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Class 70 on the tail ?
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Yours truly was Thunderbird 2 on the 66 at the front
No, i'm at Stoke Gifford, just behind Bristol Parkway. Wentloog, the Cardiff terminal, is owned and operated by FL Intermodal, and to the best of my knowledge there are no train crew based there. Those of us at Stoke Gifford all work for FL Heavy Haul.
I live in Cardiff and support the premier regional club in the Principality, hence my avatar
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To be honest, i don't think there have really been many more problems with them than most other new types of loco - who remembers the Class 56s, or more recently the Class 60s, being introduced? And it took EE and BR over 10 years to get the Deltics towards anything close to an acceptable availability / reliability rate. If you consider the complexity of railway locomotives, it's always going to be difficult to get them to work "out of the box". The Class 66s, as has already been mentioned on this board may have been a notable exception, but even they weren't completely without their problems.Sounds like a rare event!
Most of the problems with the Class 70s are not hardware based, but software. There's more computer-controlled and computer-monitered jiggery-pokery on them than any other loco that has run in the UK. GE engineers are working closely with FL to identify where there are software bugs and are quickly fixing them. I honestly don't think it'll be too long before they are running well and achieving a high reliability rate - i hope i don't have to eat my words now i've said that!!
Drivers like them too. They pull well, and can easily out-pace a 66 on the gradients. For example, climbing up towards Bloxwich from Ryecroft junction with 19 loaded coal wagons on the back, a 66 will make 16 or 17 mph by the time you pass Bloxwich's distant. Average with a 70 is 24 or 25. You need to ease off the power for the 25 PSR over Bloxwich crossing in a 70, whereas with a 66 you'd have the taps wide open all the way to Essington without breaking that 25 limit at Bloxwich. It's not just that they generate more power, but they put it down much more efficiently too - i guess that's because of the AC traction motors but i'll let someone who knows more about it try and explain that. The dynamic brake works supremely well, and now that the issues with the cab heating and aircon have been sorted, the cab environment is good too. If only they had fitted a hotplate like every other class of loco for cooking bacon butties whilst tipping at Rugeley!!
And let's be fair, they sound very nice indeed with a full load on the back and the taps wide open!!
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Either a Llandaff or a Llanishen RFC boy then?
How does a 70 thread turn into a rugby discussion?! Lol! Must say I'm getting very impatient with England at the moment - the quality of rugby at Murrayfield was utter rubbish (well, that's my polite take on it - my real feelings aren't fit for reading on a public forum!).
Greg - I've heard that 66s aren't exactly the most popular loco in the world with the folks that drive them! Always makes me laugh when the frolks travelling pass on my trains would rather have a 60 or even something a bit more heritage! If only!!!!!!!
I think the 70s are like any new train - been there and done that with Voyagers. MPC now for those things is outstanding, maybe 70s will be that good too one day!
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Spaking of Rugby I used to hate playing it at school untill they gave up with us, made us go do it in the winter come ice snow or hail, maybe why I dont like the sport.
So I dont get done for an off topic post here is a pic of 70002 being dragged by a 66 at Shrewsbury: http://rusty-264.fotopic.net/p63568887.html
should point out is a video screenie due to an epic pocket fail I didnt grab my photo cam in time
So I dont get done for an off topic post here is a pic of 70002 being dragged by a 66 at Shrewsbury: http://rusty-264.fotopic.net/p63568887.html
should point out is a video screenie due to an epic pocket fail I didnt grab my photo cam in time
I'm a Whitchurch lad, Wales,Scotland and England all played poor today.
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