Loadhaul Ltd. was a railfreight operator based in the north-east of the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1994, as part of the privatisation of British Rail, and acquired in 1996 by a consortium headed by Wisconsin Central, then merged into a new company English Welsh & Scottish Railway. It is now part of DB Cargo.
37710 stabled at Didcot Yard
Class 56 in Loadhaul livery with salt train at Tees Yard (July 1998)
BR Class 56 in Loadhaul livery with coal hoppers at Knottingley
EWS locomotive 60064, seen still wearing Trainload Freight grey with Loadhaul logos
Privatisation of British Rail
The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, the process was largely completed by 1997. The deregulation of the industry was in part motivated by the enactment of EU Directive 91/440 in 1991, which aimed to create a more efficient railway network by creating greater competition.
A 1950s Mk1-based Class 411 (4-CEP) "slam-door" EMU at London Victoria station, in Network SouthEast livery (March 2003)
59001 in revised Foster Yeoman livery. Private ownership of locomotives marked the start of a new era in railfreight haulage