EWS Diesel West Hampstead
British Rail Class 67
The Class 67 locomotives are a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives which were built for the English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) between 1999 and 2000 by Alstom at Meinfesa in Valencia, Spain with drive components (engine, generator and traction motors) from General Motors' Electro-Motive Division.
EWS ordered thirty locomotives via leasing company Angel Trains in a £45million contract split between Alstom and Electro Motive Diesel, for use as Class 47 replacements for hauling high-speed Royal Mail trains and passenger trains. The locomotives were obtained on a 15-year lease from Angel Trains. At the end of the fifteen-year contract, ownership of the locomotives was transferred to DB Cargo UK.
The bodyshell is a monocoque load bearing Alstom design, the bogies are an "H" frame Alstom design, The engine, traction motors and control electronics are GM-EMD products, and the same as used in the British Rail Class 66. Unlike the Class 66, the traction motors are frame mounted rather than axle hung to reduce unsprung mass and the gear ratio is increased allowing higher speeds. The cab design has a central driving position.
The locomotives are able to supply electric head end power for passenger train heating and air-conditioning, and are equipped for buffer and screw coupling and also coupling via a buckeye coupler attached on a swing arm mount.
High speed running tests were undertaken with 67 002 starting at Alstom's facility at La Sagra (Toledo, Spain) and running on the standard gauge Madrid-Toledo high-speed rail line. A top speed of 143 miles per hour (230 km/h) was obtained.
The first locomotive to be delivered was 67 003, which arrived in October 1999. Initially plans were for a rapid acceptance into service, but problems with the locomotives being slightly out of loading gauge caused delays. Acceptance trials began in December, and all 30 units had been delivered to the UK by early 2000.
The high axle load of the locomotive caused an initial speed restriction to 110 mph (177 km/h) and modifications to the bogies were required; locomotive 67023 was passed for 125 mph (201 km/h) running in July 2001, and all 30 units had been modified by June 2003.
Initially the class were used primarily on mail trains. In June 2003 EWS lost the Royal Mail mail train contract, with services diminishing to complete cessation in March 2004.
The locomotives have since been used by First ScotRail on the Caledonian Sleeper on non-electrified lines north of Edinburgh. In April 2015, GB Railfreight commenced a contract to haul the Caledonian Sleeper with 67 004 repainted and renamed for use on the service. Class 67s ceased being used on the service, in June 2016, when replaced by GB Railfreight Class 73/9s, although they can still be occasionally seen on some portions of the Highland Sleeper to Inverness and Aberdeen.
Class 67s are also used as Thunderbird rescue locomotives, for failed trains on the East Coast Main Line, on some freight trains, and for use on chartered tourist trains. Two locomotives were assigned to, and received special liveries for use with the Royal Train from 2003, and a third had a commemorative jubilee livery applied for use with the Royal Train during the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012.
Five locomotives were also dedicated to Wrexham & Shropshire's services until it ceased operating in January 2011.
Chiltern Railways began using ex-Wrexham & Shropshire Class 67 hauled passenger sets in December 2010, in September 2011 after improvements to the Chiltern Main Line infrastructure, Chiltern began running a 100 mph (160 km/h) service from London to Birmingham branded Mainline using Class 67 powered sets. Chiltern Railways leased six Class 68s from December 2014, to replace Class 67s on its Chiltern Main Line services.
In March 2012, Arriva Trains Wales began the lease of three Class 67s from DB Schenker to replace its Class 57s on its Premier Service.
In January 2017, DB sold 67 023 and 67 027 to Colas Rail, which were repainted at Toton TMD for use on Network Rail infrastructure monitoring trains.
EWS Diesel West Hampstead
British Rail Class 67
The Class 67 locomotives are a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives which were built for the English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) between 1999 and 2000 by Alstom at Meinfesa in Valencia, Spain with drive components (engine, generator and traction motors) from General Motors' Electro-Motive Division.
EWS ordered thirty locomotives via leasing company Angel Trains in a £45million contract split between Alstom and Electro Motive Diesel, for use as Class 47 replacements for hauling high-speed Royal Mail trains and passenger trains. The locomotives were obtained on a 15-year lease from Angel Trains. At the end of the fifteen-year contract, ownership of the locomotives was transferred to DB Cargo UK.
The bodyshell is a monocoque load bearing Alstom design, the bogies are an "H" frame Alstom design, The engine, traction motors and control electronics are GM-EMD products, and the same as used in the British Rail Class 66. Unlike the Class 66, the traction motors are frame mounted rather than axle hung to reduce unsprung mass and the gear ratio is increased allowing higher speeds. The cab design has a central driving position.
The locomotives are able to supply electric head end power for passenger train heating and air-conditioning, and are equipped for buffer and screw coupling and also coupling via a buckeye coupler attached on a swing arm mount.
High speed running tests were undertaken with 67 002 starting at Alstom's facility at La Sagra (Toledo, Spain) and running on the standard gauge Madrid-Toledo high-speed rail line. A top speed of 143 miles per hour (230 km/h) was obtained.
The first locomotive to be delivered was 67 003, which arrived in October 1999. Initially plans were for a rapid acceptance into service, but problems with the locomotives being slightly out of loading gauge caused delays. Acceptance trials began in December, and all 30 units had been delivered to the UK by early 2000.
The high axle load of the locomotive caused an initial speed restriction to 110 mph (177 km/h) and modifications to the bogies were required; locomotive 67023 was passed for 125 mph (201 km/h) running in July 2001, and all 30 units had been modified by June 2003.
Initially the class were used primarily on mail trains. In June 2003 EWS lost the Royal Mail mail train contract, with services diminishing to complete cessation in March 2004.
The locomotives have since been used by First ScotRail on the Caledonian Sleeper on non-electrified lines north of Edinburgh. In April 2015, GB Railfreight commenced a contract to haul the Caledonian Sleeper with 67 004 repainted and renamed for use on the service. Class 67s ceased being used on the service, in June 2016, when replaced by GB Railfreight Class 73/9s, although they can still be occasionally seen on some portions of the Highland Sleeper to Inverness and Aberdeen.
Class 67s are also used as Thunderbird rescue locomotives, for failed trains on the East Coast Main Line, on some freight trains, and for use on chartered tourist trains. Two locomotives were assigned to, and received special liveries for use with the Royal Train from 2003, and a third had a commemorative jubilee livery applied for use with the Royal Train during the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012.
Five locomotives were also dedicated to Wrexham & Shropshire's services until it ceased operating in January 2011.
Chiltern Railways began using ex-Wrexham & Shropshire Class 67 hauled passenger sets in December 2010, in September 2011 after improvements to the Chiltern Main Line infrastructure, Chiltern began running a 100 mph (160 km/h) service from London to Birmingham branded Mainline using Class 67 powered sets. Chiltern Railways leased six Class 68s from December 2014, to replace Class 67s on its Chiltern Main Line services.
In March 2012, Arriva Trains Wales began the lease of three Class 67s from DB Schenker to replace its Class 57s on its Premier Service.
In January 2017, DB sold 67 023 and 67 027 to Colas Rail, which were repainted at Toton TMD for use on Network Rail infrastructure monitoring trains.