DB - Storing more 66s?

[D365]

If only DB had had more of their Class 60s available on sale for GBRf to buy sooner, for them to do Class 69/Class 57-style conversions on. What would they have become? Class 72? Class 63? Class 64?

Other than the ongoing reliability modifications, Class 60 re-engineering is still very much at the drawing board. It’s too early to get excited about TOPS reclassification.

 

[fgwrich]

Not even GBRf now, they’ve hired out several locos to Colas.

This in part being due to contract losses to Freightliner along with the arrival of the 69 fleet, means GB can comfortably hire out 66s to Colas.

DB on the other hand with their regular contract losses have meant they’ve had a considerable surplus for a number of years - don’t forget some of the GB Sheds were formally with DB too (and DRS / Colas and ironically, Freightliner).

 

[sad1e]

Other than the ongoing reliability modifications, Class 60 re-engineering is still very much at the drawing board. It’s too early to get excited about TOPS reclassification

A bit off topic but I hope Class 60 re-engineering eventually gets done in one form or another.

It seems like such a waste having the majority of the class parked up , rotting in toton. But due to that there is a good stock of bodyshells , Bogies and various parts so there definitely is enough parts to re-engineer and fix up a few.

 

[Mollman]

Very much going off topic (sorry) but a lot of this stems back to how rail freight was viewed at privatisation. EWS (as was) had the near monopoly on rail freight apart from container traffic which was shared with Freightliner and then DRS being formed by BNFL to operate the nuclear traffic in house. They purchased a fleet of 66s to replace everything except the 60s (and 59/2s inherited from National Power). In hindsight I am sure a smaller fleet of 66s would have been purchased with some 56s or 58s being rebuilt had they known how little time some of the majority traffic lasted.

Back then coal was king, with significant oil, metal and other 'industrial' flows that have slowly dropped away. No one could have predicted the sudden end of mail and coal traffic which would leave DB with too large a fleet of modern locomotives, this has been compound since by the loss of other significant traffic such as the Mendip aggregate flows and Iron Ore to Scunthorpe.

 

[Yorkshire09876]

Very much going off topic (sorry) but a lot of this stems back to how rail freight was viewed at privatisation. EWS (as was) had the near monopoly on rail freight apart from container traffic which was shared with Freightliner and then DRS being formed by BNFL to operate the nuclear traffic in house. They purchased a fleet of 66s to replace everything except the 60s (and 59/2s inherited from National Power). In hindsight I am sure a smaller fleet of 66s would have been purchased with some 56s or 58s being rebuilt had they known how little time some of the majority traffic lasted.

Back then coal was king, with significant oil, metal and other 'industrial' flows that have slowly dropped away. No one could have predicted the sudden end of mail and coal traffic which would leave DB with too large a fleet of modern locomotives, this has been compound since by the loss of other significant traffic such as the Mendip aggregate flows and Iron Ore to Scunthorpe.

They lost the Yorkshire stone traffic too - Swinden Quarry transferred to GBRF, and new flows from Arcow quarry and the newly-reopened rail connection at Horton are also GBRF jobs.

They also seem to have lost most charter and excursion train work too - WCRC and LSL now do a lot of it (with their own locos).