours was purchased.[17][18][19]
FM Rail launched its new livery in September 2005, when 47832 was repainted for the Crewe Works open day.[20]
In January 2006, the Blue Pullman was launched, and two Class 47 locomotives were repainted into a nanking blue livery to match the coaching stock.[21][22][23] In 2006, FM Rail purchased the assets of Pathfinder Tours, another railtour operator, in conjunction with Riviera Trains.
In February 2006, FM Rail operated its first freight service on behalf of Fastline between Doncaster and York.[24]
In 2006, FM Rail concluded a deal to lease the former depot site at Coalville in Leicestershire. It was planned to move most of its withdrawn stock there to reduce costs. Other locomotives were disposed of once they had yielded spare parts.
Administration
In December 2006, Begbies Traynor were appointed as administrator of FM Rail.[25][26][27]
The administrators sold the Fragonset Railways Maintenance business to Rail Vehicle Engineering, a business run by Andy Lynch, the former FM Rail Managing Director. The Merlin Rail train operating licence and railtour operator Hertfordshire Rail Tours was sold to Victa Westlink Rail.
The business affairs were not resolved until June 2013, when unsecured creditors received payments of 1.88p in the £.[28]
Fleet details
| Key: | Not in Use | Preserved | Sold for further use | Scrapped |
|---|
| Number | Class | Name | Livery | Year Acquired |
Previous Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31105 | 31 | - | Trans-Rail | 1999 | ex-EWS | Sold to Network Rail in 2003 |
| 31106 | 31 | Spalding Town | BR blue | 1999 | ex-EWS | Never owned by Fragonset - property of Howard Johnston |
| 31107 | 31 | - | Black | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped Rotherham in 2009 |
| 31128 | 31 | Charybdis | Fragonset Black | 1999 | ex-EWS | Always privately owned |
| 31154 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 2001 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 31190 | 31 | - | BR Green | 1999 | ex-EWS | Privately owned |
| 31233 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold to Network Rail in 2003 |
| 31285 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1999 | ex-EWS | Sold to Network Rail in 2003 |
| 31289 | 31 | - | BR Blue | 1999 | ex-EWS | Sold to Northampton & Lamport Railway |
| 31301 | 31 | - | Railfreight Grey/Red Stripe | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 31407 | 31 | - | Mainline Freight Blue | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 31411 | 31 | - | Departmental Grey | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 31412 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 31415 | 31 | - | BR Blue | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 31417 | 31 | - | Departmental Grey | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 31422 | 31 | - | InterCity Mainline | 1999 | ex-EWS | Stored serviceably - used as static generator. |
| 31423 | 31 | - | InterCity Mainline | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 31426 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 31433 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 31437 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 31439 | 31 | - | Regional Railways | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 31452 | 31 | Minotaur | DCR Green | 1998 | ex-EWS | Sold to Mainline Rail |
| 31454 | 31 | The Heart of Wessex | InterCity Swallow | 1999 | ex-EWS | Sold to Mainline Rail |
| 31459 | 31 | Cerberus | FM Rail Black | 1998 | ex-EWS | Sold to Network Rail in 2006 |
| 31460 | 31 | - | BR Blue | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Stockton-on-Tees in 2006 |
| 31461 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1999 | ex-EWS | Sold to Cotswold Rail in 2007 |
| 31462 | 31 | - | Departmental Grey | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 31468 | 31 | Hydra | Fragonset Black | 1998 | ex-EWS | Sold to Mainline Rail |
| 31524 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1999 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 31549 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1998 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 31558 | 31 | - | Civil Engineers | 1998 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 31601 | 31 | DCR Green | 1998 | ex-EWS | Sold to Mainline Rail | |
| 31602 | 31 | - | unbranaded Network Rail Yellow | 1998 | ex-EWS | Sold to Hanson Traction |
| 33019 | 33 | Griffon | Civil Engineers | 2003 | ex-HNRC | Privately owned |
| 33021 | 33 | Eastleigh | Fragonset Black | 1999 | ex-EWS | Privately owned |
| 33103 | 33 | Swordfish | BR Blue | 2002 | ex-EWS | Privately owned |
| 33108 | 33 | Vampire | Fragonset Black | 1999 | ex-EWS | Preserved on Swanage Railway in 2005 |
| 33202 | 33 | Fragonset Black | 2002 | ex-EWS | Sold to Cotswold Rail | |
| 37255 | 37 | - | Civil Engineers | 2002 | ex-EWS | Privately owned |
| 47053 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47186 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47201 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47211 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2001 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Eastleigh in 2004 |
| 47219 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47226 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47228 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47229 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Stockton-on-Tees in 2006 |
| 47236 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47280 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47285 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2000 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 47293 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47307 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47313 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47314 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47335 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47348 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2001 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 47355 | 47 | Avocet | FM Rail Freight Black | 2000 | ex-EWS | Reactivated by WCRC 2010 |
| 47360 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47363 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution | 2000 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47368 | 47 | - | Trainload Grey | 2000 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47375 | 47 | - | Rail Blue | 2000 | ex-EWS | Nemesis Rail, |
| 47471 | 47 | - | InterCity Executive | 2002 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 47488 | 47 | - | BR Two Tone Green | 1997 | ex-EWS | Nemesis Rail |
| 47489 | 47 | - | Parcels Red | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47525 | 47 | - | Railfreight Distribution (Revised) | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47526 | 47 | - | BR Blue Large Logo | 1999 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47547 | 47 | - | Network SouthEast | 2002 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 47550 | 47 | - | InterCity Mainline | 2000 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47574 | 47 | - | BR Parcels Red | 2002 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 47628 | 47 | - | Rail Express Systems | 2000 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 47640 | 47 | - | BR Blue | 2003 | ex-EWS | Privately owned |
| 47701 | 47 | Waverley | BR Two-tone Green (with silver roof)soon to be repainted into Network Southeast livery | 1997 | ex-Rail Charter Services (RCS) | Purchased direct from RCS by The Lear Family, based (2011) at Dartmoor Railway |
| 47703 | 47 | Hermes | Fragonset Black | 1997 | ex-EWS | Sold to Cotswold Rail in 2007 |
| 47704 | 47 | - | Rail Express Systems | 2000 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 47707 | 47 | - | Rail Express Systems | 2000 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47710 | 47 | - | Fragonset Black | 1997 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47709 | 47 | Dionysos | Blue Pullman | 1997 | ex-EWS | Sold to Direct Rail Services, 2007 |
| 47712 | 47 | Artemis | Blue Pullman | 1997 | ex-EWS | Sold to Direct Rail Services, 2007 |
| 47715 | 47 | Poseidon | Fragonset Black | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold to Cotswold Rail, 2007 |
| 47716 | 47 | - | Rail Express Systems | 2000 | ex-EWS | On loan to Dartmoor Railway |
| 47717 | 47 | - | BR Parcels Red | 2000 | ex-EWS | Sold for scrap in 2007 |
| 47744 | 47 | - | EWS | 2005 | ex-EWS | Stored |
| 47767 | 47 | - | EWS | 2005 | ex-EWS | Stored |
| 47780 | 47 | - | Rail Express Systems | 2004 | ex-EWS | Stored |
| 47803 | 47 | - | Infrastructure | 2000 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 47832 | 47 | Driver Tom Clark OBE | Victa Westlink Rail Black & White | 2004 | ex-FGW | Sold to Victa Westlink Rail |
| 47972 | 47 | - | Central Services | 2000 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 56011 | 56 | - | EWS | 2005 | ex-EWS | Stored at Coalville |
| 56021 | 56 | - | Trainload Freight | 2005 | ex-EWS | Stored at Coalville |
| 56022 | 56 | - | Trans-Rail | 2003 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at EMR Kingsbury in 2012 |
| 56061 | 56 | - | Trainload Metals | 2005 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Stockton-on-Tees in 2006 |
| 56066 | 56 | - | Trans-Rail | 2004 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2005 |
| 56125 | 56 | - | Fastline | 2003 | ex-EWS | Sold to Fastline |
| 73103 | 73 | - | InterCity Executive | 2002 | ex-EWS | Withdrawn |
| 73104 | 73 | - | InterCity Executive | 2002 | ex-EWS | Stored |
| 73105 | 73 | - | Civil Engineers | 2002 | ex-EWS | On loan to Battlefield Line Railway |
| 73107 | 73 | Spitfire | Fragonset Black (Freight) | 2002 | ex-EWS | Sold to RT Rail, 2007 |
| 73114 | 73 | - | BR Blue Large Logo | 2002 | ex-EWS | On loan to Battlefield Line Railway |
| 73117 | 73 | - | InterCity Executive | 2002 | ex-EWS | On loan to Dartmoor Railway |
| 73132 | 73 | - | InterCity Executive | 2004 | ex-EWS | Scrapped at Rotherham in 2006 |
| 73134 | 73 | - | InterCity Executive | 2002 | ex-EWS | On loan to Dartmoor Railway |
| 73139 | 73 | - | InterCity Executive | 2002 | ex-EWS | Stored |
| 86212 | 86 | - | Virgin Red/Black | 2004 | ex-Virgin Trains | Stored serviceably |
| 86217 | 86 | - | Anglia Railways | 2004 | ex-'one' | Stored serviceably |
| 86223 | 86 | - | Anglia Railways | 2004 | ex-'one' | Stored serviceably |
| 86229 | 86 | - | Virgin Red/Black | 2004 | ex-Virgin Trains | Stored serviceably |
| 86231 | 86 | - | Virgin Red/Black | 2004 | ex-Virgin Trains | Stored serviceably |
| 86233 | 86 | - | BR Electric Blue | 2004 | ex-Virgin Trains | Stored serviceably |
| 86235 | 86 | - | Anglia Railways | 2006 | ex-'one' | Stored serviceably |
| 86250 | 86 | - | Anglia Railways | 2004 | ex-'one' | Stored serviceably |
| 86251 | 86 | - | Virgin Red/Black | 2004 | ex-Virgin Trains | Stored serviceably |
References
- ↑ "Class 47 owner Fragonset to use BRM as temporary base" The Railway Magazine issue 1156 August 1997 page 11
- ↑ "Fragonset 47s enter service for Virgin" The Railway Magazine issue 1161 January 1998 page 9
- ↑ "First loco emerges from Fragonset Derby plant" The Railway Magazine issue 1187 March 2000 page 9
- ↑ "Bedford-Bletchley trial is shop window for Fragonset Railways" Rail’issue 342 21 October 1998 page 9
- ↑ "Martston Vale 31s to end" Rail’issue 365 8 September 1999 page 52
- ↑ "Fragonset increases its loco fleet to 75" The Railway Magazine issue 1212 April 2002 page 8
- ↑ "Loco-hauled trains return to St Pancras schedules" The Railway Magazine issue 1211 March 2002 page 30
- ↑ "Locomotives return to London St Pancras" Rail issue 430 6 March 2002 page 12
- ↑ "Locomotive Haulage…there's more than you think!" Rail issue 458 2 April 2003 page 49
- ↑ "Loco fade-out at Blackpool" The Railway Magazine issue 1246 February 2005 page 11
- ↑ "Merlin Rail and Wessex enter charter market" The Railway Magazine issue 1211 March 2002 page 102
- ↑ "Merlin's One Stop Shop" The Railway Magazine issue 1222 February 2003 page 73
- ↑ "Merlin takes off at last" The Railway Magazine issue 1222 February 2003 page 75
- ↑ "Fragonset Railways joins with Merlin Rail and FM Rail is born" Rail Express issue 105 February 2005 page 6
- ↑ "Fragonset and Merlin merge to form FM Rail" The Railway Magazine issue 1246 February 2005 page 11
- ↑ "FM Rail is born as Fragonset and Merlin merge" Entrain issue 39 March 2005 page 20
- ↑ "FM Rail buys Hertfordshire Railtours" Rail Express issue 112 September 2005 page 11
- ↑ "FM Rail to take over Hertfordshire Railtours" Entrain issue 46 October 2005 page 9
- ↑ "FM Rail to buy Herfordshire Rail Tours" The Railway Magazine issue 1254 October 2005 page 8
- ↑ "New look for FM Rail" The Railway Magazine issue 1255 November 2005 page 67
- ↑ "Blue Pullman makes a comeback" Rail Express issue 113 October 2005 page 5
- ↑ "FM Rail unveils first Blue Pullman coach" Today's Railways issue 49 January 2006 page 61
- ↑ "FM turns VT Mk2s into Blue Pullmans - Class 47s next" The Railway Magazine issue 1257 January 2006 page 78
- ↑ "FM Rail's first freight train" The Railway Magazine issue 1260 1 April 2006 page 7
- ↑ "FM Rail in administration as finances collapse" Rail Express issue 128 January 2007 page 5
- ↑ "FM Rail in administration" Today's Railways issue 62 February 2007 page 14
- ↑ "Administrators start dismantling FM Rail empire" The Railway Magazine issue 1271 March 2007 page 10
- ↑ "FM Rail creditors lose out" The Railway Magazine issue 1349 September 2013 page 10