Direct Rail Services

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Direct Rail Services Class 66 locomotive 66412, in 'Compass' livery

Class 37/0 no. 37038 at Crewe Works on 1 June 2003.

Direct Rail Services (DRS) is a freight operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. The company started rail operations in 1995 using heavily refurbished Class 20/3 diesel locomotives. Since then it has expanded greatly, and has acquired many more locomotives, most bought second-hand and subsequently refurbished. Ownership of DRS was transferred from BNFL to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority when the NDA was created on 1 April 2005, under the terms of the Energy Act 2004. DRS is the only remaining publicly owned rail freight company in the United Kingdom.

DRS now operates all nuclear-flask trains in the country, which were previously operated by EWS. The company has recently started running intermodal trains from Coatbridge to the Daventry International Railfreight Terminal using its own Class 66 locomotives for The Malcolm Group (the logistics company), carrying containers for both Malcolms and ASDA, and has now commenced with a new service on behalf of Eddie Stobart in partnership with Tesco (the UK's largest food retailer) to move containers from Daventry north to Scotland using a new dedicated low-emission Class 66 locomotive in Eddie Stobart livery. As of April 2008, DRS also operates the Stobart Pullman railtour trains.

DRS has also won traffic from other railfreight operators recently, taking over the Russell container trains previously run by EWS and also the right to operate some Network Rail sandite trains during the leaf fall season, mainly with Class 37's. Currently, Direct Rail Services also hire 2 Class 66 to Freightliner while they address a shortage in motive power after also winning contracts from EWS.

Its locomotive fleet is based at Kingmoor depot in Carlisle, which reopened during 2000. There are also facilities at Sellafield depot in Cumbria, and a new depot at Crewe, Gresty Bridge has recently been opened as a stabling point. Facilities in East Anglia are concentrated at Stowmarket, with a small stabling point known as Marsh Lane. This is mainly used during the Autumn Sandite season, although locomotives can sometimes be found there at other times of the year.

[edit] Fleet details

Key:	Currently Operational	Stored	Under Repair & Overhaul	Spares Donors

Number	Class	Name	Livery	Year Acquired	Previous Owner	Status
08834	08		DRS Blue	2006	ex-Wabtec	Operational
08892	08		DRS Blue	2006	ex-Wabtec	Operational
20301	20	Max Joule	DRS Blue	1995	ex-British Rail	Operational
20302	20	-	DRS Blue	1995	ex-British Rail	Operational
20303	20	-	DRS Blue	1995	ex-British Rail	Operational
20304	20	-	DRS Blue	1995	ex-British Rail	Operational
20305	20	-	DRS Blue	1995	ex-British Rail	Operational
20306	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	Operational
20307	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	Operational
20308	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	Operational
20309	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	At Brush, Loughborough.
20310	20	Gresty Bridge	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	Operational
20311	20	Class 20 "Fifty"	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	At Crewe Gresty Bridge
20312	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	Operational
20313	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	Operational
20314	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	At Brush, Loughborough.
20315	20	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-British Rail	Operational
37029	37	-	DRS Blue	2003	ex-Riviera Trains	At Brush, Loughborough.
37038	37	-	DRS Blue	2003	ex-Riley & Son	Operational
37059	37	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-EWS	Operational
37069	37	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-EWS	Operational
37087	37	Keighley & Worth Valley Railway	DRS Blue	2005	ex-HNRC	At K&WVR
37194	37	-	DRS Blue	2005	ex-HNRC	At Carlisle Kingmoor
37197	37	-	DRS Blue	2005	ex-WCRC	At Carlisle Kingmoor
37218	37	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-EWS	Operational
37229	37	Jonty Jarvis	DRS Blue (Compass)	2002	ex-EWS	Operational
37259	37	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-Cotswold Rail	Operational
37261	37	-	DRS Blue	2005	ex-WCRC	At Carlisle Kingmoor
37423	37	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	ex-WCRC	Operational
37510	37	-	DRS Blue	2005	ex-HNRC	At Carlisle Kingmoor
37515	37	-	DRS Blue	2005	ex-HNRC	At Carlisle Kingmoor pending repairs
37601	37	-	EPS	2007	ex-Eurostar	At Brush, Loughborough
37602	37	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-Nightstar	At Crewe LNWR
37603	37	-	EPS	2007	ex-Eurostar	At Brush, Loughborough
37604	37	-	EPS	2007	ex-Eurostar	At Brush, Loughborough
37605	37	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37606	37	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37607	37	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37608	37	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37609	37	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37610	37	T.S. Cassady	DRS Blue (Compass)	1997	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37611	37	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37612	37	-	DRS Blue	1997	ex-Nightstar	Operational
37667	37	-	DRS Blue	2007	ex-HNRC	Operational
37688	37	Kingmoor TMD	DRS Blue	2006	ex-EWS	Operational
47145	47	Myrddin Emrys	Tinsley Blue	2007	ex-FM Rail	At Carlisle Kingmoor
47501	47	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2002	ex-EWS	Operational
47703	47		Fragonset	2008	ex-HNRC	At Wensleydale Railway
47709	47		DRS Blue (Unbranded)	2007	ex-FM Rail	At Railway Technical Centre, Derby
47712	47	Pride of Carlisle	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-FM Rail	Operational
47714	47		Anglia Railways	2008	ex-Cotswold Rail	At Wensleydale Railway
47790	47		DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-EWS	At Carlisle Kingmoor
47802	47	Pride of Cumbria	DRS Blue (Compass)	2002	ex-EWS	Operational
47832	47	-	DRS Blue (Stobart)	2007	ex-Victa Westlink Rail	Operational
57004	57	-	Freightliner	2008	ex-Freightliner	At Crewe Gresty Bridge
57007	57	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-Freightliner	At Carlisle Kingmoor
57008	57	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-Freightliner	At Crewe Gresty Bridge
57009	57	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-Freightliner	Operational
57010	57	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-Freightliner	Operational
57011	57	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-Freightliner	Operational
57012	57	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	ex-Freightliner	Operational
66401	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	Operational
66402	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	At Glasgow Springburn
66403	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	Operational
66404	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	At Glasgow Springburn
66405	66	-	Malcolm Group	2003	-	Operational
66406	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	Operational
66407	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	Operational
66408	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	Operational
66409	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	Operational
66410	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2003	-	Operational
66411	66	Eddie the Engine	Stobart Rail	2006	-	Operational
66412	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66413	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66414	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66415	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66416	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66417	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66418	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66419	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66420	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2006	-	Operational
66421	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66422	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66423	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66424	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66425	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66426	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66427	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66428	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66429	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational
66430	66	-	DRS Blue (Compass)	2007	-	Operational

66401-66410 are to be transferred to other Train Operating Companies when the lease of them by DRS expires. DRS have confirmed that they have ordered replacements in the form of 66431-66434, which are further low-emissions locomotives, like 66411-66430, in order to standardise their fleet.

[edit] Past Fleet

Key:	Sold for further use	Scrapped

Number	Class	Name	Livery	Year Acquired	Previous Owner	Status
20066	20	-	BR Blue		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2004
20088	20	-	RFS Grey		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20105	20	-	RFS Grey		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20121	20	-	BR Blue		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20132	20	-	BR Green		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20215	20	-	Railfreight Grey/Red Solebar		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20901	20	-	DRS Blue	1998	ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20902	20	-	DRS Blue	1998	ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2004
20903	20	-	DRS Blue	1998	ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20904	20	-	DRS Blue	1998	ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20905	20	-	DRS Blue	1998	ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
20906	20	-	DRS Blue	1998	ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
33002	33	-	Civil Engineers		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2004
33008	33	-	BR Green		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2004
33025	33	Glen Falloch	WCRC Maroon (Revised)		ex-British Rail	Sold to West Coast Railway Company in 2005
33029	33	Glen Loy	WCRC Maroon (Revised)		ex-British Rail	Sold to West Coast Railway Company in 2005
33030	33	-	DRS Blue		ex-British Rail	Sold to West Coast Railway Company in 2005
33053	33	-	Trainload Aggregates		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2004
33057	33	-	Civil Engineers		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2004
33207	33	Jim Martin	WCRC Maroon (Revised)		ex-British Rail	Sold to West Coast Railway Company in 2005
37023	37	-	-		ex-British Rail	Sold to Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway in 2008
37051	37	-	EWS Maroon	2005	ex-EWS	Scrapped in 2008
37068	37	-	Railfreight Distribution		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
37334	37	-	Railfreight Distribution		ex-Ian Riley Engineering	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
37344	37	-	Railfreight Distribution		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
37902	37	-	Trainload Metals		ex-British Rail	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2005
47237	47	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-British Rail	Sold to Cotswold Rail in 2007
47298	47	-	DRS Blue	2002	ex-British Rail	Scrapped in 2007 at Barrow Hill
47484	47	-	BR Green.	2002	ex-British Rail	Sold to a Private Buyer
47829	47		Police	2007	ex-Riviera Trains	Sold to Harry Needle Railroad Company in 2008