| Background: | silver |
| Company Train | |
| Service: | 19 October 2004[1] |
| Accessdate: | 2012-02-09-->— |
| Manufacturer: |
|
| Replaced: | Inspection saloons |
| Formation: | 5 vehicles |
| Fleetnumbers: | 82146+ 10546+ 10211+ 11039+ 67029 |
| Platformheight: | (accessible from trackside) |
| Operator: | DB Cargo UK |
| Depots: | Toton TMD |
| Trainlength: | 109 metres[2] |
| Maxspeed: | Day: 110sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 Night: 80sigfig=2NaNsigfig=2 |
| Weight: | 253 tonnes |
| Engine: | Class 67 |
| Uicclass: | 2'2'+2'2'+2'2'+2'2'+Bo'Bo' |
| Gauge: | 1,435 mm |
The DB Cargo Company Train (formerly the DB Schenker Company Train and the EWS Company Train) is a special train operated in the United Kingdom by freight operator DB Cargo UK (formerly DB Schenker Rail (UK) formerly English Welsh & Scottish), a division of Deutsche Bahn. It was built as an inspection saloon replacement, and is also used to entertain corporate clients. The train cost £3 million and took only nine months from concept to completion.[3]
The design concept of using a Class 67 locomotive and Mk3 DVT in push pull mode was subsequently adopted by passenger operators such as Chiltern Railways, Wrexham & Shropshire and Arriva Trains Wales for commercial operations.
During the time that Keith Heller was CEO, Interfleet Technology was commissioned to design the train.[4] The train was assembled as the replacement for the company's aging inspection saloon,[5] [6] and is used for entertaining corporate clients,[7] for staff trips, managers, customers, functions, and as a "moving office".[1] In the first year of operation the Macmillan Cancer Support charity were allowed to use the train too for fund-raising.[1] [8]
The fixed configuration set consists of three British Rail Mark 3 coaches between a Mark 3 driving van trailer and Class 67 locomotive. The interior of the train was converted to a business/office/corporate entertainment environment, including a 'conference coach' room with 50-inch cinema screen, and seven-metre-long conference table, a dining coach, and a sleeper coach with bedrooms and en-suite washing facilities.
The trainset was fitted with a wiring system allowing the Class 67 to work in push–pull mode with the DVT and Mark 3 coaches.[5] In addition to normal inter-carriage connections this includes the addition of Multiple Working Jumper cable, and Cab to Train Data cable.[2] The DVT retains its Time Division Multiplexer (TDM) support but this is isolated and non-operational unless the company train is operating in push-pull mode with a Class 90 locomotive.[2] Locomotive 67029 was also modified to include a slight modification to the auto-couplers to enable connecting to the existing Mk3 buckeye couplers without touching the coach's rubbing plate[2] —although it is normally attached using buffer-and-chain coupling.[2] When not in use hauling the company train 67029 is used for normal railway working.[9]
The train is explicitly exempted from regulations covering "Working of Passenger Trains Over Non-Passenger Lines", allowing the train to operate between freight depots without additional documentation requirements.[10] The train does not carry passengers per-se—all those on-board are regarded as either staff or invited guests.[2]
In February 2012 the EWS 'Three Beasties' logo on the train's locomotive and driving van trailer was replaced with a Deutsche Bahn 'DB' logo.[11]