GBRf Class 99 - 30 locomotives now ordered

[92002]

So which vessel is it then? Do share the info if you are saying post above is wrong.

#1167 says correct ship.

 

[littledude]

So which vessel is it then? Do share the info if you are saying post above is wrong.

Those kind of subtly smug corrections really boil my p*ss - either help, or don’t!

 

[Harlequinuk]

Facebook

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Big move happening!

99003 and 99004 being prepared for departure in Barcelona on Friday.

Next stop: The UK!

@bristol_port

 

[Peter Sarf]

Facebook

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Credit to Facebook poster "GB Railfreight"

Took me a while to get it open so, just to save others the effort, I screen printed it.

Picture of 99004 (just legible) and 99003 inside what appears to be a roll-on roll-off ship on non-road trailers.

In the picture you can see how the lamp bracket and grab handle obscures part of the locomotive number that is on the front lower right as you look at the locomotive. Compare 99004 bad angle with 99003 good angle of view.

 

[The_Train]

View attachment 192780
Took me a while to get it open so, just to save others the effort, I screen printed it.

Picture of 99004 (just legible) and 99003 inside what appears to be a roll-on roll-off ship on non-road trailers.

In the picture you can see how the lamp bracket and grab handle obscures part of the locomotive number that is on the front lower right as you look at the locomotive. Compare 99004 bad angle with 99003 good angle of view.

It must be such a sad existence for people like Ron when everything they see, they have to turn into a political game

 

[Harlequinuk]

Theres alot of posts on there saying the same thing; and older people commenting on `the glory days of British built`

 

[RUK]

The last British-built freight locomotives haven’t been that successful, have they? Classes 56, 58, and 60. Class 92 have probably been used less than expected, and so have Class 90s recently. Class 89 never got beyond a single example, which wasn’t used a ton. Class 91 didn’t haul freight as planned.

 

[Trainman40083]

The last British-built freight locomotives haven’t been that successful, have they? Classes 56, 58, and 60. Class 92 have probably been used less than expected, and so have Class 90s recently. Class 89 never got beyond a single example, which wasn’t used a ton. Class 91 didn’t haul freight as planned.

You could say that most of the heavy haul freight, especially coal, ceased, leading to a short life for 56/58/60s. It was a case of either the 89 or the class 91..the class 91 won. But around that time British Rail was actively looking to get rid of freight traffic. That saw far more locos available than needed

 

[Loadhaul60059]

Appreciate this is a relatively minor gripe, but the positioning of the numbers on the front end of the 99's is a bit annoying as there seems to be some sort of handle that obscures the number from certain angles.

I was hoping they'd address it with the livery tweaks for 99003 onwards, but as the above image shows you can't see the number on 99004 properly.

 

[zwk500]

Appreciate this is a relatively minor gripe, but the positioning of the numbers on the front end of the 99's is a bit annoying as there seems to be some sort of handle that obscures the number from certain angles.

I was hoping they'd address it with the livery tweaks for 99003 onwards, but as the above image shows you can't see the number on 99004 properly.

Who does this really impact though? The number is clear on the cab side and tbh if you're standing dead ahead of the loco it's either not moving and you can change your viewing angle, or you need to be getting out of the way of the loco!

 

[jomo]

View attachment 192780
Took me a while to get it open so, just to save others the effort, I screen printed it.

Picture of 99004 (just legible) and 99003 inside what appears to be a roll-on roll-off ship on non-road trailers.

In the picture you can see how the lamp bracket and grab handle obscures part of the locomotive number that is on the front lower right as you look at the locomotive. Compare 99004 bad angle with 99003 good angle of view.

When do you think they will be arriving in the UK? And will they be headed for Leicester?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

When do you think they will be arriving in the UK? And will they be headed for Leicester?

According to https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9974101

The vessel is en route to the port of Bristol, United Kingdom (UK), sailing at a speed of 14.6 knots and expected to arrive there on Nov 26, 18:00.

I don't know about where they'll go once in the UK.

 

[cj_1985]

According to https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9974101

I don't know about where they'll go once in the UK.

If i were betting, I'd guess they'll go to Leicester for Commisioning before any mileage accumulation runs are even considered to take place

 

[D365]

It was a case of either the 89 or the class 91..the class 91 won.

It wasn't a head-to-head in the sense of it being a direct competition between Brush Traction and GEC. But that's beside the point anyhow.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Who does this really impact though? The number is clear on the cab side and tbh if you're standing dead ahead of the loco it's either not moving and you can change your viewing angle, or you need to be getting out of the way of the loco!

If you are travelling on a train looking out the window as a 99 comes the opposite way the number on the front is the only one you have a chance of seeing.

 

[Wyrleybart]

If you are travelling on a train looking out the window as a 99 comes the opposite way the number on the front is the only one you have a chance of seeing.

Whilst that is true Peter, it is only really the very small number of people who show an interest in loco numbers. For the rest of us it is not really relevant. Many years ago at the beginning of privatisation I was a TCS at Bescot for Transrail. On a shift basis we were responsible for allocating locos to work in conjunction with the power control, and one job we had involved a BS driver booking on around 1700ish to work 6S75 to Warrington and 6M27 back. These trains were the last vestiges of a Speedlink Dover-Mossend service (cant remember the headcode) but the loco and driver diagram worked 6M27 Mossend-Bescot back.

This diagram involved one of "our" class 60s as a fill in between MGR coal train work. At that time there was a Mainline Freight class 60 diagram which worked a 42 set of coal hoppers on a MidCannock - Rugeley flow - 2 or 3 trips a day, which sat at Bescot unused in the between trips. This loco was controlled by the Nottingham Mainline fleet and did very little else in the week.

The driver booked on with me and I gave him the loco number and the road it was on in the holding sidings and he wrote the number on his fag packet. Off he went to go and get the loco ready, and unusually for me I didn't visibly check the loco as it went off the sidings to go and back up on the train - because something more pressing was going on.

Much later, call from Warrington to say that "we" had allocated the wrong loco to 6S75 and we would have to hire it from Mainline. It turns out that despite me verbally giving the driver the number, and the road it was on, and him scribbling the number on his fag packet, he still took the wrong loco. To make matters worse, the shunters never checked the loco number the driver had was the one allocated in TOPS and on the train list.

This explains how much some people notice loco numbers !!

 

[Peter Sarf]

Whilst that is true Peter, it is only really the very small number of people who show an interest in loco numbers. For the rest of us it is not really relevant. Many years ago at the beginning of privatisation I was a TCS at Bescot for Transrail. On a shift basis we were responsible for allocating locos to work in conjunction with the power control, and one job we had involved a BS driver booking on around 1700ish to work 6S75 to Warrington and 6M27 back. These trains were the last vestiges of a Speedlink Dover-Mossend service (cant remember the headcode) but the loco and driver diagram worked 6M27 Mossend-Bescot back.

This diagram involved one of "our" class 60s as a fill in between MGR coal train work. At that time there was a Mainline Freight class 60 diagram which worked a 42 set of coal hoppers on a MidCannock - Rugeley flow - 2 or 3 trips a day, which sat at Bescot unused in the between trips. This loco was controlled by the Nottingham Mainline fleet and did very little else in the week.

The driver booked on with me and I gave him the loco number and the road it was on in the holding sidings and he wrote the number on his fag packet. Off he went to go and get the loco ready, and unusually for me I didn't visibly check the loco as it went off the sidings to go and back up on the train - because something more pressing was going on.

Much later, call from Warrington to say that "we" had allocated the wrong loco to 6S75 and we would have to hire it from Mainline. It turns out that despite me verbally giving the driver the number, and the road it as on, and him scribbling the number on his fag packet, he still took the wrong loco. To make maters worse, the shunters never checked the loco number the driver had was the one allocated in TOPS and on the train list.

This explains how much some people notice loco numbers !!

-SEControl

Ha ha.

Good old human error.

I often wondered what drove the addition of numbers on the front. I assume it helps staff as well as hobbyists ?.

 

[Paul AC]

Having the unit number on the vehicle ends doesn't always help.... some years ago we had an EMU configured for testing some updated software, we had test kit in the motor coach saloon and test cables passing through a gap between the doors, and it was only approved for main line running in night-time quiet periods with test staff on board with monitoring kit running. Usually we would disable the unit to stop it from being driven, but some depot shunting was needed during the daytime so we couldn't do that in this case. A driver got the unit number wrong when forming up an afternoon peak consist (two digits swapped), so off towards London it went in DOO passenger service.... until a passenger reported the "unattended equipment" to station staff, at which point the mistake was spotted and the service terminated and sent back empty to depot.

 

[Lknowles78]

@Wyrleybart you must have known my dad Mick Knowles and uncle John Poxon. (sorry off topic)

 

[The Chimaera]

@Wyrleybart you must have known my dad Mick Knowles and uncle John Poxon. (sorry off topic)

I’m sure Wyrleybart does. You have fine Railwaymen in your family. BS was a good training ground.

 

[Wyrleybart]

@Wyrleybart you must have known my dad Mick Knowles and uncle John Poxon. (sorry off topic)

Two very fine train drivers and railwaymen and I worked with both at Bescot and at XC. In fact I was only thinking the other day of the last time I got on a 58 was with John, working the empties from Garston back to Kingsbury - so many years ago !!!

 

[99009]

Using the link posted in #1182, the Nereus Highway is still scheduled to arrive at Bristol today, but now at 21:00.

Thanks to all the posters who are posting gen here in good faith, regardless of how connected/official they are to GBRF or 99's.

 

[JKF]

Poster on yahoo groups says both are at the automotive terminal now. Possible road movement out tomorrow?

 

[99009]

Either 99001 or 99002 (or both) had a very small trip out from Leicester depot today via Croft, Wigston South Jn and then back to Leicester depot. Does anyone know for sure which 99's were involved and if the route described is correct? Given the way the schedule reports the passing times, I think they went to Croft first (instead of last as booked) and Wigston South Jn last (instead of first as booked).

Realtime Trains | 0Q99 1144 Leicester L.I.P. to Leicester L.I.P. | 27/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 0Q99 1144 departure from Leicester L.I.P. to Leicester L.I.P. on 27/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Wyrleybart]

Either 99001 or 99002 (or both) had a very small trip out from Leicester depot today via Croft, Wigston South Jn and then back to Leicester depot. Does anyone know for sure which 99's were involved and if the route described is correct? Given the way the schedule reports the passing times, I think they went to Croft first (instead of last as booked) and Wigston South Jn last (instead of first as booked).

Realtime Trains | 0Q99 1144 Leicester L.I.P. to Leicester L.I.P. | 27/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 0Q99 1144 departure from Leicester L.I.P. to Leicester L.I.P. on 27/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

I imagine it needed turning

 

[66701GBRF]

Appreciate this is a relatively minor gripe, but the positioning of the numbers on the front end of the 99's is a bit annoying as there seems to be some sort of handle that obscures the number from certain angles.

I was hoping they'd address it with the livery tweaks for 99003 onwards, but as the above image shows you can't see the number on 99004 properly.

It is perfectly fine for the intended customer and staff. Why would they change it for train spotters?

 

[Sheldonian]

I agree that spotters needs are of no importance whatsoever to the companies involved, but presumably they or their staff will will need to read the number. If not, why have it there at all.

 

[Harlequinuk]

GB Railfreight is at The Bristol Port Company.​

1h ·Bristol ·

An early Christmas present from Valencia has arrived!
99003 and 99004 arrived yesterday at The Bristol Port Company’s, Royal Portbury Dock.
@bristol_port
#Class99 #GBRf GBRailfreightp

Taken from their social media

GB Railfreight | London

GB Railfreight, London. 18,949 likes · 696 talking about this · 129 were here. GBRf is the largest rail freight operator in the UK. We keep the UK moving and the lights turned on. This is a place...

www.facebook.com

003 and 004 have arrived in the UK

 

[zwk500]

Taken from their social media

GB Railfreight | London

GB Railfreight, London. 18,949 likes · 696 talking about this · 129 were here. GBRf is the largest rail freight operator in the UK. We keep the UK moving and the lights turned on. This is a place...

www.facebook.com

003 and 004 have arrived in the UK

The picture of them next to the docks railway track is slightly teasing

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The picture of them next to the docks railway track is slightly teasing

They've aligned the two trailers next to each other very well in that shot, it looks like 1 very wide trailer!