European Railroad Discussion > British Frieght Operational Question

A few years back I believe an operator was utilizing US style equipment in captive service in England.  I am interested how the cars and locos operated, i.e. MU locos, US atandard air brakes, etc.  Any information would be welcomed.

North American Loading Gauge equipment would have a very dificult time going anywhere in the UK.
The UK has one of the most restrictive Loading Gauges around. Especially for a "standard gage" railway system.

The Class 66s of which over 400 are in service are a GM product, initially from London, Ont and latterly from Progress Rail in Muncie, IN. Is that what you mean? They are used by all freight operators in GB, the largest number are operated by DB Cargo (the former English Welsh & Scottish Railway which was a subsidiary of Wisconsin Central and, latterly, CN before it was sold by CN to Deutsch Bahn).  The 66s are good engines, performing pretty well on almost every duty except the very heaviest. As for freight cars they are all made specifically for service in GB. Northern Ireland, which is the other component of the UK has a number of older EMD diesels, but they were specially bult as Ireland has a less restrictive loading gauge and a broad (5'3") track gauge.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/16 13:17 by 86235.

English Welsh & Scottish Railways first purchased the first Class 66 locomotives in 1998 from EMD. I believe they are a derivative of the SD40 built to the British loading gauge. There have been hundreds built since with the last delivered a few months ago. 

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rolling-stock/single-view/view/last-ever-class-66-locomotives-delivered.html

Just Google UK Class 66 locomotives for quite a bit of further reading.

prrmpup Wrote:
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> English Welsh & Scottish Railways first purchased
> the first Class 66 locomotives in 1998 from EMD. I
> believe they are a derivative of the SD40 built to
> the British loading gauge. There have been
> hundreds built since with the last delivered a few
> months ago. 
>
> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/traction-rollin
> g-stock/single-view/view/last-ever-class-66-locomo
> tives-delivered.html
>
> Just Google UK Class 66 locomotives for quite a
> bit of further reading.

Class 66's are a derivative of the SD70 i.e. with a 12 cylinder version of the 710 engine.

espee99 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A few years back I believe an operator was
> utilizing US style equipment in captive service in
> England.  I am interested how the cars and locos
> operated, i.e. MU locos, US atandard air brakes,
> etc.  Any information would be welcomed.

You might be referring to an aggregates company that was called Foster Yeoman and which ordered a small number of class 59 diesels (5), based on the SD40-2. The trains ran from quarries in the southwest of England (near Westbury in the Mendip Hills, in Somerset) and mainly ran to London and the south east exclusively on these aggregates trains with train weights up to about 4000 tonnes, sometimes double-headed. A rival company at a nearby quarry also ordered 4 class 59's (originally called ARC, later Hanson) but the two companies combined their fleets for ease of maintenance etc. 6 more locos were later ordered by a coal-fired power station operator but after a while these also moved to the Mendips to work aggregates trains and are owned by DBCargo, a large freight operator in the UK.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/27/16 13:38 by exhaustED.

Didn't Foster Yeoman also use a US switcher within the quarry at Merehead?

cricketer8for9 Wrote:
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> Didn't Foster Yeoman also use a US switcher within
> the quarry at Merehead?

Yes they did. An sw1001.

exhaustED Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cricketer8for9 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Didn't Foster Yeoman also use a US switcher
> within
> > the quarry at Merehead?
>
> Yes they did. An sw1001.

They still do, it remains in service but is confined to the quarry as it's out of gauge.

EW&S ordered several batches of HTA coal hoppers equipped with Buckeye couplers. To pull these some of their fleet of Class 66 were equipped with Swing-nosed Buckeye couplers. These locomotives still had Buffers, but they weren't used when hauling the HTA hoppers. The Buckeye could be swung out of the way when the locomotives were pulling ordinary freight wagons.

Thanks for the information, you are correct it was the coal operation I was thinking about.  Any one have photos of their operation?

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> exhaustED Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > cricketer8for9 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Didn't Foster Yeoman also use a US switcher
> > within
> > > the quarry at Merehead?
> >
> > Yes they did. An sw1001.
>
> They still do, it remains in service but is
> confined to the quarry as it's out of gauge.

And the SW1001 has a very low cab profile too.

espee99 Wrote:
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> Thanks for the information, you are correct it was
> the coal operation I was thinking about.  Any one
> have photos of their operation?

Try googling 'National power class 59'. The locos worked coal trains from Yorkshire mines into power stations and also hauled limestone trains for flue gas desulpherisation at the stations.

Here's a photo taken in 2012. It's an EWS (now DB Cargo) class 66 working a coal train to Drax power station. Both the cooal mine (Kellingley) & the power station in the photo have now closed. Chris UK.

---

Here's a link to one of the 59/2s in National Power service, taken in 1996

https://nick86235.smugmug.com/Trains/Nostalgia/1996-the-Freightmaster-Era/i-h7Tn6vs

Some of those class 66's went elsewhere..they are VERY versatile locomotive.
Perhaps refer to the following data base:
http://www.abrail.co.uk/diesellocodetail.htm
and note the first two class numbers are 66xxx.
A much better method IMO than the North American system
of four digits maximum, in many cases for identifying motive power.

Another reference site would be www.therailwaycentre.com
administered by my friend Colin Marsden.