Class 92 "Last Mile" proposal mentioned in RAIL early This Year

[cj_1985]

I don't read "RAIL" magazine much anymore, but there was a feature in an issue earlier this year about GBRf and specifically the mention made about consideration being given to fitting some class 92s with small Diesel Engines to operate in the same way as Bombardiers "TRAXX Last Mile" feature/proposal, that made me actually buy it (for the first time in over 18 months.)

And its been going round my head for a while as something seemed, off, about the idea...

Now, its always been my understanding that there are a number of banned/prohibited cargos that are not allowed to be moved through the Channel Tunnel. This relates to my actual point... AIUI while Diesel locos can be dragged through the Tunnel by an electric loco (atm namely a class 92), they are NOT allowed to operate through the tunnel solo due to :
(i) Engine Emmisions Building up in the Tunnel
and (ii) Fuel, In this case Diesel, being on (or very close to) the prohibited list, being in significant quantities...

so my understanding has always been that for a loco be it a DBS/ECR or GBRf class 66 being delivered/dragged to the UK for repairs, conversion etc that the locos fuel tanks have to be drained down to a pre-set limit. Now i don't know what that "limit" is... but surely fitting a small engine (i will in future refer to it as a "Last Mile module") and fuel tank to a class 92 (assuming its physically possible and financially worth it) surely that would make it harder to diagram locos for use on tunnel services...

ie. the DFDS Daventry train that GBRf operate in the UK, Europorte channel Operate through the Tunnel and then Whoever else is involved handles it the rest of the way, is normally class 92 hauled... making it the ideal sort of service to use a class 92 with a "last mile module" so it can operate from the DIRFT Terminal without having to be removed and the actual train load moved in/out of the terminal by a shunter... but it would still be carrying a fair amount of fuel that i would GUESS would have to be above the threshold/limit.. so in that situation would that same class 92 be able to work the service from DIRFT all the way to the tunnel, Through the tunnel and into Calais Frethun yard whilst carrying that flammable fuel

so either it could, and my question is idiotis, or it couldn't meaning a loco change and a loss in productivity.


now i know, that its still a very theoretical situation from start to finish for the moment... but its one that's been buzzing away in my head for a while tha i thought maybe discussing with others would send it buzzing "Away" out of my head.

 

[455driver]

The "last mile" engine will only be a small one and so will only need a small fuel tank (probably less than 200 litres) not the 4500+ litre job that current diesel locos have.

 

[cj_1985]

The "last mile" engine will only be a small one and so will only need a small fuel tank (probably less than 200 litres) not the 4500+ litre job that current diesel locos have.

many thanks for the input.

 

[33056]

One other problem that immediately springs to mind is that, IIRC, there is not an awful lot of space inside a class 92 to fit more equipment into - unless there is something in there that can be removed without affecting it's current operation (unlikely?)

 

[Kali]

How much of it is chunnel certification redundancy & could be ditched if you just wanted a domestic hauler?

 

[cj_1985]

How much of it is chunnel certification redundancy & could be ditched if you just wanted a domestic hauler?

yeah, but in theory you have the GBET pool which are class 92s to work to/from destinations in the UK, and you have the (iirc) PTXX pool with all other Eurotunnel/Europorte class 92s... there have been cases where the PTXX allocated 92s which ,aiui, in theory are solely for use hauling from Dollands Moor to Frethun (and the reverse) but every now and again one of the PTXX 92s gets used on the DFDS trip to Daventry, and the GBET locos can just as easily be seen working just services through the tunnel.

Partly that will be down to (iirc) GBRfs management having control over the "Europorte Channel" subsidiary (tunnel operations) so they are kind of run as a single operation. This is/was (iirc) to make it easier to sell a product (service) of being able to take a load from XX terminal all the way through to france, or vice versa, while dealing with one entity instead of 2... obviously they then have to deal with another entity for transport to/from Frethun and wherever else in Europe...(although im sure Europorte would prefer it be them rather than SNCF or ECR (DB)...

much the same as DBS will operate, despite different divisions, you can negotiate with a single entitiy for transport from (especially with DBS' size and European and beyond coverage) end to end inc transit through the tunnel.

my original point being, that despite there being separate batches of the GB/Europorte 92s... they can end up working within the UK or solely within the ET network inc. from Dollands Moor to Frethun. if by doing this modification to the 92s, you may as well remove the "redundancy" in having a "common" fleet (despite the afore mentioned pool allocations)

But obviously as I originally stated, until this actually happens (IF it actually happens) this is all really theoretical... although not in a "what if they extended XX train to XX station to serve XX area so a class XXX would be seen near XX" theoretical way

 

[route:oxford]

The "last mile" engine will only be a small one and so will only need a small fuel tank (probably less than 200 litres) not the 4500+ litre job that current diesel locos have.

The diesel tanks in the chunnel emergency recovery locos are over 2000 litres aren't they?

 

[cj_1985]

The diesel tanks in the chunnel emergency recovery locos are over 2000 litres aren't they?

from what I can find, the max capacity of the Class 0/DE6400 is : 3500 Litres...
but I don't know if they are only allowed into the tunnel fully fuelled, or at/below the afore mentioned threshold, or under different circumstances ie. OHLE isolated