End of the line for EWS?
 

Here's a pic of EWS loco 60074 which has just been brought out of storage and been given a repaint and named at a ceremony at Yorks NRM. Aside from the colour, which is a one off in connection with the name the loco was given, the one main thing to strike people is the fact that neither the name EWS, nor the logo is on the locomotive. Instead it is replaced by the DB Schenker logo. A colleage of mine reckons that DB Schenker's policy is to bring all the companies that they own under one roof, so not only will the EWS subsidiaries (Enegry, Industrial, International etc) cease to exist, but the brand as a whole.

Well I'll miss Rhubarb & Custard, I always thought that they made a good corporate brand.

On a more practical level, I worry that there are very rough times ahead for the staff of EWS. I hope that the long knives don't come out to cut the business to the bare bones. :(

I think that the EWS livery was one of the more succesful of the privatised liveries. At least they still looked like a loco rather than an advert for toothpaste.
Paul.

Speaking as an EWS employee,

There has been no staff notice to this effect, From what we are being told it is business as usual under the EWS brand.

Personally I would'nt read to much into the fact that one locomotive out of approx 300 has been applied with the DB branding.

Les

The balloons in the picture are a nice touch - really festive. :rolleyes:

The balloons are promoting the Teenage Cancer Trust in whose honour the loco was named.

I am also an EWS employee and rumours have been rife for a long time from various sources that the four new sectors will be the first thing to see the axe now that DB have taken hold of the reigns. I doubt that they will only go that far as well.

I do however still feel confident that the company is headed in the right direction. Making the sectors has obviously helped the company become much leaner and meaner, and where I am at Thornaby, we are all pretty optimistic about our future.

Sorry, didnt realise that. :o Looked they were only there to celebrate a paint job on the loco.

Hello,

What does the future hold for Thornaby TMD, i pass it most days and normally
they are a few locos stabled on the shed. I take it its just used for fueling locos now and not major work? If it does close for good i wonder if it will be sold off.

Thanks,
Martin

The future for Thornaby is simple. There isn't one. The only reason its still open at this moment in time is to fuel loco's and to use the wheel lathe.

All the drivers, including myself, have been moved to refurbished accomodation in Tees Yard, though we are still known as Thornaby. A fueling terminal has been removed from Masborough depot in Rotherham to Tees Yard and awaits commissioning. Once thats done, it will only be the wheel lathe that the depot is used for.

As things stand though, the wheel lathe isn't going to be taken out of service any time soon. Originally, the idea was to jack vehicles up and remove any wheels that needed turning and replacing them, but someone twigged that it would be much cheaper just roll a wagon onto the lathe and turn the damaged wheel and then get the wagon back into service in quick time. Much cheaper than removing wheel sets and carting them across the country. The latest rumour on the go is that they want to build a purpose built wheel lathe shed somewhere in Tees Yard and move Thornabys wheel lathe into it.

The bottom line is that EWS want to close Thornaby Depot as quickly as possible so as to avoid paying rates on the buildings. All major maintainance is now done at Toton. I think Stockton council has their eyes on the land that will become available once its closed.