Britain's Railways
5 total works
In the late 2000s, Freightliner was looking to expand its locomotive fleet towards more powerful and fuel-efficient locomotives that were compliant with the various European Union emission standards and rules. In a departure from the newest and most common locomotives running on the network at the time, Class 66s built by General Motors, Freightliner looked to General Electric to construct these new machines and opted to place an initial order for 20 locomotives with an option for a further ten. The new Class 70 was a 3,690bhp locomotive of a very different design from the Class 66s, with a focus on reliability and efficiency. Eventually, Freightliner declined to take up the option of the further ten locos and instead they were taken on by Colas Rail. Containing over 190 colour photographs, this book is a collection of images showing every Class 70 locomotive, except the ill-fated 70012, over the last decade or so that they have been in service. It shows a variety of locations, mostly in the south of England, where these impressive locomotives can be seen at work. 190 colour photographs
Although in the late 1970s they were frowned upon by many for replacing a number of loco-hauled services, and indeed locomotives, for 40 years the High-Speed Train (HST) was the mainstay of express services for many train operators in the UK. It was in the former Western Region of British Rail that they first made their mark in service, and they were on duty there from their earliest days until 2019 when, after years of sterling work, they were withdrawn from frontline express duties. Illustrated with over 190 colour photographs, this book looks at the history of many of the power cars that worked in the region and details the varied Western Region locations, some off the beaten track, where they could be seen operating during their four decades of service. 190 colour photographs
This third volume to cover the Class 66 takes a look at the Freightliner-operated Class 66/5/6/9 locos that were delivered during the early to mid 2000s. This was at a time when most of the current locos in use with Freightliner on the national network were becoming very tired and evermore unreliable. Freightliner followed on from the example set by EWS with the Class 66/0, and very soon they started to order small batches of locos, which led to their current total of over 100 locos, although some have since been exported to Poland, sold to other operators and a few have been taken on from DRS. The Class 66/5/9 took over the duties usually handled by Classes 47 and 57, whereas the Class 66/6 is a re-geared version capable of hauling heavier loads such as coal or aggregates. They have now been in service for over 20 years and have proved very reliable and capable locos. This volume covers the locos from their early days up to the present time at various locations around the, especially looking at those in the South.
Built in the 1960s, the Class 73s were primarily used on the Southern Region, owing to their ability to operate from either a diesel engine or third rail. Until the recent introduction of the Class 88s, they were unique in their electro-diesel ability. The initial 73s were either 73/0 or 73/1, depending on production run, and a select few were used on services to Gatwick in the 1980s and reclassified as 73/2s. The last sub-class was the 73/9s, which were converted by GB Railfreight and given new engines.
The Class 73s have never been the best-looking machines on the railway (some even nicknamed them shoeboxes'), but the years of service these workhorses have provided certainly cannot be faulted. As the 73/9s continue to find work around the UK, it seems they may be part of the railway scene for a long while to come. With over 220 images, this book shows off all the sub-classes of the 73s and their work around the country.
The Class 73s have never been the best-looking machines on the railway (some even nicknamed them shoeboxes'), but the years of service these workhorses have provided certainly cannot be faulted. As the 73/9s continue to find work around the UK, it seems they may be part of the railway scene for a long while to come. With over 220 images, this book shows off all the sub-classes of the 73s and their work around the country.
This book looks at the Class 56 and Class 58 locomotives and their service around the UK.