Class 88 UKDual & EuroDual

[Hophead]

Were the locos ordered in anticipation of the vast distances to be electrified (and, in the case of Southampton - Basingstoke, re-electrified) during CP5?

 

[Mollman]

The recent RAIL article on DRS seems to suggest the 88s will take over more of the Crewe - Carlisle department workings and the Daventry - Cardiff TESCO train once electrification has reached South Wales.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The recent RAIL article on DRS seems to suggest the 88s will take over more of the Crewe - Carlisle department workings and the Daventry - Cardiff TESCO train once electrification has reached South Wales.

How are they going to navigate the gap between Wembley (WCML) and Acton (GWML) without wires?
Or is this for the legendary "last mile" capability?
The wiring of this stretch, although probably less than a mile of slow route, was canned long ago.
Once Crossrail is open, maybe you could route via Stratford (reverse) at dead of night.

 

[twpsaesneg]

How are they going to navigate the gap between Wembley (WCML) and Acton (GWML) without wires?
Or is this for the legendary "last mile" capability?
The wiring of this stretch, although probably less than a mile of slow route, was canned long ago.
Once Crossrail is open, maybe you could route via Stratford (reverse) at dead of night.

Acton Yard to the WLL / NLL on the diesel sounds like a nice plan to be fair. As you say, short distance and at low speed too. It would be nice if it did happen with a bit of out of the box thinking!

 

[InOban]

What's legendary about their last mile capability? Seems quite real to me.

I would be sending them under the wires to Bromsgrove and surely their 950hp should be enough to take them down to Parkway?

 

[twpsaesneg]

What's legendary about their last mile capability? Seems quite real to me.

I would be sending them under the wires to Bromsgrove and surely their 950hp should be enough to take them down to Parkway?

From Daventry? You'd need to go through New Street wouldn't You?

 

[InOban]

Why not at night? Sending them down the WCML and then back along the GWR seems to the 'green' agenda for the service.

 

[sprinterguy]

I would be sending them under the wires to Bromsgrove and surely their 950hp should be enough to take them down to Parkway?

I'm sceptical as to the ability of the Cross City South electrification to support the power draw of a class 88, especially up grade on the Lickey incline - Even empty containers weigh something.

I'd also be sceptical of the ability of a 950hp diesel engine to keep a loaded or unloaded container train moving for 70 miles - or to get it up to speed in a timely fashion after a signal check or being looped - at 60 to 75mph: That still doesn't strike me as what the diesel capability is primarily for, and why replace a 1 mile, low speed run on diesel with a fast 70 mile one when the locos peak capability is on electric power?

Why not at night? Sending them down the WCML and then back along the GWR seems to the 'green' agenda for the service.

Perhaps an arrival at Wentloog in the early hours of the morning wouldn't be convenient for Tesco (Existing Daventry - Wentloog Tesco trains appear to often operate during daylight hours)?

 

[furnessvale]

Perhaps an arrival at Wentloog in the early hours of the morning wouldn't be convenient for Tesco (Existing Daventry - Wentloog Tesco trains appear to often operate during daylight hours)?

Exactly why Adonis' rants about removing daytime railfreight were so much nonsense.

The customer tells you when he wants the goods not the railway operator. If the railway can't cope, the customer shrugs his shoulders and sends it by road.

 

[Chris125]

Once Crossrail is open, maybe you could route via Stratford (reverse) at dead of night.

If your suggesting using the Crossrail tunnels they will not be open to other users IIRC, the need for CBTC signalling effectively ensures that anyway.

 

[Peter Sarf]

The recent RAIL article on DRS seems to suggest the 88s will take over more of the Crewe - Carlisle department workings and the Daventry - Cardiff TESCO train once electrification has reached South Wales.

Hmm. Makes me wonder why DRS are not using the 88s from Daventry to/from London as I am sure there must be some Tesco trains doing that. I seem to recall these are (were) hauled by 66s and go to Purfleet - if so surely that is ALL electric ?.

 

[Mollman]

For those of you interested it appears the 88s have started seeing use on flask train. I have found these photos on Flikr:
https://flic.kr/p/24uKEr9
https://flic.kr/p/EUwwt6

 

[59CosG95]

It's also worth noting that the recent 88 driver training runs up the East Coast Main Line are to be for a future departmental flow; a friend of mine who works for DRS says that it's a Doncaster-Millerhill flow.
Probably the first freight train on the ECML that's booked to be electrically hauled since the start of the decade! (Not counting the time last year where 2 DBC 90s worked the Donny-Tyne Yard departmentals, as the circumstaces were fairly unique)

 

[ash39]

There was also the Dollands Moor-Scunthorpe steel which was booked for a Class 92 as far as Doncaster until around five years ago, and there's the daily Low Fell-Willesden mail which is a 325 unit, but as you say, very slim pickings other than that.

 

[Tracked]

I was in York yesterday, thought it was a 68 at first but on a closer look it was 88007 Electra parked up at the station ...

 

[92002]

I was in York yesterday, thought it was a 68 at first but on a closer look it was 88007 Electra parked up at the station ...
View attachment 44361

As it says in #673 there is a new flow from Doncaster to MillerHill for Departmental traffic, presumably new sleepers from the factory at Doncaster. Due to start shortly and the 88 is on Driver training.

 

[ScottDarg]

As it says in #673 there is a new flow from Doncaster to MillerHill for Departmental traffic, presumably new sleepers from the factory at Doncaster. Due to start shortly and the 88 is on Driver training.

I've read elsewhere that the flow is due to start today, with the relevant paths now showing on RTT:

• 6Z31(?) 13:25 Doncaster Down Decoy to Millerhill S.S. (19:56): http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R00352/2018/03/26/advanced
• 6Z47(?) 21:35 Millerhill S.S. to Doncaster Down Decoy (03:00): http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R00353/2018/03/26/advanced

 

[Mollman]

Got a pleasant surprise yesterday at Preston, 88003 (?) working a Carlisle to Crewe departmental working.

 

[driver_m]

Are these getting DRS some value for money now? Seen a pair of them pass me with a nuke train the other day and before that, one went through Eccles with a container train. Seems they're actually a damn good idea .

 

[Peter Sarf]

I have to report a slightly ill 88005. Victim of Hurrican Callum I suspect !.

We had set off from Kent and Surrey to get our last 88 at Rugby on Friday nights 4M48 Mossend to Daventry, due Saturday morning South through Rugby at 01:30 (corrected). This had got later and later due to a late start and the speed restrictions (50mph between Carstairs and Oxenholm). Was about 80 minutes late but the service was nearly back on time by Nuneaton probably due to some good performance but also due to skipping any layovers. It then taunted us by stopping (with a green signal in front I seem to recall) a few sections before Rugby on the up fast. The signal eventually got turned to red and then various other freights passed it on the slow line. Then over two and a half hours later the signal went back to green but progress was imperceptible. Eventually a new section was entered and then 3 hours late 88005 finally crawled into platform 6 at Rugby. It was then clear from the very heavy thuds that there was one (probably) big wheel flat. It seemed to be on the loco.

I suppose the driver must have slowed down on a leafy stretch after Nuneaton and, when starting again, noticed one wheel was now square !. The current wet and windy weather is at just the right time of year to bring lots of dying autumn leaves down and stick them to the rails.

I now gather 88005 is still at Daventry this Sunday having been left behind by its train which favoured 88004 !. Wheel skates or a low loader anybody ?.

I have finally caught up with my sleep having got back to Croydon in daylight !. I think that is the most suffering for a loco I have ever subjected myself to.

 

[BRX]

88007 is in Kent this weekend...for the Ramsgate depot open day.

Is this the first time an 88 has made it south of the Thames?

Here it is in South London just now

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Spain was south of the Thames last time I looked [/pedant]

 

[EM2]

I hadn't taken much notice of the 88s, until I noticed a post on the EM2 Locomotive Society's Facebook page which mentioned the names.
Nice to see that they've used all the names from the best locos

 

[Karl]

Rock on Tommy's!!!

 

[Mollman]

There was a pair of 88s on yesterday's 05:48 Mossend to Deventry, both were under power. Does anyone know if this is a new norm or a one off?

 

[Photohunter71]

Noted a pair of them top and tailing 3 nuclear flasks last Thursday at Niddrie West junction bound for Carlisle. Diesel engine sounds more like the mtu unit in the refrbished 73/9's.