British Rail Class 67

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British Rail Class 67
Also called:	JT42 HW-HS
Builder:	Alstom, Spain for General Motors Electro Motive Diesel
Years Built:	1999-2000
Number Built:	30
Replaced:	British Rail Class 37 British Rail Class 47 British Rail Class 86
Engine:	GM-EMD 12N-710G3B-EC
Transmission:	Diesel Electric
Wheel Arrangement:	Bo-Bo
Brakes:	Air
Length:	19.71 m
Width:	2.71 m
Height:	3.93 m
Weight:	90 Tonnes
Maximum Speed:	125 mph
Engine Horsepower:	2,980 hp
Tractive Effort:	31,750 lb
Fuel Capacity:	5,460 Litres
Operators:	EWS

Two Class 67's lead a freight train through Bristol Parkway

67006 Royal Sovereign at Evesham on 26 March 2005. This is one of two locomotives painted in Royal Claret livery for hauling the Royal Train.

67029 at Paddington 26 January 2006. This locomotive is painted in a special silver livery to haul the EWS Company Train.

The British Rail Class 67 locomotives were built from 1999-2000 by Alstom in Valencia, Spain under sub-contract from General Motors Diesel in Canada.

[edit] Overview

The thirty locomotives of this class were built for the English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) for use on high-speed mail trains. EWS had acquired the parcels business Rail Express Systems in 1996. EWS inherited a motley collection of elderly Class 47 diesel locomotives, Class 86 electric locomotives, newer Class 90 electric locomotives and Class 325 parcels EMUs. Therefore, EWS decided to purchase new high-speed 125 mph diesel locomotives to replace most of the Class 47 and Class 86 locomotives on mail trains.

The first locomotive, no. 67003, was delivered in 1999 and underwent a period of extensive testing. Due to their high axle loading many peripheral routes were unable to take their weight, resulting in poor route availability. They were initially restricted to the core main lines. As well as use on mail trains and Travelling Post Office (TPO) services, the class also saw use on charter trains, again replacing the older Class 47 locomotives. Several of the class received mail-related names, such as 67001 "Night Mail" and 67004 "Poste Haste". The fleet was allocated to Cardiff Canton, then to Toton and Bristol Barton Hill.

By mid-2000, the class had replaced the Class 47s on most mail trains. These however, still saw use on charter services, especially on lines where the Class 67s were barred, and also acted as "Thunderbird" locomotives for GNER to rescue failed trains.

In mid-2003, EWS lost the mail contract. There was a gradual phasing out of mail trains, with TPO services ending on 9 January 2004, and normal mail services a few months later. Therefore, the Class 67s largely became redundant, despite being only five years old. They then quickly replaced the Class 47s on GNER "Thunderbird" duties, and following the loss of passenger traffic the last were withdrawn in mid-2004. The Class 67s also started to see increased use on freight trains, often in pairs. They are often used on charter services. The winter months saw their use as top-and-tailing rail treatment trains, removing leaves and ice from the tracks. During the summer of 2004, several were hired to Virgin Trains for weekend relief services between the North East and the South Coast.

Two locomotives, nos. 67005 and 67006 were repainted in the Royal Claret colour scheme for hauling the prestigious Royal Train, replacing the two previous Class 47 locomotives. In 2004, 67029 was repainted in 'Executive Silver' livery for hauling the EWS Company Train. These locos are not exclusively dedicated to such duties; they are also seen on more routine freight duties.

The downturn in traffic however, has meant that several locomotives have recently been stored pending an increase in traffic.

EWS Class 67 locomotives are hired by First Scotrail to haul their Caledonian Sleeper services over non-electrified routes; the "Highland Sleeper" services to and from Aberdeen, Inverness and, since early 2006, Fort William. They replaced haulage by Class 37 locomotives, although the latter can still occasionally be seen on the Fort William service. Since the Class 67 has a higher axle loading than the Class 37, it is subject to stringent speed restrictions on parts of this route and journey times are increased, despite a higher top speed. Since operations began on the West Highland line sleepers, the Class 67 has experienced severe brake problems, with replacements of the brake blocks needed virtually after every trip. Several theories abound for the reason for this, one suggestion being that the relative slow speeds and constant brake demands on the route means that grit and dirt picked up on the wheels cannot clear naturally and thus contaminates the brakes blocks, abrasively "scoring down" the material and causing overheating.

[edit] Fleet details

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

British Rail Class 67

• http://www.class67.co.uk/
• SEMG page