GBRf Class 99 - 30 locomotives now ordered

[Dood75]

Pretty sure it has been at leicester for a while and incorrectly inputted as peterborough

Thank you

 

[Tobytrain10]

Thank you

Im not 100% though

 

[XCTurbostar]

Looks like some of the 99 London Gateway diagrams including 4M01 and 4M47 have been swapped for 66s recently. Drivers on social media appear to have been discussing and reporting wheel slip issues in the wet to signallers etc.

 

[Peter Sarf]

From the "Future Class 73 replacement" thread :-

The latest RAIL magazine has just dropped and has an item about the 99s set to be ordered for the Sleeper. The expectation is for 13x additional 99s, which would have electric train supply (unlike the first 20x 99s), possibly also 100mph top speed and each Highland sleeper would have one 99 run all the way from Euston-Inverness. The 92s, 73/9s and 66s will be withdrawn/cascaded elsewhere.

Further posts clarify that is 13 on top of the existing order for 30 of which 10 were to have ETS.
So 43 x 99s ordered so far.
23 with ETS
20 without ETS.
As the poster says - source RAIL magazine.
Thought I would copy here as it is the dedicated 99 thread.

 

[InvHst]

I presuming the 99 on diesel is more efficient and environmentally friendly than a 66 in the highlands?

Its not down to any of that GBRF currently don't have enough 66s to fulfil job lists. Works out cheaper than hiring in locomotives from other companies so has resulted in 99s being used on RHTT circuits and also gets drivers trained on them

 

[Rail Quest]

Drivers on social media appear to have been discussing and reporting wheel slip issues in the wet to signallers etc.

That's interesting. If its true and the class are struggling for traction, how on earth could they be getting beaten by the sheds in that regard? I notice the 99s are, according to Wikipedia, between 14 and 16 tons lighter than 66s, could this adversely affect traction? If not, then what else could it be?

Link to the Class 99 Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_99
Link to the Class 66 Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_66