Clay Country

That's pretty amazing Perhaps if I sell my car...

This was discussed on this thread at the time of the announcement. The first loco, 60007, was due to completed about now but she's still in bits at Toton so the job's obviously a bit more drawn out than they first expected.

I didn't actually say everyone in the county was a high earner with a big garden, but I apologise if I gave the impression that was my view (it isn't).

It's also easier to operate a compensation scheme like the French do when you have a much lower popluation density. The amount of compulsory purchase and compensation will be far higher on the route of HS2 than it will be on a project like LGV Pays de la Loire. It seems a pity to me that the pro-HS2 lobby is failing to make its voice heard. I suppose the human interest stories of people whose lives will be 'ruined' by high-speed make far jucier copy than talk about how the economies of cities in the Midlands and the north will benefit in the 2030s and beyond. It's down to the politicians to make that sound an exciting prospect - if they believe in it they really need to sell it. And if all else fails, perhaps the alternative would be to let the landed gentry of Bucks keep their lovely gardens and unspoilt views and spend £17 billion on the rail network in Northern England, the southwest and Wales instead?

One boxed and unique Heljan 47 could be yours for £49 here Sadly not unique as I know at least one other person who has one in the same condition.

I can see the Meldon - Tavistock line being reinstated at some point but I doubt the revenues from a line to Launceston or Bude would even cover a fraction of their operating costs, never mind construction cost. Assuming the astronomical cost of building railway infrastructure in this country comes down to a sensible level, and we start reopening lines again in England, there are probably more apropriate places the money could be spent - Portishead for example.

The super tug programme basically involves overhauling up to 21 locos, and while there will be some reliability mods there has been no mention of re-engining. 60007 is the first to be treated, the coat of paint slapped on 011 hides a very tired loco, though no doubt it'll be overhauled if 007 proves successful.

In the press release DBS says the first has already been released into operations. If they are referring to 011, all you need to create a 'Super 60' is a new turbo and a bucket of paint! Perhaps they thought 007 would be back in service by now.

Very nice, certainly makes a welcome change from the very tired-looking EWS Maroon. Be good to see a few more (overhauled) examples emerge in this livery.

It can still carry the tops number as part of the UIC number to be identifiable on both systems.

Bear in mind the model illustrated is only a sample and as such, is probably a long way from the final product. A considerable amount of refinement and adjustment often occurs beyond this stage.

DB Schenker isn't over-endowed with modern diesels in Germany. Voith is starting to deliver Gravita heavy shunters and there's a tender out for mainline diesels, but much of the fleet is pretty long-in-the-tooth. Also, 66s already have approval to operate in Poland so the EWS locos would be ready to go with only a few minor modifications (interesting to note that Freightliner is also shipping some 66s out to Poland, according to WNXX). Sending 90s or 92s to Poland would involve going through the convoluted type approval process, and in contrast with the diesel situation, DB is not short of modern electric power at the moment. Anyway, fewer 66s has to be good news for enthusiasts B)

Nice photo but its probably not indicative of anything if it's a special working. DBS has plenty of experience of running steel trains and if it still thinks thisw traffic will pay its way, it has more than enough resources to make a competitive bid.

Hi Ian, I'm an ex-pat of the Long Eaton area and your bridge brings back memories. As for Long Eaton fuel depot I've always thought this could be the basis a nice micro layout, and you've got your scenic break sorted already! Pics of trains in the fuel depot are quite rare but there's a good one here

It's also worth bearing in mind that the locos on the current list have a reserve price on them, which wasn't done in previous tenders. Depending on how high DBS has set the bar, it's possible at least some of the 60s won't find buyers, even though a few of those on offer, such as 070 and 098, are good for nohing more than razor blades. There's also likely to be plenty of less expensive items on this latest list to keep the scrappies busy.

According to the WNXX forum, 015 is also getting a lick of paint. A Tata duo perhaps?

Fantastic stuff. I lived in Lincoln for three years and this really captures the station layout perfectly. I look forward to seeing the station buildings, keep the pics coming B)

There was a genuine need in the mid 80s to replace obsolete traction - the use pairs of 20s on coal trains and pairs of 31s on oil trains clearly wasn't sustainable in the long term. But I don't think BR envisaged Trainload Freight being sold off, then losing half the railfreight market to competitors. It's difficult to factor in future political decisions when you're buying a loco designed for a 30 year life.

And of course thorough reworking doesn't always result in reliable locos - look at the 57s. There's also the future shape of the railfreight market to consider. The trend is towards a gradual decline in the bulk sector as traditional industries contract, while intermodal traffic is growing rapidly and will continue to do so. This means there will be a more limited long-term requirement for big diesels like the 60s to take care of residual bulk flows. I can see DBS sticking with a core fleet of 60s, but even when the economy recovers I doubt they will need 50 of them, let alone 80.

I wonder how the cost of buying a Class 70 would compare with putting 60081 or 098 through the works Sadly Magic Monkey is right, most of the 60s on the list have completely had it.

Not sure I agree the 56s had a lot of life left in them - BR was running them down before privatisation and I'm sure Trainload Freight would have dispensed with them long before now if privatisation had not happened. Much as I'm a fan of the Grids, the 66s were vastly more reliable than 56s even after the reliability mods initiated by Load Haul. Age is no indication of build quality. As for the 58s and 60s, they have fallen victim to a change in the market - loss of market share by EWS and DBS to the likes of Freightliner and GBRf meant a reduced requirement for locos and hence these locos came the end of their days sooner than they would have otherwise. Despite this, privatisation has generally been good for railfreight, which is now a much more customer-focussed and efficient business than it used to be. I'd rather see Sheds everywhere and plenty of freight on the railway than a variety of more interesting traction and a business in terminal decline.

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.

We mock this item, but it's got 2 bidders and is on £75 with two days to go. Not bad for a few tired old Hornby Pullman coaches, a few hours work and a few seconds of research. Fetch me my scalpel, I'm sure I can knock up a few "emus".

There really is nothing sinister about this story, it is exactly as Freightliner and GE said in their press relases when the contract was signed. This is an order for 30 locomotives. What isn't set in stone is the delivery schedule, and Freightliner intends to take batches of locomotives from GE as and when it needs them. While freight is in the doldrums and surplus sheds are being packed off to Poland, the last thing Freightliner needs is another boatload of 70s.

Part of the appeal of these wagons is that they looked so striking when they were clean, and I think it's good that Dapol has tried to capture that look. A slightly toned-down finish might not have had the same broad appeal as the full-on chrome tank, and Dapol's decision has clearly been vindicated by the way the market has responded.