DRS Orders Vossloh UKlights

[toffee]

68023-025 reported.

That completes the first batch.

To be utterly pedantic it completes batch 2 ( 016-025). Batch 3 were the added 7 (026-032). When batch 3 appears is unknown, before or after the 88s? What work is there for 020 upwards is also unknown, what with the CAF order for 13x5 LHCS being up in the air. And even if that happens what do they do in the meantime, storage ?

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

To be utterly pedantic it completes batch 2 ( 016-025). Batch 3 were the added 7 (026-032). When batch 3 appears is unknown, before or after the 88s? What work is there for 020 upwards is also unknown, what with the CAF order for 13x5 LHCS being up in the air. And even if that happens what do they do in the meantime, storage ?

 

To my knowledge no dates have been mentioned or confirmed for the arrival of 026-032.

 

I would image that the DRS ones (68001-68005 and 68016-68025) will be used on the more mainstream DRS operated trains.

 

By this I mean the Crewe-Mountsorrel-Crewe ballast, Carlisle-Shap-Carlisle ballast, Crewe-Bescot-Toton-Crewe engineers, Intermodal trains and test trains. This easily takes care of six or seven of them at once not to mention other possible duties.

 

I would think that because DRS seem to be stopping, storing and selling their older assets that the new 68s and soon to be 88s will be taking up some of the duties that they will no longer be responsible for.

 

Also something else to consider is that many of the 68s need modifications at Longport which means that one or two will continue to be out of use straight away.

 

I very much doubt that any of the current 25 will be officially stored as in XHSS. More than likely they would just be stabled on Kingmoor or Crewe temporarily if they were not doing much.

[toffee]

The trains you mention already have 68 power most days so the arrival of yet another 6 just means more expensive assets sat on depots not doing much. Then there is the 10 88s coming as well. Now you could replace all the 66s on liners with either the 68s or the 88s ( probably the latter with a few of the former ?) and this might be the plan as only DRS know how long the contract is for their 66s and when they can hand the keys back. You could replace the 57s or indeed the 37s but are these expensive 100mph locos really what you need to do those jobs ? On top of that yet another 7 what will they do ?

Of course a little more work for a pair is the job picked up to provide 2x 100mph locos for test trains, by adding these to the mix, replacing the 66s with a mix of 68s and 88s you could probably provide work for a few of the new ones.

 

Now I know it's common knowledge that TPE have an order up in the air with CAF for 13x5 LHCS to work some of their services and that order if worked out will probably take 020-032 out of the situation but what do they do in the meantime ? That's what I was on about when I mentioned storage, probably in the warm at Eastleigh as does Kingmoor and Crewe have room for them all ? I believe Longport is doing 2 at a time in Mods and it won't take long. It will be interesting to see when the final batch arrive. I see that the photo of 020 taken today with vinyls on does not have a nameplate, Just like the Chiltern ones !

All good fun but probably best left for forums like wnxx where they have pages of this stuff !

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

The trains you mention already have 68 power most days so the arrival of yet another 6 just means more expensive assets sat on depots not doing much. Then there is the 10 88s coming as well. Now you could replace all the 66s on liners with either the 68s or the 88s ( probably the latter with a few of the former ?) and this might be the plan as only DRS know how long the contract is for their 66s and when they can hand the keys back. You could replace the 57s or indeed the 37s but are these expensive 100mph locos really what you need to do those jobs ? On top of that yet another 7 what will they do ?

Of course a little more work for a pair is the job picked up to provide 2x 100mph locos for test trains, by adding these to the mix, replacing the 66s with a mix of 68s and 88s you could probably provide work for a few of the new ones.

 

Now I know it's common knowledge that TPE have an order up in the air with CAF for 13x5 LHCS to work some of their services and that order if worked out will probably take 020-032 out of the situation but what do they do in the meantime ? That's what I was on about when I mentioned storage, probably in the warm at Eastleigh as does Kingmoor and Crewe have room for them all ? I believe Longport is doing 2 at a time in Mods and it won't take long. It will be interesting to see when the final batch arrive. I see that the photo of 020 taken today with vinyls on does not have a nameplate, Just like the Chiltern ones !

All good fun but probably best left for forums like wnxx where they have pages of this stuff !

 

Very true. I suppose only time will tell.

 

We will have to see what happens with the 57/0s and the 66s. With 020-025 yet to work any trains we will have to see what duties these are deployed on. We might find that more information about other classes of loco is revealed soon and possibly more stored and sold on. Something I considered which will be interesting to see is how many 68s now that their are 25 here will be at Gresty Bridge for the open day? Considering it's still a few months away yet and will DRS have more work for them by this time or like you say will they be sat around not really doing. All very interesting.

[toffee]

Totally agree with that, I wonder how many you could see at the open day !

I've seen on one of the forums that the last batch will follow on next i.e. Before the 88s and that the CAF stock ( or something) is required by TPE for Dec 2017, give a few months for crew training and we are looking at around a year for them to be sat around like well fed cats doing not a lot. Warm storage or playing " after you Claude, no after you" on the Mountsorrel ? Who said the privatised railway was boring !

[DRS Crewe On A Mission]

Totally agree with that, I wonder how many you could see at the open day !

I've seen on one of the forums that the last batch will follow on next i.e. Before the 88s and that the CAF stock ( or something) is required by TPE for Dec 2017, give a few months for crew training and we are looking at around a year for them to be sat around like well fed cats doing not a lot. Warm storage or playing " after you Claude, no after you" on the Mountsorrel ? Who said the privatised railway was boring !

 

Yes it's going to be very interesting. Considering Gresty Bridge is the allocated base/home for the 68s and the new shed has been built specifically for them then it does make you wonder how many will be their on the open day. Hoping to see quite a few because so far I have only seen a handful due to them been rare in my area.

 

Something else to consider is that the majority of 57/0s are in store at the moment except 003 and 007 but even they are out of use. I suppose it depends on how much it will take to overhaul, repair and repaint them and what funds are available. Although these are required for the Anglian RHTT diagrams in the Autumn and if these were to go then what would operate them? 66s? A very interesting time for the DRS fleet.

[toffee]

How much room for 68s is inside the new shed at Gresty ? Best not to leave such complicated locos stuck outside for a long time I'd have thought .

As to the 57/0s I thought they were indeed in store until next autumns requirement , 303 (and 310 ?) is with GWR until i believe 2020.

We will see what the new broom sweeps out next ! Good place to see 68s that's not Crewe ? Try Lichfield, they've all been through here in the last year.

[Irishswissernie]

Nicked down to the bridge at Haltwhistle to catch the Seaton-Sellafield Flasks; a bit of a change today 37607 + 68025

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/26613605603/in/dateposted-public/

 

 

 

Ernie

[BR(S)]

68004 + convoy on Derby to Willesden service today (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U20926/2016/05/24/advanced):

 

68004 37422 975025 37425 by martinlk91, on Flickr

[ColinK]

That photo must be a modellers dream, three locos and an inspection saloon.

[BR(S)]

68017 on the Dawlish sea wall today:

 

https://twitter.com/simontdeane/status/736140624253095936/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

Video of it on its return run here: https://twitter.com/simontdeane

 

68017 0Z68 Dawlish 270516 by Adrian Roberts, on Flickr

[newbryford]

Apparently 68028-68031 are onboard this.

 

Due into Workington this Sunday.

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Nick G]

Apparently 68028-68031 are onboard this.

 

 

 

 

Yes, reported on WNXX Website earlier:

 

Incoming DRS kit...

68028 68029 68030 & 68031 (all XHVE) are on their way to the UK on board the Eemslift Hendrika which is en route to the UK and currently due at Workington on the 21st (Sunday)

[jamie92208]

I'm not sure whether this is the right thread to post this but members might be interested in a new Class 88 freight working by DRS.

It's a daily ( SSuX) Network Rail train from Doncaster to Millerhill working which is diagrammed for Class 88 haulage. It leaves Doncaster about 13.10 each weekday and gets to Millerhill at 19.55 Then returns at approx. 21.00 getting back to Donny in the early hours. It must be one of the first regular electric freight working on the ECML.

 

Jamie