WORKING in multiple
DR98962 and DR98912 are operating a Furness RHTT circuit as they pass Silverdale, heading towards to Barrow.
ALAMY
Keith Tantlinger surely couldn’t have imagined the impact that his deceptively simple twistlock system for securing shipping containers would have on global logistics. But he certainly wouldn’t have envisaged that the humble twistlock would provide a key tool for Network Rail in its annual war on leaves, the scourge of the modern railway.
German state railway operator Deutsche Bahn had an idea that a lightweight multiple unit could become a useful tool for freight flows that didn’t require a whole train. German manufacturer Windhof built four five-car freight multiple units, while competitor Talbot built three similar vehicles but with articulated bogies.
The ‘CargoSprinter’, DB Class 960 and Class 961, were introduced in 1997 and trialled from Fraport’s airport at Frankfurt to Hamburg, Osnabruck and Hanover. Despite showing early promise, DB didn’t consider the CargoSprinter a success and the project was cancelled.
CargoSprinter was little more than a self-propelled container wagon with driving cabs. While it may not have proved itself successful as a freight mover, its shape could lend itself to another task.
”Despite showing early promise, DB didn’t consider the CargoSprinter a success and the project was cancelled“