Project Railway Honour

Rail freight company Freightliner and model train manufacturer Dapol are joining forces to honour Britain's war dead for the 100th anniversary of the armistice and raise money to help ex-servicemen and women.

Under the scheme, titled Project Railway Honour, Freightliner will name one of its powerful Class 66 locomotives, and Dapol will produce a detailed scale model of the same locomotive. For every model sold, a donation will be made to ABF The Soldiers' Charity.

Talks are at an advanced stage with two other railway companies so that, in total, three locomotives will be named and three different models will become available for sale.

The locomotives are to be named, Patriot, Valour and Remembrance.

The project is the brainchild of Corporal Gareth Atkinson, who serves in the 1st Battalion of the Mercian Regiment. Gareth, who is himself a railway modelling enthusiast, says, "I wanted to find a way to commemorate those men who left their protected jobs on the railways to face the horrors of the trenches, and while doing this raise money for service charities to help those service personnel today that need help.

"The support shown by the Rail and Modelling community has been overwhelming, and it is very humbling that they have been so willing to take part in the project."

“Having previously been a member of the Armed Forces for 11 years, I am pleased and proud that Freightliner is supporting this project in honour of railway employees who gave their lives for their country in WW1,” said Craig Spratt, Senior Production Manager at Freightliner Maintenance Ltd. and a former member of REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers). “The ABF Soldiers’ Charity will be a very fitting recipient of funds raised as they work with veterans of past conflicts as well as future generations of soldiers and their dependants.’’ ??

ABF The Soldiers' Charity (formerly the Army Benevolent Fund) is the national charity of the British Army and provides financial and practical support to soldiers, veterans, and their immediate family in times of need.

Adapted from press release by Joseph Green

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/16092016/rail-freight-freightliner-mode-train-dapol-278/