What are the services that are booked as or currently consistently hauled by a DB Class 60? The Tunstead to Lostock move mentioned earlier in the thread is the only one I know for definite. This will probs be the last few months to see 60s on these moves.
Along with the Tunstead - Lostock services, the Boston steel trains (6M08 to Wolverhampton or 6V15 to Swindon) are also booked for class 60 haulage. 60074 emerged from Toton TMD yesterday (Mon 11th Dec) to work 6E02 to Boston and 6M08 as far as Toton - it's now back on the TMD for further attention.
The Robeston tank trains to Westerleigh and Theale were solid class 60 workings until fairly recently, but I think they are now booked for class 66s (a pair on the Westerleigh trains and single 66s to Theale).
I believe only 60024 / 60062 / 60074 are left in the active pool, with 60062 currently working the Tunstead hoppers and the other two on Toton TMD.
This can be compared with the typical Class 60 workings last year -
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-the-db-60s-on-fuel-flows.235154/post-5807763
I’m convinced this is going to backfire. DB are taking a massive risk deploying 66s on Tunsteads, even with a reduced payload…
DB Class 66s already regularly work off Tunstead on the Washwood Heath aggregate trains, formed of 22 HRAs (roughly 2200 tons trailing load). The climb from Tunstead to Peak is the issue - 66s are regularly working heavy trains from Peak via Northwich on the way to Warrington Dallam with 24 wagons, but a standard Class 66 would not be able to haul the same load from Tunstead up to Peak.
Class 60s have always been preferred on the Lostock trains, working the regular set of 24 hoppers, although a quirk of the current operation is that quite often only 20 of the set are loaded due to limited storage capacity at the receiving terminal. The old method of working involved half the train being emptied at Lostock, then continuing to Oakleigh (prior to its closure around 10 years ago) to empty the other half, so this wasn't an issue. The set has inner (non-buffered) and outer wagons which probably explains why they don't just leave 4 wagons at Tunstead instead.