DB Class 66s sold to GFR

[Harlequinuk]

Grup Feroviar Român (GFR) cumpără 25 de locomotive de la DB Cargo UK, într-o tranzacție de milioane de euro - Economica.net

DB Cargo UK a anunțat că vinde 25 de locomotive Class 66 către Grup Feroviar Român (GFR).

www.economica.net

DB Cargo UK has announced that it is selling 25 Class 66 locomotives to the Romanian Railway Group (GFR).
Andrada Ghira - Mon, 19 Jan 2026, 12:32

The first Class 66 locomotive (66014) will leave DB Cargo UK's traction maintenance depot in Toton, Nottinghamshire, at the end of January 2026 under the multi-million pound deal, the company announced.




The other units will be delivered by mid-2028.

"The locomotives purchased by the Romanian Railway Group from DB Cargo UK will become the backbone of the operator's diesel fleet in the coming years. The replacement of the current fleet of LDE 2100 locomotives, used for diesel traction, was necessary due to the increasing maintenance costs, generated by their age and the increasing difficulty of finding spare parts", said Sorin Chinde, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Romanian Railway Group (GFR) and Vice President of GRAMPET Group.
Before being transported to continental Europe, all locomotives will be returned to current operational standards in the UK and will be repainted blue.

25 are going to Romania and scuttlebutt is that more are going as well

 

[RUK]

Do these have the high-intensity headlights which mean that they don’t need yellow ends any more to run in the U.K., or will they need to be delivered sandwiched between two locomotives with yellow ends at either end? Or would they be delivered by road, instead? I guess cab air conditioning, if it’s going to be fitted, couldn’t be fitted if they’re going to be delivered by rail from the U.K. end, but could if they’re going to be delivered by road instead.

 

[Harlequinuk]

Not all 25 locos have as yet been identified, but so far after 66014, 66006/009/024/027/040/047/069/075/076/080/085-087/089/095, 66110/111/115/197 are all in line to make the move abroad.

 

[ExRes]

Not all 25 locos have as yet been identified, but so far after 66014, 66006/009/024/027/040/047/069/075/076/080/085-087/089/095, 66110/111/115/197 are all in line to make the move abroad.

The latest rumour is

006/009/014/018/024/027/037/040/047/069/075/076/080/085/086/087/089/095/110/111/115/138/145/160/197

All of these are currently at Toton except for - 027 Knottingley - 069 Tees - 086 Crewe - 110 Tees - 111 Hoo Junction

No doubt there will be (many) changes to this before the last one closes the door behind itself

 

[Harlequinuk]

I think its the WBAR list ?

 

[43096]

The latest rumour is

006/009/014/018/024/027/037/040/047/069/075/076/080/085/086/087/089/095/110/111/115/138/145/160/197

All of these are currently at Toton except for - 027 Knottingley - 069 Tees - 086 Crewe - 110 Tees - 111 Hoo Junction

No doubt there will be (many) changes to this before the last one closes the door behind itself

It’s a bit more than a rumour… those are the 20 locos in the WBAR pool.

 

[Dunfanaghy Roa]

Do these have the high-intensity headlights which mean that they don’t need yellow ends any more to run in the U.K., or will they need to be delivered sandwiched between two locomotives with yellow ends at either end? Or would they be delivered by road, instead? I guess cab air conditioning, if it’s going to be fitted, couldn’t be fitted if they’re going to be delivered by rail from the U.K. end, but could if they’re going to be delivered by road instead.

I would expect that AWS / TPWS kit, GSMR radio &c. would be recovered, so they could only be railed hauled not driven.
Pat

 

[ExRes]

It’s a bit more than a rumour… those are the 20 locos in the WBAR pool.

They may well be the ones to go eventually, personally I would expect this particular list to be changed in keeping with true railway practice