92 011 & 92 036 with freight 4443. Dollands Moor Yard. Folkestone. Kent.
92 011 and 92 036 working in multiple represent a third of the remaining active fleet of DB Cargo class 92's in the UK. With six retained for Channel Tunnel work and freights over the CTRL/HS1 only. They are no longer maintained for working on the classic routes across Kent as the third rail shoe gear has been removed or isolated. The remaining locos are all configured for Eurotunnel AC mode operation only which covers the High Speed line as well. DB inherited 30 of these locos from EWS but six have moved to Romania and four to Bulgaria in recent years leaving twenty in the UK owned by DB. They are very expensive to keep in service hence the bare minimum being retained for Channel Tunnel related work as there is simply no other suitable traction. GBRF persevere with the class but as the parts pool diminishes they don't have an assured future unless expensive re-engineering is considered.
In this picture the duty shunter has arrived in his buggy and is preparing to tie off while the driver of train 4443 the 13.44 (12.44 GMT) from Calais Fréthun Yard prepares to shunt the locos to the holding line in the yard. The train is made up of empty bogie steel flats from Ebange and will go forward behind diesel traction as 4E26 08.13 (next morning) to Scunthorpe Steelworks.
92 011 & 92 036 with freight 4443. Dollands Moor Yard. Folkestone. Kent.
92 011 and 92 036 working in multiple represent a third of the remaining active fleet of DB Cargo class 92's in the UK. With six retained for Channel Tunnel work and freights over the CTRL/HS1 only. They are no longer maintained for working on the classic routes across Kent as the third rail shoe gear has been removed or isolated. The remaining locos are all configured for Eurotunnel AC mode operation only which covers the High Speed line as well. DB inherited 30 of these locos from EWS but six have moved to Romania and four to Bulgaria in recent years leaving twenty in the UK owned by DB. They are very expensive to keep in service hence the bare minimum being retained for Channel Tunnel related work as there is simply no other suitable traction. GBRF persevere with the class but as the parts pool diminishes they don't have an assured future unless expensive re-engineering is considered.
In this picture the duty shunter has arrived in his buggy and is preparing to tie off while the driver of train 4443 the 13.44 (12.44 GMT) from Calais Fréthun Yard prepares to shunt the locos to the holding line in the yard. The train is made up of empty bogie steel flats from Ebange and will go forward behind diesel traction as 4E26 08.13 (next morning) to Scunthorpe Steelworks.