European Railroad Discussion > ERSR Class66 leaving Utrecht Netherlands cab video

Here's a video from Sunday 22 November 2009. An ERSR (European Rail Shuttle Railways) Class 66 with an container train (in the 1,400-1,600 metric tonne range, about 650 metres / 2,100 feet) long) leaving Utrecht en-route from Rotterdam to the Venlo border station. At that time I was a kind of extra-board driver for ERSR. The normal route for this train would be via Breda, but because of track work in that area, trains were diverted over the weekend. 
The Utrecht station area has changed a bit, leaving from the last parts of Utrecht Goederen, video ends where station Utrecht Vaartsche Rijn is now situated.
A local train just left (not on video), but I would be following that train towards Geldermalsen.
On this route I had already passed the Willemsspoortunnel and would pass some bridges with steep-ish ramps. As the Netherlands is mostly flat, it would be a waste to power freight trains to be able to start trains on these ramps. Therefore the interlocking has a setting to show signals that drives of indicated trains should observe. These signals tell, if all signals over the bridge / through the tunnel are cleared. So we sometimes slow passing a green signal also showing a 'L' or a blinking 'X' and halt approaching a clear signal if also showing an 'H' or 'X'. As soon as the 'H' is gone or the 'X' is replaced by a 'G' we can start again with a heavy train.
Some tunnels under waterways we enter with about 25 kmh / 15 mph and at the bottom gravity accelerates us to 100 kmh / 60 mph.

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thanks for that video. those class 66's sound great............

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Yeah, just for these locomotives we got hearing protection. The mainland Class 66 is not well sound insulated because of weight restrictions...

petmew Wrote:
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> Yeah, just for these locomotives we got hearing
> protection. The mainland Class 66 is not well
> sound insulated because of weight restrictions...

as i remember, the first batch of sd70 aces were louder than the g.e.'s we used in the powder river........

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