The Fall & Rise of the 60's ( was The End of the Tugs?)

[deltic21]

Had a wander along the bank at Toton recently, a very sorry site as over 3/4 of the class are dumped and left to rot!

 

Please check the gallery at Deltic 21 Fotopic

[deltic21]

Another Wednesday in Preston and another 60 on the Lindsey - Preston Dock Bitumen train. This tme it was 60074 "Teenage Cancer Trust". Here it is seen as it starts do drop down the grade towards the docks.

 

[scottishlocos]

Hi all

 

Good news from the north east looks like the Teesside steel plant has been saved and

production should restart

 

I had heard before wrongly it seems that the class 60's were to be withdrawn when production ceased at

Teesside can anybody confirm or deny this thanks

 

regards

 

Dave

[StaffsOatcake]

Hi all

 

Good news from the north east looks like the Teesside steel plant has been saved and

production should restart

 

I had heard before wrongly it seems that the class 60's were to be withdrawn when production ceased at

Teesside can anybody confirm or deny this thanks

 

regards

 

Dave

 

 

 

The 60's are in still in service. Many were put into 'warm store'(stored serviceable) pending a possible re-instatement if there is a sudden need for more loco's. The storage of loco's is due to a general a downturn in traffic not just one steel plant.

[Steadfast]

To keep things up to date, here is the 4th Tug to work 6B33 Theale - Robeston this year

60010 passing Rodbourne in the drizzle on 26-8-10

cheers

 

jo

[big T]

Nice pic Jo - drizzles always a mare to shoot through!

 

Good ol English summertime eh?!

 

I did hear that we had a Loadhaul example work to/from Kingsbury this week - gutted I missed that opportunity!

 

 

 

Heres a few random ones:

 

 

 

 

[Accurascale Fran]

Latest DB Schenker disposal tender lists 20 tugs up for grabs.

 

http://www.rail.dbschenker.co.uk/disposals/disposals.html

[John M Upton]

Those 60's will be the heavily stripped and leg shoved out of bed demics. Only a complete lunatic with more money than sense will go anywhere near these with their wallet.

 

Of course someone will try though...

 

Having said that, if any of them have a sound body shell, chassis and bogies then they could be bought by one of the private European operators, re-engineered with new probably US power plant and put to use overseas.

[Bruce Depot]

Shame to see 20 being disposed as I guess it rules out a fleet return. Would be nice if someone brought the lot and sent them back to Brush

for a overhaul etc, but apart from money for this, just what work is there for them with a different company?

here's hoping but I doubt it

 

Keith

[Clay Country]

Shame to see some of the 60s are already in sight of the scrapheap - not the first time a fleet of relatively new locos has had its career cut short by changing traffic patterns.

 

Most of those on the list are in a bad way and really are good for little more than scrap. I can't see European operators going for them either as there are plenty of spare nearly-new diesels knocking around on the continent at the moment and, unlike the 60s, they already have approval to operate.

 

I reckon DB is still going to have a long-term requirement for a core fleet of 60s though, and perhaps overhauls are still a possibility for a lucky few.

[pacer lover]

hi all

it a sad day to see a class 60 up for sale , hopefully some, if not all will find a good home and not the scrap yard

just out of intest how much would one cost ?

look on DB site they say each loco got a reserve price but dont tell u what they are

how much would the other classes go for ?

 

maybe a 08 or 09 instead of a new car lol

all could we group together for 37 , 56 or a 60?

 

rob

[PhilH]

Most of those on the list are in a bad way and really are good for little more than scra

 

 

Excuse my ignorance, I don't know much about these things, but this seems odd for a relatively modern design. Has this sad state of affairs happened through bad design, bad build or bad maintenance?

[rope runner]

Excuse my ignorance, I don't know much about these things, but this seems odd for a relatively modern design. Has this sad state of affairs happened through bad design, bad build or bad maintenance?

 

Canibalisation to keep other members of the class going.

Also major engine faults or traction motor troubles are becoming a problem too.

let's not forget also, they were made in the 1990's making them twenty years ago!

[PhilH]

Canibalisation to keep other members of the class going.

Also major engine faults or traction motor troubles are becoming a problem too.

let's not forget also, they were made in the 1990's making them twenty years ago!

 

Aren't the first 66s 11 years old?...only 9 years to go then!

[Dan Griffin]

my moneys on either colas or harry needle getting some, maybe heavy haul or drs aswell. i cant see them being cut up. if they are i think that'll spell the end of my interest in the current railway seen. hopefully the class 60 preservation group will have enough funds for one aswel. following the cl58 group.

[Accurascale Fran]

my moneys on either colas or harry needle getting some, maybe heavy haul or drs aswell. i cant see them being cut up. if they are i think that'll spell the end of my interest in the current railway seen. hopefully the class 60 preservation group will have enough funds for one aswel. following the cl58 group.

 

I just cant see anyone else wanting them. They'd need a large an very expensive overhaul, and with a top speed of 60mph wouldnt suit the likes DRS who need locos rated at 75mph for liner trains and do not need a heavy slogger. HeavyHaul have their 70's with more on the way as well as 66/6's in storage and I dont think Colas would want them either.

 

Most on the list are ones which have thrown a leg out of bed or have other major failures. Take the good bit of these and keep a smaill fleet going would be the best thing to do really.

[magic_monkey09]

DBS are wise to flog as many loco's now as possible with the price of scrap being so high they will probably end up getting a fair deal for them, they are too knackered/expensive to repair and are simply hogging much needed space on Toton, best thing to do is strip them of all remaining re-usable parts to maintain a sufficient spares pool for the few active ones and scrap the bodyshells.

[Oakydoke]

AFAIK these Tugs are being sold for scrap only, "sold as seen", with a commitment to disposal "in a manner which is fair and non-discriminatory and which complies with safety and environmental considerations".

Parent company DB have a reputation for disposing of redundant locos on the basis that they're not to be put back in traffic.

All the ones listed are badly broken and must be beyond economic repair.

[Arpleymodeller]

Hi

Not all the 60s offered for sale are in that bad condition,60008 and 60089 are 2 good examples,however others like 60006 and 60081 are not.If I remember right 60081 was withdrawn after some major engine failure/oil spillage?

I remember seeing it in magazine RAIL will oil leaking right down the body side,must be a total mess mechanically.

Well EMR seem to have huge reserves of cash,they bought up the majority of recent EWS/DBS tenders.Of the 103 which have just been offered for sale,I predict that most(about 70) will go to EMR for disposal at their various sites across the country.Booths may buy some after most of this year out of the disposal industry.What I see as a surprise is that 37670 is up for sale - this machine was repainted in DBS red only last year meaning they saw a future in it,but now they are selling it only a year or so later?

After 14 years,EWS and now DBS will have sold all there 37s bar the remaining ETH examples from a total of around 200 in 1996!

While the sale of older locos such as 08s,09s ,37s and there last 56s is no surprise,the sale of 60s is as they were a major part of the EWS fleet before the recession.Although the recession has had an effect on the traffic the 60s were suited for(steel,oil,aggregate etc) if or when traffic levels increase in the next few years then DBS will be in a weaker position and will not be able to bid for heavy haul contracts if they continue to dispose of their stored 60s.The 66s aren't suited to these trains and the 60s have superior heavy haul capabilities when compared to the GMs.DBS could in the next few years overhaul a number of them,say 40 for a core fleet of heavy haul locos when their traditional construction and fuel trains recover from the recession and keep the rest for spares/possible future overhaul.

 

Also some the 60s offered for sale or others in store could have found use abroad under Axiom rail,working alongside the 58s.We will have to wait and see but of the 60s offered for sale,60070 and 60098 are gutted shells,no hope there!.

I hope the 60 preservation group has the resources to buy one,following on the success of the 58 group earlier this year.

 

Regards

Lewis

[Arpleymodeller]

DBS are wise to flog as many loco's now as possible with the price of scrap being so high they will probably end up getting a fair deal for them, they are too knackered/expensive to repair and are simply hogging much needed space on Toton, best thing to do is strip them of all remaining re-usable parts to maintain a sufficient spares pool for the few active ones and scrap the bodyshells.

 

The space the 60s take up at toton is derelict,DBS closed the yard in April 2009 as the recession had a major effect on EWS/DBSs work.It now resembles more of a nature reserve than a marshalling yard with all that vegetation!

[rope runner]

why would the class 60 preservation group buy into one of these mechanically wrecked examples?

 

I'd imagine that (if) a locomotive is bought by the group, then it will be a locomotive with very little wrong with it, with minimal spending required to return it to operational condition, and so they've probably already ruled out buying one of these 20...

[Oakydoke]

Hi

Not all the 60s offered for sale are in that bad condition,60008 and 60089 are 2 good examples,however others like 60006 and 60081 are not.If I remember right 60081 was withdrawn after some major engine failure/oil spillage?

 

....Also some the 60s offered for sale could have found use abroad under Axiom rail,working alongside the 58s.We will have to wait and see but of the 60s offered for sale,60070 and 60098 are gutted shells,no hope there!.

Most of those on the list have had serious mechanical failures, many with broken crankcases, broken cylinder blocks and legs out of bed.

 

I don't know how reliable the information is here...

Tug Tracker - list of class 60's up for sale

...but it gives more than a hint that this bunch are on the scrap list.

[Steadfast]

Hi

Not all the 60s offered for sale are in that bad condition,60008 and 60089 are 2 good examples,however others like 60006 and 60081 are not.If I remember right 60081 was withdrawn after some major engine failure/oil spillage?

 

I suspect 008 and 089 aren't good examples any longer, they've more than likely lost their good bits to keep the others going

60081 had a rather spectacular end, putting a leg out of bed (piston going outside the engine block) with damage to the bodyshell too, with denting and what looked like smoke damage, thus: http://daves-trains.fotopic.net/p13391285.html

cheers

 

jo

[Arpleymodeller]

Poor maintenance has been a major factor in the 60s downfall,no overhaul in there 20 years of existence and being shuffled in and out of store cant have done much good either.I didnt think any of the recent 58s which were offered for sale would be bought for preservation but 58016 made it.Surely one of the 20 60s for sale would be able to be saved(if the 60 preservation group has the funds)-60031 or 60058 maybe.We will have to wait and see...

[Arpleymodeller]

why would the class 60 preservation group buy into one of these mechanically wrecked examples?

 

I'd imagine that (if) a locomotive is bought by the group, then it will be a locomotive with very little wrong with it, with minimal spending required to return it to operational condition, and so they've probably already ruled out buying one of these 20...

 

True,but one may be a good source of spares for a future purchase of a good 'un