Freightliner’s new depot in Crewe played host to the first of the Project Railway Honour namings on Armistice Day.
The historic links between the railways and the military were strengthened further on November 11 when Freightliner named one of its Class 66s in honour of the 20,000 railwaymen that lost their lives in the First World War. The venue for the event was the freight operator’s new maintenance depot at Crewe Basford Hall, the multi-million pound facility being shown off for the first time.
Just after 11.00, the new Patriot nameplates on No. 66418 were unveiled, this being preceded by a remembrance service and observation of the two minute silence. A guard of honour was provided by the Mercian Regiment, with the unveiling performed by Freightliner’s managing director Adam Cunliffe along with Graham Wood, whose grandfather and LNWR employee Wilfred Wood was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918. The new nameplates are cast in the same style as the LNWR’s Crewe-built Claughton Class steam loco No. 1914 Patriot, which was the company’s official memorial locomotive.
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