Irish Rail 2700s

[150001]

This year the Class 2700s from Ireland have been withdrawn (http://www.irishseashipping.com/voyagereports/2009/bw0409/L1300577.jpg) and really it seems a shame that these 1998 built units are being put in storage when really we could do with some newer stock to withdraw some Pacers. Surely with some re gauging work these could be used over here and improve the standards. With a repaint and refurb these could be excellent units and allow 12 of the non DDA compliant Pacers to go. There are also two Class 2750 bubble cars which may come in handy in Devon if 153s were to be reformed as 155s.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Are they of the correct loading gauge though? I would assume 5"3 would allow for a much wider loading gauge than would be possible to accomadate on most lines where they would be needed in Britain.

 

[anthony263]

Are they of the correct loading gauge though? I would assume 5"3 would allow for a much wider loading gauge than would be possible to accomadate on most lines where they would be needed in Britain.

Maybe that is true but couldnt Network take a look and see what work would need doing to allow the classs 2700's to work on certain routes in the UK.

If there are routes which are suitable for them and they are available perhaps some operators may be interested in taking them on with the current shortage of dmu's

It would be interesting with the single carriage units however since if they can fit perhaps use on the Milford Haven - Manchester route would be great with the single carriage units being detached at Claberston road to work to Fishguard Hbr

 

[150001]

They would prove useful; the only other problem is that IR may be using them as spares which is a awful shame as the units are relatively young compared to our Sprinters.

 

[tbtc]

WANTED: Self contained UK route that requires around two dozen coaches worth of DMU

(since its more effective to convert a self contained route to deal with these wider trains)

Harrogate line, anyone?

 

[asylumxl]

Ignoring the fact we have threads like this very regularly, they were withdrawn early on in their lives due to having questionable reliability. Honestly, if they were usable they'd be using them in Ireland and definitely send them here.

 

[route:oxford]

It would be interesting with the single carriage units however since if they can fit perhaps use on the Milford Haven - Manchester route would be great with the single carriage units being detached at Claberston road to work to Fishguard Hbr

Whichever line that GoCo tried a Parry People Mover on without success might be right for a pair of single carriage units and some spares.

 

[bnm]

How easy is it to re-gauge anyway?

New bogies would probably be needed. And that's unlikely to be an off the shelf item so a small order would have to be placed with a bogie manufacturer. Would that be cost-effective?

Then there's the tractive effort, gearing and top speed. Are these suitable for UK use?

And the aforementioned loading gauge.

 

[GM078]

The track gauge is obviously an issue but I think the loading gauge would be ok; the 2700s are rather narrow compared to a lot of Irish stock. (A Park Royal on the other hand...!)

 

[ainsworth74]

I've always been under the impression that whilst the track in Ireland is broad gauge the actual loading gauge is effectively identical to that of GB?

 

[dubscottie]

I posted the dimensions and section drawings of the 2700's a while back (here http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=1049388&postcount=37)

I think the main reason for their withdrawal is due to the surplus of units at the moment. Limerick seemed to have sorted the reliability out.

 

[150001]

The top speed of the units is 70mph, with a Cummins NTA 855-R1, 350 BHP.
with aux power of a Cummins GB5.9GR / Iferca 61.5 kVA. The picture here demonstrates their narrow profile, http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ie/dmu/2700/IE2702-Limerick20080810.jpg

 

[GM078]

I've always been under the impression that whilst the track in Ireland is broad gauge the actual loading gauge is effectively identical to that of GB?

The loading gauge is wider, but not all stock necessarily takes advantage of this. Some of the 1950s built CIÉ stock was built to take full advantage of the wider gauge, such as the Park Royals and Laminates.

Though not as wide as the Laminates/Park Royals the 1960s Cravens also take advantage of the wider loading gauge.

 

[starrymarkb]

The top speed of the units is 70mph, with a Cummins NTA 855-R1, 350 BHP.
with aux power of a Cummins GB5.9GR / Iferca 61.5 kVA. The picture here demonstrates their narrow profile, http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ie/dmu/2700/IE2702-Limerick20080810.jpg

So they have a separate generator for hotel power? Doesn't that increase their complexity

(Could be worse, some french DMUs have 2 traction engines and 1 hotel generator per vehicle!)

 

[150001]

Talking of Cravens taking advantage of gauges, they certainly did that with the A60/A62 stock, they're really wide, 2.9m, although the S stock is 2.92, and the mind the gap announcement on them is pointless now!

 

[John55]

Talking of Cravens taking advantage of gauges, they certainly did that with the A60/A62 stock, they're really wide, 2.9m, although the S stock is 2.92, and the mind the gap announcement on them is pointless now!

A60 stock is/was only 16.2m (53 feet) long which allows greater width.

 

[jopsuk]

Loading gauge and track gauge are not intrinsically linked. For instance, as far as I can work out, the "classic" Japanese network, which has a narrow track gauge, has an almost identical width loading gauge to the UK