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

[4630]

On 17th April 2022 and still wearing Colas colours, no doubt a repaint into GBRf livery will occur at some point, 60076 'Dunbar' approaching Brighouse with the Sundays Only 6M51, Doncaster Down Decoy Yard to Liverpool Biomass Terminal, empty biomass hoppers.

 

On the rear was GBRf 66725'SUNDERLAND'.

 

 

 

[Br60066]

On 18/04/2022 at 01:22, Nova Scotian said:

Saw a photo of Toton go by on Twitter - showing the new car yard, but with some sad looking 60s infront of it.

Got me thinking about whether there's a technical reason they can not be repowered a'la' 69s etc?

 

The CAT 175-16 in the 68s is about eight tonnes lighter than the Mirrlees, can be made III B compliant, and in the 60 there'd be both the weight and space available to likely do so. Output is a match for the traction motors - you could even go potentially larger and derate the engine to extend reliability. Therefore you can repower with a new engine, rather than the 69 approach using grandfathered emissions.

 

Or are the problems the traction motors? Frame? Controls and electrics? Could you essentially drop the 68 controls into the 60 like they did with the 66 and 69?

 

Technical roadblocks, or business case? I remember with the 69s and 73s the business case was that repowering was about 1/3rd the cost of building new - makes sense with the 69s, but what was the engine source for the MTUs and Cummins in the 73/9? 

Makes a lot of sense doesn’t it. Class 56’s are older and have been outside longer than class 60’s so I would be surprised if it was corrosion/ frame issues. Think the main issue may have been availability of class 60’s. The decent DCR purchase has been the first time DBS has let class 60’s go that weren’t being upgraded to super 60’s by them (excluding preservation and scrap).
 

This new DCR order might open the door though. Why spend all that time and money refurbing the engines in their new (errr to them) fleet when you could drop a new lump in as part of the refurb and save doing it later. Unless there are a good few more years in the existing engines but surely if this was the case they would be on the rails now.

[newbryford]

On 18/04/2022 at 01:22, Nova Scotian said:

 

 

Technical roadblocks, or business case? I remember with the 69s and 73s the business case was that repowering was about 1/3rd the cost of building new - makes sense with the 69s, but what was the engine source for the MTUs and Cummins in the 73/9? 

 

ISTR reading that there is an issue with available height within the 60 shell for a re-power?

i.e. it can't fit a taller engine than the Mirrlees lump.

 

 

 

[Nova Scotian]

19 hours ago, newbryford said:

 

ISTR reading that there is an issue with available height within the 60 shell for a re-power?

i.e. it can't fit a taller engine than the Mirrlees lump.

 

 

 

Interesting - found an old spec sheet stating the Mirrlees is 3.41m high... and the cat 175-16... also 3.41m high! (maximum)

 

Reckon that 3.4m must be a magic number to fit through power bay doors, or within locomotives etc.

 

However, given the emissions requirements of modern diesels, it's possible that they need it shorter - to fit in particulate filters, Urea etc etc. Hence being a tight squeeze for anything off the shelf?

[Coach bogie]

60019 at Welbury on yesterdays Scunthorpe to Lackenby steel.

 

Mike Wiltshire

[Bill Radford]

60 026 Helvellyn passing through Hatton on 28 March 2022.

 

[Coach bogie]

A couple form this afternoon at Rounton Gates.

 

60019 with the returning Teesside to Scunthorpe empties, closely followed by 60096 running 95 mins late on load Tyne dock - Drax.

Mike Wiltshire

 

[Steadfast]

More red Tuggage. Linked from Flickr as usual, so click it if you want to make it big! Westerleigh on the 13th, Purton yesterday.

 

60020 6B41 Westerleigh by Steadfast Fotography, on Flickr

Just a few hundred metres into its journey, 60020 'The Willows' is about to pass under Fox's Overbridge whilst working 6B41 Westerleigh - Robeston.

 

A pair of views here:

60020 6B13 Purton (i) by Steadfast Fotography, on Flickr

 

60020 6B13 Purton (ii) by Steadfast Fotography, on Flickr

60020 'The Willows' is seen across the River Severn from the Purton ship graveyard whilst working 6B13 Robeston - Westerleigh. A variety of wooden, concrete and steel hulled vessels were grounded here to help support the bank. It is the biggest boat graveyard in the UK.

 

Steel train, steel frame by Steadfast Fotography, on Flickr

Having delivered another trainload of new steel to Round Oak, 60010 in unbranded DB red is passing the rusting old steel and rotting wood of one of the hulls left to decay at the Purton ship graveyard. The working was 6V05 back to Margam, via LLanwern.

 

Jo

 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Steadfast

[Nova Scotian]

3 hours ago, Steadfast said:

60020 6B13 Purton (i) by Steadfast Fotography, on Flickr

 

 

Really like the composition of this one!

[4630]

GBRf 60095 passing through Brighouse on 29th April 2022 with 6E09, Liverpool Biomass Terminal to Drax Power Station.

 

[Phil Mc]

60066, at Dove Holes this morning.

 

 

Cheers,

Phil.

[DOCJACOB]

Gets around a bit. 
 

This AM at Brocklesby 

[Andy7]

60028 just after passing Cholsey heading from Oxford Banbury Road sidings to Willesden on 10/05/22. Looking and sounding great.

[Andy7]

60010 heading back to Theale after a refuel at Didcot on 10/05/22.

[4630]

A few of the GBRf 60s that have passed through Brighouse over the past few days...

 

On 9th June 2022, 60026 HELVELLYN approaching the station with 6M36, Drax Power Station to Liverpool Biomass Terminal, empty biomass hoppers...

 

...followed a short time later in the opposite direction by 60056, still in the base colours of previous owner Colas, powering through with 6E09, Liverpool Biomass Terminal to Drax Power Station, loaded biomass hoppers.

 

On 14th June 2022, 60021 PENYGHENT paired with 66796 The Green Progressor working light locomotives as 0E09, Tuebrook Sidings to Doncaster Down Decoy.

[4630]

A couple of GBRf 60s on the Huddersfield line over the past few days.

 

On 14th June 2022 and with the evening sun light now fading, 60026 HELVELLYN passing through Huddersfield with 6M68, Drax Power Station to Liverpool Biomass Terminal, empty biomass hoppers.

 

On 23rd June 2022, with the usual daytime route along the Calder Valley line closed for the day during the RMT strike, 60076 Dunbar heads east on the Huddersfield line at Colne Bridge towards Heaton Lodge East Junction with 6Z24, Liverpool Biomass Terminal to Drax Power Station, loaded biomass hoppers.

 

For those interested a video of this working is here. 

 

Edited June 23, 2022 by 4630

[Stuart A]

DCR's 60046 on the East Lancashire Railway today

 

[Stuart A]

And here it is leaving Ramsbottom

 

[newbryford]

I like it! (flickr pic) Let's see Hornby do this one.....

 

[rob D2]

1 hour ago, newbryford said:

I like it! (flickr pic) Let's see Hornby do this one.....

 

They’d get the flames the wrong colour and only supply each retailer with one.

[Jack374]

On 12/07/2022 at 14:35, newbryford said:

I like it! (flickr pic) Let's see Hornby do this one.....

 

I like it too…definitely different! Bit of a pain to photograph on a sunny day though. This was (I believe) it’s first load since repaint, working the Wolves to Boston steel; highly appropriate…

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

A couple of class 60s on the East Coast main line steel trains, passing the Sidings Hotel, just north of York on 10th July.

 

 

60092 heads a northbound steel train. It was getting dark, and sadly the first picture was a little blurred. Got a nice long blast of the horn as it approached.

 

The following morning, 60007 heads a steel train from Margam up towards Tees Yard. It was reasonably early morning, with guests still in bed, so no blast on the horn!

 

Much better light looking north at this time of day.

Edited July 23, 2022 by Claude_Dreyfus

[4630]

GBRf 60021 PENYGHENT passing over the viaduct to the west of Brighouse station on 23rd July 2022 with empty biomass hoppers working as 6M36, Drax Power Station to Liverpool Biomass Terminal.

[4630]

GBRf 60021 PENYGHENT must be putting in the miles at the moment as here she is again, this time on 27th July 2022.  Approaching Deighton with 6Z31, Drax Power Station to Liverpool Biomass Terminal, empty biomass hoppers diverted via Huddersfield due to closure of the Calder Valley line during the RMT strike.

 

[4630]

With another full load of biomass hoppers on the hook, GBRf 60047 approaches Brighouse on 9th August 2022 with 6E09 from Liverpool Biomass Terminal to Drax Power Station.