Class 67 haulage capability

[truckman060473]

if you take the HST with 8 coaches it requires a class 43 Bo-Bo at either end. in theory, one unit could move the train if it never encountered gradients and wasn't required to work at 125mph. if a charter train with say 8 to 10 coaches was traversing, for example, the heart of wales line with a 67, would it encounter any difficulties climbing the Llandovery - Cynghordy - Sugar Loaf summit section, considering we only have one Bo-Bo unit here with only 14 tons more adhesive weight than a single cl 43? the train would have no run up at the gradient due to the speed restrictions and twisty nature of the railway here.

 

[rail-britain]

A single HST power car can actually haul a set of 8 coaches with some ease
The issue is that there is normally a failed power car (either dead or idling) and therefore not only is that remaining power car hauling (or pushing) the set, but also the dead weight power car
However, if the dead weight power car is at the rear sometimes they can be detached and dumped
Where this happens performance is actually surprisingly good

A Class 67 loco should be able to cope with 8 coaches without any problem
However it may be at the limit for ETH

Whether such a consist would be able to cope with extreme inclines is very unlikely
A Class 67 could probably only cope with 6 coaches on the West Highland line, compare that to 8 coaches at 100mph on a traditinal main line

Furthermore, a few years ago the ScotRail sleepers had pairs of Class 67s
Between Glasgow / Edinburgh and Carstairs only the leading Class 67 was used, making that a dead Class 67, Class 90, plus all 16 coaches!

 

[truckman060473]

when a HST power car broke down before at Carmarthen, the one remaining power car was not permitted to assist the train on to Landore depot, Swansea because of the problem of the gradient approaching Cockett tunnel. The station supervisor told me the single power car cannot get the train up this bank. whether that statement is true or not i'm not sure. the 67's on the top and tail Cardiff-Taunton have 4 coaches (3 sometimes) and the dead trailing 67 is almost the weight of 3 more coaches. i went on this and the climb out of the Severn tunnel didn't seem to bother it. but then it's up to good speed on the initial descent.

 

[The Planner]

A HST on one engine will get to 125 but will take an age to do it. Once you get it started you dont want to stop it if you can help it !

 

[jonhewes]

I've seen a Class 67 drag an entire MK1V/91 set out of Kings Cross. I believe that the incline out of KGX is quite severe, so it was by no ways a mean feat. Although it was an ECS movement, I presume the 67 would still have had to provide ETS (for all the refrigeration equipment etc in the buffet)as the 91 had it's pantograph down.