European Railroad Discussion > Class 66 in Montpellier!

A couple of TGVs had just left for Paris and Lille Europe respectively when this familiar shape appeared at the head of a freight train. I watched it go past in disbelief! A British Class 66 belonging to EWS down in the south of France.

Note that the locomotive is narrower than the container cars - the restricted British loading gage very much in evidence.

---

That's a long way from home!! Does anyone have any idea how that might have gotten there? I guess this is one of the signs of increase competition in freight in the EU.

mark u

There are 60 Class 66 locomotives owned by DB Schenker UK that are sub-leased to Euro Cargo Rail (DB Schenker French subsidiary) numbers are scattered from throughout the 250 locomotives that DB Schenker UK has on long-term lease. Euro Cargo Rail also owns 60 Class 77s which are "Class 66s" built to meet newer emissions standards and have rooftop a/c units, these are painted in ECR Grey and Yellow. Both types regularly make it to the Franco-Spanish border.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/09 13:40 by SOO6617.

Out of sheer curiosity, how did these locomotives end up in France? were they built there or did they get shipped there or take the chunnel? I read on the wikipedia page that there is an EU variant of the class 66 in the works which is wider than the BR class 66s.

cheers



SOO6617 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are 60 Class 66 locomotives owned by DB
> Schenker UK that are sub-leased to Euro Cargo Rail
> (DB Schenker French subsidiary) numbers are
> scattered from throughout the 250 locomotives that
> DB Schenker UK has on long-term lease. Euro Cargo
> Rail also owns 60 Class 77s which are "Class 66s"
> built to meet newer emissions standards and have
> rooftop a/c units, these are painted in ECR Grey
> and Yellow. Both types regularly make it to the
> Franco-Spanish border.

marku51 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Out of sheer curiosity, how did these locomotives
> end up in France? were they built there or did
> they get shipped there or take the chunnel? I read
> on the wikipedia page that there is an EU variant
> of the class 66 in the works which is wider than
> the BR class 66s.
>
> cheers
>
>

The Class 66s are towed through the Channel Tunnel, and regularly cycle back to Toton for inspections such that only 54 or 55 are operational in France at any given moment. The Class 66s received minor modifications to suit French authorities so that they now cannot operate in the UK (only hauled behind other locomotives between the Channel Tunnel and Toton). The Class 77s are taller than the Class 66s because of the rooftop a/c units, but otherwise are dimensionally the same. They went direct from Canada to Rotterdam by ship. The Class 77s meet the newest emissions standards and have additional cab soundproofing, also French and Belgian safety systems, and a few minor differences. For example the French insist on greater clearance from the bottom of the snowplow to the top of the rail. I don't know how the Class 92s are allowed to run in both France and Britain, perhaps that is why EW&S split their fleet of Class 92s into two groups.

marku51 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Out of sheer curiosity, how did these locomotives
> end up in France? were they built there or did
> they get shipped there or take the chunnel?

They are DBS class 66s, built in London, Ont for EWS in the late 1990s. EWS, before they were taken over by Deutsch Bahn, set up a subsidiary - Eurocargorail - to take advantage of open access in France and elsewhere. They started with some centre cab Vossloh (Germany, Kiel) diesels on a contract with a French quarry in Nord-Pas de Calais region which had basically given up on SNCF. As traffic grew they identified a number of bog standard 66s from their fleet based in the UK and, having got type approval in France, adapted them for use in France, new cab signalling and warning systems, at Toton, EWS main depot in the East Midlands near Nottingham, and shipped them across through the tunnel. When I see any list of allocations for UK locomotives they are still all on it, all shown in the pool allocated to Frethun, the yard on the French side of the tunnel.

Here's a picture of one being dragged down to the tunnel by a 92 in June last year. http://trainsofthewesternworld.fotopic.net/p51585183.html

Anyone have a picture of the class77?