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I suspect either the full tank or roof hatches will be opened up soon to fit the DCC chip to make them work with all our fancy signalling systems too - unless Vossloh AG are building them with DCC Fitted!

 

I wonder if the fancy packaging has been left in the ship then?

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68005 on display at Birmingham NEC

http://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains2014/April-2014/i-QK8xQJV/A

http://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains2014/April-2014/i-KV3Zrxz/A

http://mark5812.smugmug.com/Trains2014/April-2014/i-HJLpsRm/A

 

According to Mainline diesel web site 68008 will be in Northern Belle livery.

http://mainlinediesels.net/index.php?nav=1000001&lang=en&id=6168&action=shownews#.U2AFQO9OWP8

 

According to DRS magazine picked up today they are getting 25 class 68's

 

Mark

http://mark5812.smugmug.com

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Six to be loaned to Chiltern to replace the 67's.

 

Sorry if that has already been mentioned.

Somehow I think you meant to say 'leased' (or 'hired') and not 'loaned'.  Giving other operators the use of your motive power is a strictly commercial and generally lucrative (well it was when I was doing it) business.

 

The interesting part in all of this is whether DRS actually own the locos or if they are leased?  But whichever it is you have the slightly amusing situation of the only UK state owned rail operator leasing/hiring equipment to the private sector (which in this case happens to be a franchise let to a company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of a company which is state owned, by another country).  Fascinating place today's railway industry :jester:

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WNXX reporting that the solo run won't be happening tomorrow and also rules out the possibility of a Northern Belle 68. They'd look pretty good in Chiltern Mainline silver though...

 

 

Yep - 4Z42 is the reporting code.

 

Here's the engine move - 0Z42

 

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R02774/2014/05/01/advanced

I gather the move is now cancelled, although RealTimeTrains were apparently showing it down as 'Electric Loco' this evening as well.

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The interesting part in all of this is whether DRS actually own the locos or if they are leased?

They are owned by Beacon Rail and leased to DRS.

 

But whichever it is you have the slightly amusing situation of the only UK state owned rail operator leasing/hiring equipment to the private sector (which in this case happens to be a franchise let to a company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of a company which is state owned, by another country).  Fascinating place today's railway industry

 

Beacon Rail is wholly owned by BTMU Capital Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.; part of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

 

Therefore the Chiltern bound Class 68's are owned by a private sector subsidiary of a Japanese banking group, leased to a UK state owned operator (DRS), sub-leased to a UK private sector TOC (Chiltern), which is a subsidiary of a German owned UK based private rail operator (Arriva UK Trains), which is part of a German privately owned UK based International transport company (Arriva), which is itself a division of a German state owned company (DB).

 

To boot, the locos are German, but made in Spain.

 

...or to put in another way...

 

German locos made in Spain, owned by the Japanese and operated in the UK by a German company.

Simples.

 

 

 

[Edit -12th May 2014  See post 452 on page 19 (next page) with reference to Beacon Rail being sold by Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ to Pamplona Capital Management.]

 

 

 

 

.

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They are owned by Beacon Rail and leased to DRS.

 

 

Beacon Rail is wholly owned by BTMU Capital Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.; part of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

 

Therefore the Chiltern bound Class 68's are owned by a private sector subsidiary of a Japanese banking group, leased to a UK state owned operator (DRS), sub-leased to a UK private sector TOC (Chiltern), which is a subsidiary of a German owned UK based private rail operator (Arriva UK Trains), which is part of a German privately owned UK based International transport company (Arriva), which is itself a division of a German state owned company (DB).

 

To boot, the locos are German, but made in Spain.

 

...or to put in another way...

 

German locos made in Spain, owned by the Japanese and operated in the UK by a German company.

Simples.

 

 

 

 

 

.

And in my Control days, a foreign loco was one off t'Broad Gauge!

 

Oh how nice and simple life was in those days.

 

ps - you can see why the "privatised" railway is so loved by those in power. Just look at all that money sloshing around - some is bound to get in places it shouldn't!

 

Mike

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They are owned by Beacon Rail and leased to DRS.

 

 

Beacon Rail is wholly owned by BTMU Capital Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.; part of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.

 

Therefore the Chiltern bound Class 68's are owned by a private sector subsidiary of a Japanese banking group, leased to a UK state owned operator (DRS), sub-leased to a UK private sector TOC (Chiltern), which is a subsidiary of a German owned UK based private rail operator (Arriva UK Trains), which is part of a German privately owned UK based International transport company (Arriva), which is itself a division of a German state owned company (DB).

 

To boot, the locos are German, but made in Spain.

 

...or to put in another way...

 

German locos made in Spain, owned by the Japanese and operated in the UK by a German company.

Simples.

.

 

Amazing.............and each sector making a profit of its own.........and we talk about cutting out the middle man...!!!

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And in my Control days, a foreign loco was one off t'Broad Gauge!

 

Oh how nice and simple life was in those days.

 

ps - you can see why the "privatised" railway is so loved by those in power. Just look at all that money sloshing around - some is bound to get in places it shouldn't!

 

Mike

It's remarkably simple now as well.  Once you know which operator 'owns' the loco for operational purposes you're home & dry and all you need to do is have a contract with him (or via NR) to use it and they pay up - so no more swiping someone else's traction and leaving them in the lurch to find another loco to cover their work.

 

Having worked with both systems (BR and private) and in the case of the latter originally having full contract control of our fleet it was all very easy - I drafted up a contract, didn't tell our legal people about it (I'd done hire contracts in the heritage sector with a solicitor doing the legal bits so no need for any more 'advice' on that), set the rates and told any interested customers how much it would cost to hire the loco with or without crew.  They signed the contract and I told our control when the loco was to be handed over and when it was to be handed back - and make sure you record the times because there are penalty charges if it overstays its hired hours or mileage, easy peasy.

 

Mind you when loco hire was transferred from me to a sales manager (who didn't have much else to sell) our earnings dropped considerably as he undercharged by a big margin as he (an engineer) forgot about consumables like brake blocks and engine hours/servicing costs.   

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WNXX reporting that the solo run won't be happening tomorrow and also rules out the possibility of a Northern Belle 68. They'd look pretty good in Chiltern Mainline silver though...

I seem to remember reading, when DRS got the Northern Belle contract, that having an engine in their colours to haul the train was part of the contract. So if DRS intend to switch the Belle to 68 power I would expect one or two to be painted in Umber and Cream. Seems to be a lot of claim and counter claim sloshing about over that. I guess we'll not really know for sure till they're all delivered.

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I seem to remember reading, when DRS got the Northern Belle contract, that having an engine in their colours to haul the train was part of the contract. So if DRS intend to switch the Belle to 68 power I would expect one or two to be painted in Umber and Cream. Seems to be a lot of claim and counter claim sloshing about over that. I guess we'll not really know for sure till they're all delivered.

I read the link and I take it to mean that there is a NB liveried loco but that it is not 008.

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I seem to remember reading, when DRS got the Northern Belle contract, that having an engine in their colours to haul the train was part of the contract. So if DRS intend to switch the Belle to 68 power I would expect one or two to be painted in Umber and Cream. Seems to be a lot of claim and counter claim sloshing about over that. I guess we'll not really know for sure till they're all delivered.

 

DRS are on record that they intend to "sweat" their new assets (especially as they are leased, not owned outright like DRSs ex BR fleet) and as most industry commentators have pointed out, the Northern Belle is hardly the most speedy or efficient use of locos, utilising as it does two engines on a relaxed schedule. Consequently, apart from perhaps the odd loco failures or other operational issues, the Northern Belle will continue to be 47 hauled for the foreseeable future.

 

Similarly the use of 68s on Nuclear flask traffic has been ruled out as being a waste of resources (again the requirement to double head a lightweight train counts against them)

 

Indeed the whole reason for getting the 68s in the first place was to get a powerful and fast diesel for intermodal work - the fact that they were able to get a new design with ETH capability was a bonus allowing them to enter new markets but it certainly wasn't the driving force behind their acquisition.

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Seems to have hit most of the branches on it's way down the ugly tree.

Looks rather odd (OK, ugly) from the front I'll agree but other than that about the first new thing on the railway in years that looks half decent to me.

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Although 68002-004 are at Crewe, 68005 may be at Carlisle for continuing training purposes. 68005 was also on display at the NEC Intermodal show. It was roaded up to Carlisle to be reunited with the railway system - there is a very convenient unloading ramp at Kingmoor.

 

If anything is needed to be roaded from Crewe Gresty Bridge, it has to be moved across to Crewe Heritage Centre for road access.

 

As an aside, it'e being reported that 68007 carries the name "Valiant"

 

Cheers,

Mick

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