Friday 12th June saw an all European imported GB Railfreight Class 66 convoy head from Stoke-on-Trent to Doncaster (Longport FD to Hexthorpe Yard)
This convoy would be formed of Class 66s:
- 66750 Bristol Panel Signal Box (imported to the UK from Germany in 2012)
- 66790 (imported to the UK from Sweden in 2019)
- 66791 Neil Bennett (imported to the UK from Sweden in 2019)
Both 66790 & 66791 have both been converted to UK standards in order to start operating services with GB Railfreight at Longport in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
There is also 66792 which believed to be still undergoing conversion.
66790 & 66791 are believed to have been taken to Doncaster to start test running
12th June would see RailView capture this rare Class 66 convoy with 66750, 66790 & 66791 at Tapton Bridge just north of Chesterfield Station, Derbyshire passing through at 17:24 1 minute early.
Less than an hour before also saw three other Class 66s pass through from different TOCs including:
- 66170 from DB Cargo heading from Walsall Freight Terminal to Dowlow Briggs Sdgs passing through at 16:30 10 minutes early.
- 66607 from Freightliner heading from Theale Lafarge to Hope Earles Sidings passing through at 17:02 2 minutes early.
- 66422 from Direct Rail Services heading from Daventry DRS to Doncaster Iport passing through at 17:13 6 minutes early.
Class 66 Locomotive info:
- Power Type: Diesel Electric
- Builder: Electro-Motive Diesel
- Built Date: 1998 – 2015
- Total Produced: 455
- Wheel Configuration: Co-Co
- Engine Type: GM 12N-710G3B-EC two-stroke
- Horse Power: 3,200HP
- Max Speed: 75MPH
- 66/6 Max Speed: 65MPH
- Operators: Colas Rail, DB Cargo, Direct Rail Services, Freightliner & GB Railfreight
- Nickname: Shed
Here's some photos from this trip out (all credit to Cameron White)
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Note: All footage in the video was taken over two metres apart from other people and follows the government guidelines.
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66790 travelled from Peterborough GBRf Depot down to Eastleigh Works on Monday 15th on Freight No. 4O65, presumably for a repaint into the GBRf livery.
Canadian / Yankee Locos that are generally reliable, but were built on the cheap. The early Class 66/0’s are now over 20 years old and if they are not adequately maintained, they start showing patches of rust, also the frames can distort so much that the cab doors won’t close.
I know that they are relatively modern, but they are so boring, and ugly, the only attractive modern loco is the class 68.
We used to build the best locomotives in the world, now we import them. Get all the class 60 locomotives running again! Far better than the 66.
The Class 66s are the most modern freight locomotives ever built and are reliable. Just like other diesel locomotives and electric locomotives used for freight movements.