DB Cargo Names 66186 After Plasmor Founder Antony Slater

DB Cargo UK has named one of its Class 66 locomotives in tribute to Antony Slater, founder of the Plasmor Group, recognising a long-standing partnership between the rail freight operator and the concrete products manufacturer.

Locomotive 66186 was officially unveiled with the new name during a ceremony held at Great Heck, where Plasmor’s factory connects directly to the nearby East Coast Main Line. The site has played a central role in the company’s logistics operations since 1986, when rail sidings were built to link the facility to the national rail network.

Plasmor began transporting products by rail nearly four decades ago, and DB Cargo UK has supported its freight operations throughout that time. The collaboration has now been extended through a newly agreed five-year contract that will see DB Cargo UK continue providing freight services for the company until the end of 2031.

Under the terms of the agreement, the operator will run up to six trains each week between the Great Heck manufacturing site and Plasmor distribution terminals at Biggleswade in Bedfordshire and Bow in East London.

Roger Neary, Chief Commercial Officer at DB Cargo UK, carried out the locomotive naming and highlighted the long relationship between the two businesses.

DB Cargo UK’s Chief Commercial Officer Roger Neary, who performed the unveiling, said:

“It has been an honour to work with the Slater family and their colleagues at Plasmor over the past four decades, providing a safe and reliable solution to their everyday transport needs. With the recent signing of a new five-year contract, we thought that naming one of our locomotives after one of the company’s founders was a very fitting way to demonstrate the depth of our relationship. We wish everyone at Plasmor the very best for the future!”

The Chairman of Plasmor, Julian Slater, commented:

“Our longstanding strategic partnership with DB Cargo UK evidences a 40-year commitment to sustainable distribution into London and the South East. A single daily train to our depots at Biggleswade in Bedfordshire and Bow in East London negates the need for 50 HGV movements. My father Antony was always innovating and DB’s naming of the Class 66 locomotive in recognition of his foresight is a proud moment for my family and for Plasmor,”

Image: DB Cargo