Class 73 on the Highland Sleeper

[BanburyBlue]

I saw a post on Facebook today, which showed a class 73 hauling the Highland sleeper to Oban.

Is this right?

Seems a strange choice of traction (I always thought the diesel engine on a class 73 was small?).

Surely it doesn't haul the train all the way from Euston?

 

[BestWestern]

Have you been living on the moon?

A fleet of 73s was re-engineered specifically for hauling the Sleepers on the far north legs of their journeys. It is an odd choice, but presumably it fitted the bill! If the pic is any good, you'll see that the loco is far from original spec. Network Rail also have some, though there are a number of differences between the two batches.

 

[EM2]

They've been hauling the sleeper since June:
http://www.railmagazine.com/news/fl...t-73/9s-take-over-all-caledonian-sleeper-work

Caledonian Sleeper is no longer using Class 67s on its trains from Edinburgh Waverley to the Highlands, because sufficient rebuilt Class 73/9s are now available for these duties.

The deal to hire the locomotives ended on June 30.

CS hires its traction from GB Railfreight. The Class 73/9s had been scheduled to start in April last year, when CS took over Sleeper operations from First ScotRail. However, they were delayed due to various complications with the rebuild, and so GBRf hired the ‘67s’ from DB as a stopgap. ScotRail had used the Class 67s prior to the end of the franchise.

GBRf will use Class 73s on trains to and from Fort William and Aberdeen, while a Class 66/73 combination will be used on the Inverness train. The Class 73 is provided on that train for electric train supply, as the ‘66’ is not so equipped.

 

[BestWestern]

They've been hauling the sleeper since June:
http://www.railmagazine.com/news/fl...t-73/9s-take-over-all-caledonian-sleeper-work

Or not, in some cases, and merely being tucked behind a 66 providing train supply because they needed rectification before they could do haulage!

 

[47271]

They've been hauling the sleeper since June:
http://www.railmagazine.com/news/fl...t-73/9s-take-over-all-caledonian-sleeper-work

Correct at the time, but not now, the Inverness section has been with a DB 67 since early in the new year and for some time to come yet. Not enough serviceable 73s...

 

[PHILIPE]

Plenty of reading about it in what is now a lengthy thread so can't understand how the use of 73s hasn't been discovered

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=118802

 

[fgwrich]

Correct at the time, but not now, the Inverness section has been with a DB 67 since early in the new year and for some time to come yet. Not enough serviceable 73s...

Not quite down to the main 73 situation. The use of the DB 67 predominantly comes down to the shunt up by VTEC of a Mk3 being lifted into 73969. They use DB Cargo 67s as their Thunderbird locos, so have hired an additional Skip to work the Caley Sleeper on behalf of GBRf while 969 is repaired.

Nearly all of the 73s but 969 should also now have received the Mods by Brush. 969 will take a little longer while it receives a new face.

 

[TimboM]

Not quite down to the main 73 situation. The use of the DB 67 predominantly comes down to the shunt up by VTEC of a Mk3 being lifted into 73969. They use DB Cargo 67s as their Thunderbird locos, so have hired an additional Skip to work the Caley Sleeper on behalf of GBRf while 969 is repaired.

Nearly all of the 73s but 969 should also now have received the Mods by Brush. 969 will take a little longer while it receives a new face.

So the DB 67 is the "courtesy loco"...!

 

[fgwrich]

So the DB 67 is the "courtesy loco"...!

That's how I understand it as, As the accident happened in the care of VTEC.

 

[BestWestern]

That's how I understand it as, As the accident happened in the care of VTEC.

What happened there then?

 

[59CosG95]

What happened there then?

As Post no.7 details, a VTEC Mk3 decided to 'kiss' 73969 and left something a little more painful than a love bite...so, while 969 needs another 'Joan Rivers' procedure, VTEC have lent GBRf a Skip out of the milk of human kindness.

 

[scotraildriver]

The brakes had been isolated to allow tyre turning at the Craigentinny wheel lathe. A mistake led to the loco being driven in this condition and it collided with a Mk3 coach which was up on jacks.

 

[59CosG95]

The brakes had been isolated to allow tyre turning at the Craigentinny wheel lathe. A mistake led to the loco being driven in this condition and it collided with a Mk3 coach which was up on jacks.

Ahh, so I was wrong about which moved and which was still. Song remains the same to an extent; 73 and Mk3 collide, 73 comes off the worse.

 

[BestWestern]

The brakes had been isolated to allow tyre turning at the Craigentinny wheel lathe. A mistake led to the loco being driven in this condition and it collided with a Mk3 coach which was up on jacks.

Ooooh sh*te That could have been rather nasty then. A dropped and bent MK3 would have been an bit of an inconvenience.