Available for hire: New Zephir rail-road shunter deployed by MCL Group in Yorkshire
MCL Group, a family-owned business in Yorkshire, England, has taken delivery of a new Zephir 30.520D shunter. The unit is the first of a fleet of six, and is designed to handle marshalling and stock movements at MCL's Gascoigne Interchange stabling facility, a colliery site previously known as Gascoigne Wood. The sidings were the central part of a complex that served a number of coal mines locally.
MCL received its first 30.520D series shunter in August. The dual-fuel (HVO and diesel) and rail-road capable unit has been undergoing operational proving tests since then. Italian-based Zephir has offices in the UK and representation locally.
MCL Group managing director Mark Lickley said the unit is a step-up for MCL's handling capabilities at Gascoigne Interchange.
Versatile new addition
"The unit is highly versatile," said Pankaj Kapoor, commercial director for MCL Group. "Already, we're very pleased with how readily it answers our requirements. The rail hauling capacity is extraordinary for such a compact unit. The 30.520D's rail-road operational capability is very useful in any location.
We see it as an excellent addition to our fleet and our hire capability."
The MCL facility at Gascoigne Wood. (C) image: Simon Walton
"This machine is the most capable of its kind in the country," said Nick Dempsey, Operations Manager for MCL Group. "It can haul up to 5600 tons, making it the perfect machine to release mainline locomotives from heavy shunting duties, within private sidings -- our team are very excited to show these machines off to the industry."
Reactivating rail connections
Harworth Group, which owns the site at Gascoigne Wood[1], is at the forefront of regenerating former industrial assets. It specialises in reactivating rail connections to provide access for intermodal, products and aggregate industries, maintenance and storage. Gascoigne Interchange has consent for a landmark new industrial and logistics development located just 30 minutes east of Leeds and one of the few UK development sites with extensive rail sidings.
Mark Lickley (on right) is the owner of MCL Group. (C) image: Simon Walton
As a strategic rail site that once handled significant rail traffic, its main line access points enable occupiers access to the wider regions as well as all major ports and the Channel Tunnel, offering a variety of rail services that benefit from low-carbon freight movement.
Growth and regeneration
MCL plans to make the shunter available for hire around the country.
It's part of their much-expanded business model. Founded less than a decade ago by owner, Mark Lickley, the company has grown from a single warm-storage site[2] at Gascoigne Interchange (securely holding everything from redundant tankers to resting passenger units) to embrace six other sites, located from Teesside to London. Harworth Group is a leading regeneration and strategic landowner and developer focused on the industrial and logistics (I&L) and residential sectors.
They own, develop, and manage a portfolio of over 15,000 acres of strategic land and over 100 sites located throughout the North of England and the Midlands. Their long-term "through-the-cycle" business model is to create sustainable places, support new homes, jobs and communities where people want to live and work. The rail-based development at Gascoigne Wood remains a showpiece -- both on and off the rails.
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References
- ^ the site at Gascoigne Wood (www.railfreight.com)
- ^ warm-storage site (www.railtech.com)
- ^ Log in (www.railtech.com)