Rail freight UK

On Wednesday 14 August, GB Railfreight celebrated two long-serving and highly dedicated members of staff by naming Class 66 locomotives in their honour. The naming of ‘Maria’ and ‘Amanda’ took place during a special service from Doncaster, calling at Cleethropes for the official naming by John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight. This continues a long tradition of naming locomotives after the key women who make GBRf the successful and fast-growing company it is today. Maria Dennison, an Assistant Train Manager in Peterborough joined GBRf in 2003, and Amanda Wilson, Business Manager, Bulk Services, started with the company in 2012. Both employees have been a considerable asset to the GBRf team and are very deserving of this accolade. Guests of honour Maria and Amanda were presented with commemorative replicas of the engines and the name plaques that will adorn the locomotives as they move across the length and breadth of Britain. John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight said:

“Both Amanda and Maria are hugely valued members of the team and it was my pleasure to name two new locomotives after them. Our staff are the lifeblood of GB Railfreight and we are delighted to be able to recognise their contribution to our success in this way.  “It is a longstanding GBRf tradition to name locomotives after some of our most hardworking female members of staff and apart from celebrating their hard work it is also a sign of the diverse makeup of our workforce – something we are incredibly proud of.”

 Amanda Wilson, Business Manager, Bulk Services said: [caption id="attachment_4858" align="alignright" width="225"]  [/caption]

“Having started in the industry in 1983 on a youth training scheme, this is my 35^th year of fulltime employment so the timing of this couldn’t be better or seem more appropriate.”  “This is a huge honour, and as a lover of trains I am delighted there is now one named after me on the railways”