any progress on the 73/3's?

[MCW]

hi all,

I just wondered if anyone knows what the progress is like on the 73/3 conversions and also if anyone has a rough idea of when they will be in service??

I really want to model one when they are in traffic, would look cool in N gauge

cheers.

 

[Boothby97]

Should be in traffic in the next 5 months. Last I heard, 73104 and 73211 were in for the work. Network Rail are looking for extra 73s, although they do have nearly operational 73101 and 73139.
Thanks, Sam

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Are they going to number them 301, 302 etc in order of completition or are they going to simply change the third digit and keep the last two the same?

 

[DarloRich]

hi all,

I just wondered if anyone knows what the progress is like on the 73/3 conversions and also if anyone has a rough idea of when they will be in service??

I really want to model one when they are in traffic, would look cool in N gauge

cheers.

Just buy one now, paint it yellow and change one digit. Why wait?

Will there be any external differences to a normal 73?

 

[Boothby97]

Are they going to number them 301, 302 etc in order of completition or are they going to simply change the third digit and keep the last two the same?

No numbers have been reserved on TOPS, but presume it will be 73301-30x
GBRf have got 73901-905 reserved on TOPS for their MTU re-engine project, with 73209 first
Thanks, Sam

 

[61653 HTAFC]

No numbers have been reserved on TOPS, but presume it will be 73301-30x
GBRf have got 73901-905 reserved on TOPS for their MTU re-engine project, with 73209 first
Thanks, Sam

Weren't 73901 and a few other 739xx already used on some of the locos that were sent briefly to Merseyside?

 

[Boothby97]

Weren't 73901 and a few other 739xx already used on some of the locos that were sent briefly to Merseyside?

That was over 10 years ago, as they were stored before 2001 if I remember correctly. And, as the numbers have layed unused in the system for so long the numbers are free. 73901-905 have been reserved.

Thanks, Sam

 

[MCW]

Yes I was wondering if the Multiple working leads and sockets would be changed, I thought that it could have been possible that they might upgrade the electrical systems to new standards whilst they were at it?

also an MTU class 73... Hmm interesting. Don't know much about that one, do they have one MTU engine or Two?

 

[Boothby97]

Yes I was wondering if the Multiple working leads and sockets would be changed, I thought that it could have been possible that they might upgrade the electrical systems to new standards whilst they were at it?

also an MTU class 73... Hmm interesting. Don't know much about that one, do they have one MTU engine or Two?

Seen as I'm not at home, I can't give you details from my copy of Railways Illustrated from last year but have found this entry for 73209 on Wikipedia
"At Brush Loughborough as a test bed for MTU re-engining & new control systems"
Thanks, Sam

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Wasn't there another project to use voyager engines in a conversion? Sure the plan there was two engines...

 

[MCW]

Wasn't there another project to use voyager engines in a conversion? Sure the plan there was two engines...

that would be the Cummins engines versions, which on wiki, are listed as having two engines. I just wondered if two would be fitted into the MTU versions or if they would use just one bigger unit.

 

[fgwrich]

Wasn't there another project to use voyager engines in a conversion? Sure the plan there was two engines...

that would be the Cummins engines versions, which on wiki, are listed as having two engines. I just wondered if two would be fitted into the MTU versions or if they would use just one bigger unit.

Is the Network Rail Class 73s. Which will contain two Cummins QSK19 Engines. GBRFs MTU Will use one engine from what i can remember, which i think will be a very downsized 4000 series ala HST.

 

[Waldgrun]

I recall sometime in the late 1970's or the early 1980's that Modern Railway magazine had an article on fitting class 73's with a G.E. engine, which if I remember rightly was going be be rated at 3000.h.p. Sadly it never happened!

 

[cj_1985]

Sorry to bump and old thread (seem to be making a habit of that lately)

correct me if im wrong, but I thought that RVEL were tied into delivery of the first of their 73/3s for testing by the end of April this year... i'm quite sure thats what I read in RI last year.

it doesn't impact me one way or another, but it was just something that popped into my head that I thought id look to see if there was any "update" on... since there has been plenty of info "leaked" over the last 6 months+ regarding the GBRf proposal, prospective locos, prospective numbers, and delivery periods

is RVELs scheme another one of these "easier in theory, than practice" schemes.

I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but Bombardier have managed to do a similar scheme with brand new locos... and Bombardier are a much larger company than RVEL, and so, one would assume, many more smart people checking such ideas are deliverable, before committing to selling the product.

That's not me, intentionally trying to "bash" RVEL and their scheme, its just how it reads...

 

[Chris125]

RVEL have a video of the SoS's visit, and you can see the 73's in a few of the shots. Alas it appears they have some way to go yet...

Chris

 

[cj_1985]

RVEL have a video of the SoS's visit, and you can see the 73's in a few of the shots. Alas it appears they have some way to go yet...

Chris

indeed it does...
I think it will be interesting to compare project times from announcement/commencement of project to delivery of first loco between RVELs class 73 modernisation scheme and GBRf/BRUSHs Class 73 Modernisation scheme...

although comparison of times may not be all that relevant as in theory the RVEL scheme seems to be more complex (to get 2x separate power units to work in multi only as required) rather than the single power unit being used in the GBRf/BRUSH scheme. But in theory RVEL were reported to be starting work on the 73/3 early in 2012 for delivery by April 2013... while BRUSH have obviously done checks before the actual (contract award and) start of work that was announced in late 2012/early 2013 proposing the first loco being delivered this autumn