FM Rail Limited
Fragonset Railways Limited and Merlin Rail limited merged in January 2005 to form FM Rail Limited. In a speech to the staff to announce the merger, Bob Gordon, the Managing Director (who had been the old Merlin Managing Director) assured everyone that under his management the new company would be very profitable and everybody's job was secure. Even though Bob Gordon had promised a strong, profitable company, the merged company made £1,500,000 loss during 2005. Bob Gordon left during 2005 and Andy Lynch, who had been the old Fragonset Managing Director, took over.
FM Rail launched its new livery in September 2005, when 47832 was repainted for the Crewe Works open day.
In an attempt to increase turnover, in mid-2005, FM Rail purchased railtour operator Hertfordshire Rail Tours. In January 2006, the "Blue Pullman" was launched, and two Class 47 locomotives were repainted into a Nanking Blue livery to match the coaching stock. In 2006, FM Rail purchased the assets of Pathfinder Tours, another railtour operator, in conjunction with Riviera Trains. From the FM Rail point of view, this deal seems to have been bungled as most Pathfinder trains continued to be operated by EWS.
During this period FM Rail experienced a series of bad failures, with locomotives running out of fuel on the main line, locomotives breaking down and carriages poorly turned out, with WCs and heating regularly not working. All of this was reported in detail in the railway press and they gained themselves a very poor reputation that they could not shake off.
In 2006, FM Rail concluded a deal to lease the former depot site at Coalville in Leicestershire. It was planned to move most of its withdrawn stock there to reduce costs. Other locomotives were disposed of once they had yielded spare parts.
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