Class 68 Progress, what's the latest?

[ExRes]

Oh come on, be fair. It was only about £44.89m more surely?

Yes, my apologies, I was forgetting the scrap value of the 30 emergency screw couplings that we had to carry

 

[junglejames]

Yes, my apologies, I was forgetting the scrap value of the 30 emergency screw couplings that we had to carry

I believe the scrap value of the couplings is more than the scrap value of the actual locos isnt it?

As you seem to have had to endure these things, did you ever come across the problem of the stupid speedos not working on a nice cold winters morning?
Apparently you have to let the cab fully warm up before the speedos start working:roll:

 

[ExRes]

Thank the Lord I only had to suffer these buckets of misery for a fairly short time, about a year, I don't remember non working speedos but I certainly remember that they used to take a hell of long time to reach 60mph, thanks to the power being miserably low

Cab heating was an absolute beauty, we were told about the 'secondary heating system' which was actually a single bar electric heater stuck on the side panel by your left foot, one of the newly delivered engines had a strange smell which turned out to be a plastic coffee cup which had melted in its holder which was directly above the 'secondary heating system', classy eh ?

 

[transmanche]

How about a gang of drunken matelots walking through Portsmouth with HMS Candytuft (K09) on their caps

Hello sailors

HMS Cockchafer anyone?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

How about a gang of drunken matelots walking through Portsmouth with HMS Candytuft (K09) on their caps

Hello sailors

The US Navy can trump that with this one:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=...0...1ac.1.34.heirloom-hp..0.9.531.oJMmlo04Vy4

 

[Photohunter71]

How about a gang of drunken matelots walking through Portsmouth with HMS Candytuft (K09) on their caps

Hello sailors
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


I expect there are numerous quotes on the contract value, Railnews said 70m Euros for the 15 which is just under £58m today

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...xYGwDQ&usg=AFQjCNHyj0hYmSI_AuZJ4BM92Ospav1zXw

Thanks! Just wondering why Chiltern couldn't have bought a handful rather than lease them!

 

[43074]

68003 ''Astute'', 68004 ''Rapid'' and 68005 ''Defiant'' have arrived in the UK. Now on their way to Crewe.

 

[fgwrich]

68003 ''Astute'', 68004 (if anyone can tell me the name I'd be grateful) and 68005 ''Defiance'' have arrived in the UK. Now on their way to Crewe.

Picture here:>

https://twitter.com/wnxxuk/status/4...ampaign=wnxxuk&utm_content=456390789707608064

 

[ash39]

68004 is named 'Rapid', which used to be on a 67 so a little confusing!

I'm a big fan of the traditional style plates and 'proper' names. Top marks DRS. My early favourite is 'Astute'

 

[Class 170101]

I'm a big fan of the traditional style plates and 'proper' names. Top marks DRS. My early favourite is 'Astute'

Mine would Crown Point which was on 86235.

 

[themiller]

68004 is named 'Rapid', which used to be on a 67 so a little confusing!

I'm a big fan of the traditional style plates and 'proper' names. Top marks DRS. My early favourite is 'Astute'

Used to be on Rapid when it was a sea training ship based in Rosyth. A stress-free end for a WW2 frigate.

 

[Sunbird24]

68004 is named 'Rapid', which used to be on a 67 so a little confusing!

Warship (later class 43) D838 was named "Rapid".
I have been away a few weeks so missed the departures of the latest 3 from Valencia, but did see and photograph 003 and 004 before they had names fitted. They are rarely in good positions for photography unless one happens to pick a time when they are being moved between buildings or parked outside for running the engines. Yesterday one was half out of a building but surrounded by trams so barely visible, it may have been 001 which was shipped back by sea from Finland last week as it was in all white livery, or it could be a later one.

 

[43074]

68004 is named 'Rapid', which used to be on a 67 so a little confusing!

Thanks for that ash39

I'm a big fan of the traditional style plates and 'proper' names. Top marks DRS. My early favourite is 'Astute'

I agree entirely with your comment on the names, my favourite at the moment is 'Defiant'.

 

[Photohunter71]

"Warship 2's" the 68's nickname by the look of things?,although I do prefer "Angry Skips"!!

67's,,your time is almost up! tick tick tick!!

 

[Chris125]

"Warship 2's" the 68's nickname by the look of things?,although I do prefer "Angry Skips"!!

67's,,your time is almost up! tick tick tick!!

Best I've seen is Warskip.... hopefully it will catch on.

Chris

 

[Photohunter71]

Hahaha!! I like it! I had been thinking along the lines of blending the 2 names or a derivative of one to get "Battleskip"

 

[Beveridges]

I went out trainspotting yesterday to get the three new 68's at Earlestown on the Seaforth to Crewe move. They didn't look too ugly but you can't beat the sight and sound of 37608 that was hauling them!

 

[junglejames]

Dirty Skoda!
Still not working!!!

 

[patstonuk]

I went out trainspotting yesterday to get the three new 68's at Earlestown on the Seaforth to Crewe move. They didn't look too ugly but you can't beat the sight and sound of 37608 that was hauling them!

Or even 37609.

 

[Bayum]

When will they start to be out under their own power?

 

[12CSVT]

When will they start to be out under their own power?

Tick one of the following
1) This year
2) Next year
3) Some time
4) Never

 

[Sunbird24]

When will they start to be out under their own power?

Bearing in mind that 68002 is still at Eastleigh? and the other 3 arrived immediately before the Easter break the acceptance is likely to start today. Those 3 were released from the factory after 68001 had finished its trials at Velim so likely no major modifications were required, any minor ones, such as software updates, can be done during the acceptance. Presumably DRS have their own testing program which was put on hold when 68002 failed and perhaps that can start again now with one or more of the new locomotives. The above is purely my own best guess.
Another 68 (looked like, not sure how similar the African Euro Dual will be) was nearing completion last Wednesday, no visible identity, could only see one end and the top of the other end but it was not painted and did not have the markings which 68001 had at Velim (Vossloh logos). May have another look tomorrow.
Production is ongoing alongside the last handful of Israeli Euro 3200s (13xx series) and presumably the first of the African order for Euro Duals and Euro 4000s, scheduled to commence delivery 2Q this year. Output is perhaps 7-8 locos per month on average.
On a side note, it will be interesting to see what the Euro 4000 looks like on Cape gauge bogies because they make the class 68 look like a toy!

 

[merlodlliw]

Pictures in todays North Wales Rail Newsboard, link http://nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm

 

[Sunbird24]

Pictures in todays North Wales Rail Newsboard, link http://nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm

Thanks for that link. Nice pics at the bottom of that page also!

Pics of 68003 being unloaded here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/philipbparker/13954324354/in/photostream/

 

[Boothby97]

68002 has moved from Eastleigh Works to Crewe today (via Willesden Brent), 37423 being the loco that dragged it.

 

[Ciderking]

Here's a picture of 68002 heading north from Eastleigh.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparrowhawk7/13968678605/

 

[The Snap]

Just passed Crewe Heritage Centre on a Manchester-bound service.
There was a 68 on the back of a road low-loader in there, looking as though they were about to roll it off onto a siding...

 

[Boothby97]

Just passed Crewe Heritage Centre on a Manchester-bound service.
There was a 68 on the back of a road low-loader in there, looking as though they were about to roll it off onto a siding...

68005, enroute to the NEC (Birmingham) for Multimodal 2014

 

[Y186520]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Allelys-heavy-haulage/162638680551751

Allelys heavy haulage facebook page photos posted this image.

 

[Sunbird24]

Just for info, two 68s were partially visible at Albuixech last week, one totally white but no other markings, so may have been 68001. The other still had a white and beige body, so from the batch 68006 onwards. Nothing was visible yesterday apart from what appeared to be a 3200 in white and beige so possibly ISR 132x, and a load of tram units. Yesterday was the last day of a long spell of holidays so normal working should have resumed today.