Three Class 66s lead Freightliner train 4O29, the 08:50 Crewe Basford Hall SSM to Southampton Marine Container Terminal past Reading West.

The locomotives at the head of this train were:
66533 Senator Express / Hanjin Express
66547
66594 NYK Spirit of Kyoto

Clip recorded 30th May 2020.

The Class 66 is a type of six-axle diesel-electric freight locomotive developed in part from the Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies. In Continental Europe it is marketed as the EMD Class 66 (JT42CWR).

Freightliner followed EWS by initially ordering five new Class 66/5 locomotives, and have continued to order in small batches. As of summer 2010, the 66/5 fleet had reached 98 examples; 66 521 was withdrawn after the 2001 crash at Great Heck and later scrapped.

In 2000 a new Class 66/6 sub-class was built, with a lower gear ratio, enabling heavier trains to be hauled, albeit at slower speed. There are presently 25 examples of this class, numbered 66 601-625. Some of these locomotives have since been exported for use with Freightliner Poland.

During 2004 the company took delivery of the most recent Class 66/9 sub-class of the locomotive, which are a low-emission variant. All new locomotives for all companies are now of the low-emission “T2” type. The original two such locomotives remain as 66 951 & 952.

In 2011, Freightliner took on Direct Rail Services’ 66 411-420.
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Freightliner Group is a rail freight and logistics company, formed in the United Kingdom in 1995, and now having expanded into Australia, The Netherlands and Poland. Freightliner Limited is the largest intermodal freight transport operator in the United Kingdom and the second largest freight operating company in the country by revenue, behind DB Cargo UK. It is a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming.

As part of the Privatisation of British Rail, the loss-making RfD division came under increasing pressure, leading to the immediate closure of the Speedlink division.

When Freightliner was privatised in 1996, it only operated Intermodal container services. These ran from ports including Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury to terminals such as Birmingham, Trafford Park in Manchester, Stourton (Leeds), Coatbridge (Central Scotland), Ashton Gate (Bristol), and Wentlooge (Newport, South Wales). The network has been expanded with additional destinations added.
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Reading West railway station serves West Reading, Berkshire, about 1 mile (1.6 km) west from the town’s main retail and commercial areas. The station is served by local services operated by Great Western Railway.

To the north of the station the line crosses a railway bridge over the Oxford Road, followed by Oxford Road Junction, which is the southern apex of a triangle of tracks. The tracks to the west curve round to join the Great Western Main Line towards Bristol at Reading West Junction, and are largely used by freight trains between Southampton Docks and points to the north. The tracks to the east lead to Reading station.

The station has two platforms, which were linked by a footbridge until it was demolished as part of the electrification of the Reading to Newbury line. There is a ticket office on the Reading-bound platform, which is open only in the morning, and canopies provide some shelter on each platform. There is separate pedestrian access to the northern end of both platforms from Oxford Road, together with access to the southern end of the down platform from Tilehurst Road.
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Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in the county of Berkshire, England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway. Reading is located 36 miles (58 km) east from Swindon, 24 miles (39 km) south from Oxford, 36 miles (58 km) west of central London, and 14 miles (23 km) north from Basingstoke.
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