Can Class 69s be started remotely or on a timer?

[KT550]

Maybe a daft question....

69006 was parked at Upminster yesterday with no sign of anyone in either cab.

After a series of alarms the engine started - still no one visible in either cab.

According to RTT, it departed around 10 minutes later.

 

[Towers]

Been started from somewhere outside the cabs by whoever it was that you couldn’t see, presumably!

 

[KT550]

Been started from somewhere outside the cabs by whoever it was that you couldn’t see, presumably!

Probably. It was parked at platform 1, so driver would have been at track level behind.

 

[45076]

Probably local start in the engine room, most loco's have that function.

 

[The Puddock]

I don't know about the class 69s but class 70 locos have a 3 cylinder 40hp auxiliary diesel power unit to maintain coolant temperature and battery charge. It starts up and shuts down automatically whenever needed while the loco is stabled unattended.

 

[ac6000cw]

Interesting that a UK loco has engine pre-start alarms - do 66, 68, and 70s have them as well?

They are standard on modern US locos (which often have auto-engine shutdown and startup enabled when attached to a parked train) - you can hear them in my video below. Those locos also have warning notices that they may start unattended on the outside.

 

[Deepgreen]

Just as importantly, what was it doing at Upminster?! Was there a small boy on a platform pointing a remote at it?

 

[Roast Veg]

Interesting that a UK loco has engine pre-start alarms - do 66, 68, and 70s have them as well?

Both 66s and 70s do, but I'm not sure about 68s.