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Traction Pointers


This section gives various details of up to date Traction and Rolling stock interest.   New items added from the top.

70019 & 70020 now in the UK

The latest pair of GE Class 70s to arrive in the UK via Liverpool's Seaforth Dock Nos. 70019 and 70020 have now been delivered to Crewe Basford Hall for onward movement to Leeds Midland Road. The pair were hauled from the dock between Class 66s Nos. 66556 and 66954 during the late afternoon of 18 February 2012. At present no further '70s' are in the schedule for delivery to the UK.

New FGW 3-car Class 150 formed

Class 150/1 set No. 150127 has been reformed as a three-car set with the addition of Class 150/2 vehicle No. 57209 formed between its own cars 52127 and 57127. Set No. 150121 will also be reformed as a three-car unit in mid-February

Chingford derailment

Early on the morning of 26 January 2012, National Express East Anglia Class 315 set No. 315834 became derailed while running empty stock at Chingford. Many trains were delayed or cancelled. The derailed vehicles were rerailed by jacks.

More Class 70s on the move

Brand new Class 70 No. 70018 was due to arrive at the Port of Liverpool today (20 January 2012).

In the United States it was reported that No. 70019 mounted on flat car No. QTTX 131375 and No. 70020 mounted on flat car QTTX 131409 were seen west bound on a CSX Intermodal train at Collinwood, Ohio on 19 January 2012 bound for Port Elizabeth in New Jersey for loading on an ACL ro-ro ship bound for Liverpool.

York naming

GBRf Class 66 No. 66734 named The Eco Express at National Railway Museum, York on 18 January 2012.

70017 is here and what about 70012?

New Freightliner Class 70 No. 70017 is now in the UK after being offloaded at Liverpool Docks. The loco carries works number 58797 with a build date of November 2011. The loco was hauled to Crewe by 66598 during the afternoon of 11 January 2012.

It has been suggested by insiders at General Electric, in Erie, PA, USA that damaged no. 70012 MIGHT be rebuilt and returned to operational condition.

DRS Carlisle to Barrow - first day of operation 9 January 2011

On the first day of operation 9 January 2012 of the new six week trial service between Carlisle and Barrow, the train was formed of DRS-liveried Class 37/4 No. 37423 hauling four Mk2s Nos. 6006, 5929, 6042 and 9527. Although previously advised by DRS that the service would be departing from Carlisle at 06.15, todays departure of 2T20 ran as the 06.08 Carlisle - Barrow.

New Pendolino set for traffic

The second of the extra Pendolino sets No. 390055 is scheduled to enter service from Manchester on 9 January 2012. This set and the other follow-on unit No. 390054 will not operate fixed schedules.

New Croydon trams on test in Germany

Chemnitzt of six Stadler Variobahn trams No. 2554 for use on the Croydon Tramlink network commenced testing in Chemnitz, _German city in December.
    Stadler won the contract in August 2011, when Transport for London awarded a £16.3m order for six Variobahn trams with an option for a further eight, assembly has been carried out at Stadler Pankow in Berlin, with an earlier than projected delivery now planned to start this month. All six will be delivered by the spring of 2012.
    The earlier than scheduled delivery has been brought about by three of the six trams  being diverted from a previous order placed by Bergen's Bybanen. The new delivery sees their tram 215 being modified as Tramlink 2554.
    The new air-conditioned trams have five sections, and have a length of 32,370 mm. They provide accomodation for 72 seated and 134 standing passengers.

More 70s on the way - UPDATED

Just around Christmas it was confirmed that Class 70 No. 70017 was en route to the UK having been loaded onboard a ship in the US at Port Newark. This delivery to the UK will be the first to the Port of Liverpool rather than Newport. Delivery is scheduled for 9-12 January 2012. The next loco for delivery No. 70018 was observed by reader Don Livings departing the GE plant in Erie, PA between Christmas and New Year and was also en route to Port Newark. 
A view of No. 70017 en route through the US is here.
A view of No. 70018 en route through the US is here.

National Express East Anglia - going going nearly gone

By Christmas 2011 some 95% of rolling stock in use on the National Express East Anglia system had been shorn of its National Express East Anglia branding in preparation for the transfer of the franchise to Abellio in February.

66 to be named

A GBRf Class 66 is scheduled to be named Eco Express in a ceremony on 18 January 2012.

GBRf / SSI Lackenby Class Di8s now in the UK - UPDATED

The first five of ten Beacon Rail-owned Norweigian Class Di8 Bo-Bo diesel-electric single cab locos have now arrived in the UK to power internal services at the SSI Lackenby plant at Redcar. The locos will be used to undertake the recently won GBRf contract to provide traction and staff for the sites internal rail operations. The first five locos Nos. 8712, 8716, 8717, 8719 and 8720 arrived in the UK at Tees Dock on 19 December 2011, the other five Nos. 8701, 8703, 8704, 8711 and 8718 are scheduled to arrive in January 2012. At least two locos will be repainted in a joint GBRf/SSI livery. These locos are not able to operate on the UK National Network.
Previous user - CargoNet, Norway
Built - 1996-97
Output - 2100hp (1570kW)
Number built - 20
UIC classification - 308
Power unit - Caterpillar
Built by - Siemens/Vossloh in Kiel, Germany

FGW Buffet cars to Brush Kilmarnock

On 19 December 2011, 12 previously off lease buffer cars, most recently used by FGW, were hauled from store at Eastleigh Works to Brush Kilmarnock for conversion into day saloons (TS) for insertion into 2+7 HST formations. The vehicles concerned are: 40208, 40209, 40228, 40709, 40717, 40725, 40726, 40731, 40736, 40738, 40744, 40747. The vehicles should be renumbered into the 423xx series.

Arriva 175 seriously damaged

Class 175 No. 175002 was seriously damaged in a crossing accident on 19 December 2011 when the set slammed into a road lorry carrying hay on a level crossing at Llanboidy, West Wales. A new front end will be required for one vehicle of the set.

Arriva Trains Wales DVTs confirmed

Two Mk3 DVTs are now on the books of Arriva Trains Wales for use on the revised Holyhead-Cardiff route from early summer when Class 67s take over providing power. The two vehicles 82306 (previously 82144) and 82307 (previously 82131) have been modified for their new role by Brush Traction, Loughborough. No. 82306 was delivered to Cardiff Canton in mid December.

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