Ron Ron Ron

While we're out I'm pricing up a replacement hard drive for my iMac. Unfortunately, though only a year old, I've filled the 250GB hard drive. Looking to get a 1.5TB drive for it. The computer itself is excellent, I just think Apple were a little stingy with their hard drives!

I've got one of the new model iMacs (desktop processors instead of mobile and the LED backlit HD screen). The standard HDD is 1TB for the model I have.

Fantastic machine and I won't have to worry about HD space either, although I also back up to an external drive and CD/DVD ROMs.

.

Why don't the EPL do the same with Man U, and Liverpool, whose debt's are so massive it's unbelievable.

There are a lot of issues surrounding Pompey's financial situation and a certain amount of mystery regarding ownership, past and present.

They're in a very bad way and the club isn't really worth much.

The Liverpool and United situations are different, even if their depts are huge in comparison.

Liverpool not only have a very large debt, they're trading at a very big loss each year. However they're not insolvent yet and the club is still worth something.

Man Utd. on the other hand are still a very profitable club and are still valued at up to an estimated billion pounds. Their problem is the debt lumped on to their books by the Glazers leveraged acquisition of the club.

An analogy is someone who has an unreasonably large mortgage, can still afford the payments, but interest charges keep going up and up. Unless the debt is reduced, sooner or later some cuts in lifestyle and outgoings will have to be made. If it ever reaches the stage where the Glazers, or the club cannot afford the interest payments, the club will have to be sold, or will simply be taken over by the banks who lent the money and sold off. A process that won't be without pain, but the club won't go out of existence.

.

On the topic of "Extra Time"; how much is going to be given to Rafa Benitez ?

.

I'm told that all 6 are now laid up with ongoing faults/problems....is that right.??

Not quite Bob - they are laid up pending minor mods to the cab climate control and other minor issues, with Christmas and New Year no work has been done on them but expect them back next week

I hear that a few of them are out and about again after their mods, can anyone confirm this....

According to the pre-delivery blurb, these first 6 locos are fitted with telemetry and their performance is being remotely monitored by the engineers back at the factory in Erie. Sort of operational test beds if you like.

.

Prog Rock - Gentle Giant revival - Three Friends consists of 3 original members plus 3 new musicians.

Every time I look, there are more THREE FRIENDS videos being added to YouTube.

I hadn't a clue that you could get such impressive videos from YouTube until I watched these on my new iMac, with its 21.5" 1080p LED lit HD screen. It's a shame not all YouTube content is this good.

....Do the 70s have AC TMs ? .....

Yes they have AC traction motors, Bogie frames manufactured in Austria and I think the engine is a European design too?

.

Seems a bit weird to think about this but with climate change and the sudden swing towards electrification are we looking at the last new diesel locos/ trains ever for the UK?

I doubt it as there will always be parts of the network that carry freight trains, but with not enough traffic to justify electrifying them.

....I still think that the 70 may be the last ever new diesel...

....after all which bank will put up the money for an oil burner with a 30 year life when oil reserves are due to run out in its life time in addition to the PR problem of emissions during climate change. Who knows what financial penalties future governments will impose on emissions?

There's an assumption here that "Diesel" powerplants will remain the same as they have been and that the alternative is to switch to electric, but this ignores various changes that are happenning or could be done to improve the emissions and fuel consumption of "Self powered" traction.

As an example, the new class 70, like many new types being built or planned, has been designed to be more fuel efficient and as a result is supposed to produce less nasties out of its exhaust. But that's just the beginning.

There's a lot of work being done by the manufacturers to find ways of making much bigger reductions in CO2, not only from straight diesel but from "Diesel Hybrid" and other "Self-Powered" trains/locos.

This is not a UK-only issue and as pointed out, putting up wires all over is not only impractical on some parts of the UK network, it is very unlikely that it will ever happen on large parts of the planets railways.

Self-Power is here to stay (well...until everything goes "t**s-up") even if the UK become predominantly electric for powering its railways.

....You may not be aware that GE, GM and others are now busy working on Hybrid power for the next generation of "self-powered" locos.

......I also think that if they wanted some form of hybrid 25kV AC / diesel loco to take advantage of electrification, the European companies would be more likely to be able to produce such a thing, as they have more experience of electric locos.....

I bet Siemens and Traxx are working on a UK variant as we speak....

Diesel-Hybrid (Diesel + Batteries + re-generative brakes etc) is one area actively being developed at the moment for diesel locos, but I suppose it's possible to look at Bi-Mode power using Diesel-Hybrid and Electric if it can be squeezed into a reasonably sized package.

The Hitachi SET's due to be ordered for the Inter-City Express Programme (IEP) can be configured in such a Bi-Mode for mixed electricified and non-electrified routes, but it requires two power-supply vehicles and distributed traction. Stuffing that all into a necessarily heavy freight loco may be a bit of a challenge.

(some clever s*d will probably mention the class 73 after this... )

Well, it's possible we've already seen the last orders of DMUs, as I understand that the latest EU emissions rules make new underfloor engines pretty uneconomical......

For the same reasons I gave above, there will still always be a need for "Self-Powered" trains and that includes passenger MU's, whether powered by diesel or alternative means.

New rules and market forces (fuel prices) will require that significant change is now required in the way that these are built and powered.

In yesterdays "Times" newspaper there was a series of articles covering these sort of issues and rail was specifically discussed in a couple of those.

As an example of what is being looked at....

Seimens' new Desiro City - 25% lighter than the current Desiro fleet. The diesel version (these are produced for European and worldwide markets too) would also employ technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by a significant amount.

Other developments that may be utilised in new "Self-Powered" trains include.... exhaust heat energy recovery and more efficient turbo-charging, diesel hybrid engines, alternative fuels such as future 2nd and 3rd gen Bio-fuels, Fuel-Cell power, automatic Stop-Start engine control, computer assisted engine/driving management linked to timetable and signalling control, lighter construction and interior fitments (e.g. using composite materials) and more energy efficient on-board systems and services.

Even with the large benefits of switching to electric power, some of these developments will be of benefit to EMU's too.

.

Thanks for that Martyn.

Yes they have won or regained quite a few contracts in the UK this last year, which does seem to reverse their fortunes over the last few years. It' may be a sign that the new management is turning things round.

However it doesn't alter the fact that they bought EWS primarily for ECS.

So far UK operations don't appear to be part of the larger European scheme and as I said, only time will tell if they serious, in the sense of integrating UK operations into their wider strategic plan; or is DBS UK just regarded as a branch line operation?

.

Interesting indeed then that the 'Ford' train should switch to another operator when, is it not DBS that actually OWN the third party company.....Transfesa ?

 

I know I may be getting my trains/companies muddled a bit here but my point is essentially accurate....

No you're not muddled Dave. it is Transfesa. DBS bought the majority shareholding around the same time as they aquired EWS and ECR.

The freight flows from Spain and Portugal to Germany and other Northern countries is said to have been a key reason for them expanding into France through the purchase of EWS. That and gaining open access rights in France and Belgium has probably made DBS the No.1 freight and logistics company in Europe.

Apart from the Ford train, the scope for daily, or almost daily flows to the UK must be quite significant considering the number of lorry loads coming into the UK from the Iberian Peninsula.

DBS must be ideally placed to bid for this traffic, but so far Zilch!

I think we can each judge for ourselves if DBS have any serious interest in their UK branch.

.

If DBS decide to order a replacement for the Tugs, rather than re-build them or do without; I suppose there's always the possibilty of another type being introduced, such as a slimmed down European gauge loco, GM's new replacement for the Shed or a Chinese cheapy.

On the Green note....

You may not be aware that GE, GM and others are now busy working on Hybrid power for the next generation of "self-powered" locos.

.

.... EWS has been a part of two takeovers since privatisation. The first was the Canadian National buyout; CN were running traffic into The USA via Wisconsin Central and it was this part of the group that CN wanted ownership of, the other parts like New Zealand and EWS were of no real use to CN.

 

Likewise the issue with DB was, if my interpretation of the events leading up to their purchase of EWS is correct, was running powers in France, which they couldn't secure so bought a company who had rights of access and a large quantity of locomotives approved for wider European use.

 

So yes it does make you think, especially when EWS was just part of a job lot but not the main objective for whoever was buying.

Maybe EWS employees have a better insight here, but your interpretation tally's with my own (simply gleened from the railway media, internet and rail forums).

After Canadian National took over in 2001, did EWS lose its way?

As you say EWS just happened to come with the package and were not the reason they bought Wisconsin Central.

(IIRC CN only owned 31% of EWS, the majority was owned by two investment groups)

Certainly staff complaints and moans about management actions, inactions and decision making indicated a lack of clear direction.

The six years under CN also saw the rise of a greatly expanded Freightliner and other serious competitors such as GBRf and DRS. I would have thought that poor leadership and lack of direction don't exactly help if you're trying to fend off the opposition?

....and yes, DB bought EWS for their Euro Cargo Rail subsiduary and that companies European running rights.

Apart from direct access to French markets, DB has access right into Spain via it's majority ownership of Transfesa.

So EWS was effectively bought so that DB could aquire a major chunk of the rail freight capacity linking SW Europe, through France into Germany, Central and Northern Europe.

Only time will tell if they are really interested in their UK freight operations.

.

Another option would be for DBS to re-gear some of their 66/0s to the 66/5 configuration, or even lower. The engine power of the 66 is similar to that of a 60, and this mod would increase tractive effort close to that of the 60 at the cost of reducing maximum speed.

If I remember correctly; wasn't that possibilty mentioned by one of the top EWS boys in one of the "mags" a while back?

.

......(I'm not knocking the maintainence staff here, just the accountants who run the railways today. Everything is governed by the ??).....

Everything governed by the ?? ?

Mmmm? Of course it is, it is a business after all.

The very reason for which the railways were built in the first place.

IMO Britains railways were sentenced to death the day good 'ol Ed took over....

Taking on and sorting out virtually the whole of BR's freight empire (outside of Freightliner) must have been a massively difficult task. I'm sure some would have said a task almost doomed to fail given the inheritance that came with it.

That burden is something that the new start-up FOC's and a rejuvinated FL haven't have to carry.

Getting rid of the huge fleet of 1950/60's era geriatric locos was a given, but the remaining "newer" stock (56, 58, 60's ) clearly were a liability too, despite the relatively junior age of the latter two types.

With their low levels of reliabilty and availability, coupled to the resulting high maintenance costs, it's no suprise that the 56's and 58's were withdrawn. Plus you have to consider the effect on rail freight needs caused by the closure of most of the UK's coal mines and the run down of our heavy industry.

On the other hand (well the way it looks to me ), the class 60 story is bit of a mixed and rather sad one.

The newest and most modern ex-BR diesel loco in EWS/DBS's fleet, you'd have thought it would have had a decent future ahead of it? .

Despite the many early problems (didn't it involve the largest number of warranty claims ever made by BR on a single contract ? ), the concensus appears to be that it's a well made and solid performer.

However I think the 60 may well epitomise many of the negative aspects of the former state railway when it comes to ordering new equipment.

If the story is correct, BR adopted a "knobs & whistles" approach to specifying this loco, resulting in what is arguably an over-engineered and complex machine. Whatever thought was given to reliabilty and future maintenance requirements, clearly it wasn't sufficient for economic operation in an open market.

You do have to question if that was the right sort of approach compared with say, the class 59 (rugged, durable, relatively simple with just enough high-tech to do the job).

Anyway, at the end of the day harping on about the past is of no use whatsoever. Like any company, DBS has to look at its current and future business and organise its assets accordingly.

Whatever the recent history of the company and this loco class, the fact is they have a tired fleet of 60's, many of which have been out of service for quite a while.

If they have a future need for this type of loco post-recession, then at some point they'll either have to spend some money on restoring them to a satisfactory condition, or look at bringing in a replacement type.

I read somewhere that the options were looked at quite a while back; and range from major overhaul to a complete rebuild with new engines and electronics (that includes replacing the electronic traction control stuff too).

I assume that the more that needs to be done, the greater the attraction of a complete replacement becomes.

Another possible option is not to bother either way and not have a "heavy-hauler", but personally I can't see that being a long term situation for such a large operator.

Who knows? Before dismissing it as an option, it might be worth reflecting on the possibility that it might make more sense to just continue double-heading the few services that need that sort of power?

Whatever DBS do, it has to be the right decision for them and if the 60's do go, so be it; that will be the right decision full stop!

As a non-spotting, slightly enthusiast, interested in the railways type of person , I find it all a bit sad as these are my favourite diesel freight locos. But the reality is that sentiment matters not one jot.

It would be nice if they go for the complete re-build though.

.

Dave's post has already been corrected by Phil, Phil and Martyn, but if I may add just a couple of comments....

....EWS and other operators hold a franchise and although they have sole use of any loco that they acquire, it may well have been paid for through quasi Government funding.

As the guys have already pointed out, the FOC's don't have, or operate under franchises. They are open access operators. AFAIK, once licenced to operate, they are free to bid for any contract going and are only restricted by the availability of suitable paths (OK I know there's a bit more to it, but it's effectively open competition).

As far as locos are concerned, where they don't own them outright (e.g. EWS/DBS's ex-BR fleet, DRS heritage locos etc.), then they lease them from ROSCO's, manufacturers or the banks. There's no public money involved.

In effect, Freight is the only truly privatised part of the railway.

If all these operators were completely exposed to commercial pressure, things would be different and probably much worse.....

They are completely exposed.... and as there's plenty of competition, it's unlikely that any of them would be saved by the public purse if they ran into trouble.

The passenger carrying side isn't immune from the market either (GNER, NXEC !). The only difference is that government has to step in to maintain a service and organise a replacement operator.

.....Rumours of a national strategic reserve based in Cumbria rather than in a tunnel in Wiltshire...?

I thought of that when I typed that post.

DRS are a private company, albeit owned by the nuclear decomissioning authority according to their website. Does that make them owned by the government? Sorta Maybe I guess, muddied greatly by the owning organisation being a Qango so not really accountable to anyone...

"Private company" ???

It is one of those "muddied" areas, but even though they are constituted like any privately owned business and operate accordingly, ultimately they are publicly owned.

There currently are and previously have been a number of similar examples in other areas of interest.

I have a sneaky suspicion that the different parts of DRS's operation are subject to different commercial disciplines (i.e. the Nuclear stuff), but I may be entirely wrong?

It must not be forgoton that todays big companys are run by bean counters, not railwayman like they were in the good old days. Thats fact. They wont care a hoot about a loco type, 60, 66 or otherwise in the slightest or if it works in run 8 all day, as long as it gets there.....

The commercial reality of life in the real world?

Enthusiasts may not like it, but locos are nothing but machinery; assets employed in the furtherance of a commercial enterprise. It only matters that they are effective in both cost and productiveness.

Does anyone get worked up if DBS retire any of their lorries or forklift trucks? (....runs for cover.... )

.

.....The 30 loco's Class 70 are about to be split over UK ( 20 ) and Poland ( 10 )....

If reports are correct, Class 70 production has stopped.

The first six are all delivered; the next six are said to be due later next year (sep/oct/nov ? ).

Production of the remaining 18 has been deferred until further notice, i.e. if and when traffic picks up again. That may not be until 2012 or later.

I still agree that DRS has way more loco's than it needs - but I still say that's always been the case and it's apparently never bothered them much before? .....

Is that because as a state owned company they aren't as worried about "certain parts" of the balance sheet as the other FOC's ?

.

Knight Area - Under a new sign (Album)

This appears to be a question !

Wrong section perhaps?

there are some more 70's in the uk now, all listed on tops having arrived at newport?? docks. 70003/4/5/6 are all on british soil, registered in the heavy haul pool. so intermodal are only having 1 then?

That's it then; all six are in the UK now.

The next delivery (six more) won't be until the end of next year.

The rest of the order seems to have been deferred for the time being, due to the economic downturn.

.

There's some interesting copy about these 'beauties' in:

 

http://www.railwayhe...UK/Issue203.pdf

 

Out today!

 

N

So only a total of 6 out 30 being delivered now.

Six more at the end of 2010; then due to the recession, no date has been planned for delivery of the remaining 18 !

Looks like they could be a rare sight in some parts?

.

Big Ugly Friendly So and So ??

...soon to be available in 00 and N gauge, from our friends in Barwell.

See - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php/topic/4228-Bachmann-cl-70/

.

As new locos have to conform to regulations concerning their environmental impact, which includes noise emissions, are some people going to end up a little disappointed by the sound these make?

Apart from their advertised operational capabilities, I thought Freightliner bought these on the basis that they are supposed to be quieter, as well as using less fuel and producing fewer nasties out of their exhausts.

.

I do like the nickname Orville for the class though!

Is that Cockney rhyming slang for something.....?

.

....p.s the new 70's look great in everything BUT 'Freightliner', as shown by the excellent photoshoppers on here !!!!!!!

Should that be... "everything BUT New Freightliner"...in which case I have to agree.

It could be worst....

http://www.thameslin...blackfriars.jpg

http://www.thameslin...9-in-livery.gif

http://wayne-radford.fotopic.net/p57026375.html

.

Freightliner were having a revised branding exercise anyway, the new Cl 70's are just the first to be seen in it.

The new font is now right across their web site.

I agree, it is a bit rubbish.

.

I didn't know you could use two handsets with the basic system, I thought you needed the Pro-box to allow multiple controllers.

I am of the opinion Bachmann dont want it well known, so people buy the over priced pro box!

We've known that you can do this from the early days after the Dynamis was released and I'm aware that some people have used multiple Dynamis handsets this way, but I don't recall seeing much discussion about it on here or elsewhere?

Are there any issues regarding conflicts e.g. the Command station getting confused by multiple responses to it's transmissions ?

If it works without giving any problems then that may be a solution for those who have an issue with the roster size. Of course you won't benefit from the other facilities that the Pro Box provides, such as the ability to have multi-IR Tx/Rx units.

.