This is a photographic record of every Class 68 and Class 88 locomotive, and working for both Direct Rail Services and on loan to other operators.
Published in February 2023 by Amberley Publishing and written by John Jackson, this soft cover book measures around 23.4 cm x 16.5 cm, and has 96 pages and 180 illustrations. It has a published price of £15.99 although Amberley Publishing currently has it on offer at £14.39, and at the time of writing, it can be obtained from Amazon for £12.29.
Direct Rail Services (DRS) ordered 34 Class 68 locomotives from Vossloh in Spain, which become Stadler Rail midway through the delivery of the order. Later, an order was placed with Stadler for ten electro-diesel variants, which were the Class 88 locomotives. Direct Rail Services, later leased some of the locos to other operators.
The book has 14 chapters, starting with an Introduction that describes the reasoning behind the need to order these classes, the delivery history, and an overview of their operations.
There follows three chapters showing photographs of each member of both classes, detailed photos of nameplates carried some locos, and builder's works plates on both Vossloh and Stadler-built locos.
The next four chapters cover work hauling nuclear flasks, Network Rail infrastructure trains, and intermodal traffic. Five chapters cover Direct Rail Services locos on lease to Chiltern Railways for its mainline services, ScotRail on Fie Circle services, Greater Anglia on branch lines from Norwich, Northern on Cumbrian Coast and Furness Line services, and TransPennine Express services. The book concludes with a chapter showing both classes on an assortment of other workings.
With a quarter of the book dedicated to a record of each locomotive, the challenge in a book dedicated to two classes that are very similar in appearance is to hold the reader's attention. The author has achieved this by showing a variety of work on which the locos are to be found.
One problem with the book is that other than the first page of each chapter, each page carries the book's title rather than the more-useful chapter title. As locos on lease to other companies are not always re-liveried, it is not always clear which chapter the photos apply to.
The pages below show the author's approach to including photos of each class member, with 68003 Astute and 68004 Rapid on the left and 68005 Defiant on the right. Some photos in this chapter include additional images that highlight specific points of interest.
The Class 68s were originally ordered from Vossloh of Spain, but midway through the order, the company was taken over by Stadler; photos of both company's works plates are seen on the left below. On the right is the title page of the chapter covering the company's depots at Carlisle and Crewe. The photo at the bottom right shows two of the company's 60-year-old Class 37s that the 68s and 88s were designed to replace.
Credit: RailAdvent
The pages below are from the chapter on Network Rail Infrastructure Traffic, and in common with the chapter on Intermodal Traffic, many photos in these sections are very similar, with locos hauling identical sets of wagons.
Credit: RailAdvent
The pages below illustrate the striking difference between DRS locomotives leased to Chiltern Railways and ScotRail. At the top left, Class 68 No. 68012 has been repainted in Chiltern's rather bland livery, while at the bottom right 68006 Daring appears far-more striking.
Credit: RailAdvent
Completely different in appearance are Class 68s on lease to TransPennine Express seen below which have been repainted in that company's livery, and blend in with the company's rolling stock.
Credit: RailAdvent
Covering every member of Classes 68 and 88, this book provides a good overview of these locomotives. Every member of both classes is illustrated, as well as examples of their nameplates and works builders plates.
Photographs of their operations on lease from Direct Rail Services to Chiltern railways, TransPennine Express, ScotRail and Greater Anglia and hauling Network Rail infrastructure trains show them at work on a variety of duties around the UK, although several of the photographs are very similar to each other.
The choice of chapters neatly groups the locomotives by their duties, but the book could have been improved by having the chapter titles as page headers, instead of the book title. Will be of interest to modern traction enthusiasts.
