• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Class 68 Progress, what's the latest?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
jopsuk said:
Draught is the depth below the waterline. It has little or no bearing on whether the locos will be on an open/visible deck or not.
Click to expand...
Directly no but indirectly yes. Subtract from the draught figure the distance from the keel to the bottom of the hold on which the load is resting, then you have a figure for how much of this load is below the waterline. Now look at the height of the bottom of the hatch covers above the same waterline. and add this to the earlier figure. If the load height exceeds this the covers will be stowed and the top of the load will likely be visible.
There are many photos online of this ship where this has happened and the tops of the loads are visible unless covered with tarpaulins. On this ship large loads such as containers are carried on top because they do not fit inside so this could also have been the case with locomotives
It all depends on what other cargo is carried at the same time.
The quoted draught of this ship less the keel thickness is already a lot less than the height of the locomotives without any packing below them and they are usually placed on large wooden blocks.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
One problem, if I charge it becomes commercial. In Spain there are strict rules for taking photographs for commercial purposes. Anything to do with public/government bodies you need permission in writing and signed and paid for in each instance. You also need to be registered to be a Commercial photographer, having passed a test! This covers all railway installations of any sort. Photographs for personal use only are OK, nothing is required, however the police and security guards can ask you to stop for any reason, and a lot of them make up their own rules. I asked Vossloh, both security and managers, all had different answers, but the do have a rule that no photographs taken on or of (not off) the premises and contents may be published anywhere without their permission BEFORE the photograph is taken. Hence you will not be able to find mine, unless I privately give you a link for each one, and they promise to abide by the same rules.
The multi-gauge test track is outside the factory premises and connected to the main line for Broad gauge only, and it runs alongside a canal and road/track/footpath for most of its length. I have never been stopped or even asked about taking photos here and even speak to some of the test crews and these photographs are on my public facebook page, as are those taken of locos on road transporters.
As for my information, it comes from my eyes, from press releases and some trusted sources. Mainlinediesels.net is one such trusted source, only publishing photographs and factual information from prime sources, usually formal contacts within companies involved.
http://www.mainlinediesels.net/index.php?nav=1000001&lang=en#.Vi3KAhyrSUn
if you scroll halfway down the page to 20 October you will see where I got the information from. It was then a simple matter of tracking the ship using the free membership I have to some shipping websites which allow limited access to real-time shipping movements, rather like RTT does for trains.
Other sources include DRS, Vossloh and Railway Gazette International via their websites.
 
G

GM228

Member
Joined
9 Feb 2015
Messages
154
Any idea why the two new 68s are in plain blue when all previous 68s have been in finished livery?
 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
GM228 said:
Any idea why the two new 68s are in plain blue when all previous 68s have been in finished livery?
Click to expand...
Did they have numbers and/or names applied?
68001 was originally in Vossloh White and 68002-9 were in plain blue but DRS presumably supplied the vynils to Vossloh for fitting before they left the factory. 68010-15 have no vynils, but some did have numbers applied. After they had to remove the vynils on two of the earlier ones to fit the Scottish logos perhaps they have decided to have them delivered in plain livery so they can add whatever vynils they want when they allocate them to their duties/pools.
This explains why I have not seen any with vynils, numbers or names from the latest batch, I had assumed the first two had been finished and shipped while I was on holiday but that may not have been the case after all. I did see a lot of blue ones when I came back.
So far the only one I have seen with any ID was one with a piece of paper stating it to be No 3 of the second order, so presumably 68018. The others have nothing at all.
Do these two have makers plates and if so what are the numbers and dates please? In the past these have been fitted below the left side of each cab. All I have seen on the latest batch are the bogie plates so far.
 
G

GM228

Member
Joined
9 Feb 2015
Messages
154
Sunbird24 said:
Did they have numbers and/or names applied?
68001 was originally in Vossloh White and 68002-9 were in plain blue but DRS presumably supplied the vynils to Vossloh for fitting before they left the factory. 68010-15 have no vynils, but some did have numbers applied. After they had to remove the vynils on two of the earlier ones to fit the Scottish logos perhaps they have decided to have them delivered in plain livery so they can add whatever vynils they want when they allocate them to their duties/pools.
This explains why I have not seen any with vynils, numbers or names from the latest batch, I had assumed the first two had been finished and shipped while I was on holiday but that may not have been the case after all. I did see a lot of blue ones when I came back.
So far the only one I have seen with any ID was one with a piece of paper stating it to be No 3 of the second order, so presumably 68018. The others have nothing at all.
Do these two have makers plates and if so what are the numbers and dates please? In the past these have been fitted below the left side of each cab. All I have seen on the latest batch are the bogie plates so far.
Click to expand...


Indeed it would seem they have no numbers etc either.

http://www.wnxx.com/15/1510/261015/workington261015.htm
 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
Thanks for the pics, at least it does have a works plate (bottom left corner) which will provide some clue to its future identity. Normally one batch has consecutive numbers but that has not always been the case.
 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
Wavertreelad said:
Images of the discharge at Workington on this site. You will probably need to obtain a login, but it is free.

http://forum.shipais.co.uk/index.php?/topic/21985-new-cargo-for-workington/


Enjoy.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, 3 days after creating an account it still has not been activated. Yet another dead-end!
Update, finally got approved. Nice pics. Did anyone get to read the data plates yet for the makers number.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Latest news from Valencia is that 88001 is almost complete and will be shipped to Velim in January 2016 for extensive testing.
The remainder of the build has been put back again to allow the third batch of 68s to be delivered first, between March and June 2016. All will be shipped to Workington in base colour and taken to Carlisle for completion.
 
Last edited:
Daz9284

Daz9284

Member
Joined
26 Sep 2014
Messages
229
Location
Sherburn in Elmet
Photohunter71 said:
Will they still be under the "Vossloh" brand now the plant has been sold to Stadler of Switzerland or will the 88's be 88 001 "Vossloh" and 2-10 etc "Stadler" same with the 68's?
Click to expand...

I will assume they will still be Vossloh. It will be like buying a Volvo, even though they were bought by Ford, then sold again.

And also you buy Terry and Cadburys chocolate, but they were both sold to Kraft over the past two decades
 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
Photohunter71 said:
Will they still be under the "Vossloh" brand now the plant has been sold to Stadler of Switzerland or will the 88's be 88 001 "Vossloh" and 2-10 etc "Stadler" same with the 68's?
Click to expand...

No changes yet, the deal is not expected to be approved by the relevant competition authorities until early 2016, though it will be backdated to July 2015, see here: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...ew/vossloh-rail-vehicles-sold-to-stadler.html

From my experience of working for companies which get sold it takes time for changes to take effect so by the time approval comes through the majority of the 68s will be structurally complete, including bogies which already have Vossloh plates and stamps. Maybe a change to the final builders plate which is attached in the last couple of months before delivery, sometimes later. Perhaps we will see some with Vossloh bogies and Stadler plates. I have never seen any Vossloh plates on the trams they build at all.

What is interesting is the the Vossloh Locomotive factory at Kiel is not included in this sale and will continue to produce Vossloh locomotives until a buyer is found, hopefully by 2017.
 
Last edited:
B

BananaRepublic

Member
Joined
9 Jul 2011
Messages
777
Sunbird24 said:
....What is interesting is the the Vossloh Locomotive factory at Kiel is not included in this sale and will continue to produce Vossloh locomotives until a buyer is found, hopefully by 2017.
Click to expand...

From what I've read, it seems that's a completely different business and a totally separate company from the one in Spain.



 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
BananaRepublic said:
From what I've read, it seems that's a completely different business and a totally separate company from the one in Spain.



Click to expand...

Yes and no. I have not studied the German factory to find their history, so I only know that for the Spanish Company.
Very briefly, Alstom took over the MaCoSA Spanish company in 1990s? They had been building many of the Spanish locomotives from early steam days under a variety of names in different places. The Albuixech factory was purpose built I think within the last 20-30 years. Vossloh purchased it from Alstom some years later and decided to concentrate the locomotive building to DH in Germany and DE in Spain, along with the metre gauge trains they were also building. Spain had a huge metre gauge network and a lot of it still exists today, some of it being converted to metro and tram lines in recent years (from about 1980s). Vossloh built many of the very successful trains/trams particularly in the Valencia Communidad (State) and has now gained many large orders from other parts of Europe as well as South America. They also produce locomotives for South Africa and locomotive bodies for North America.
So apart from both companies dabbling in dual mode locomotives and having the same owner who has put both up for sale there does not appear on the surface to be anything else common between them. Two separate companies which will probably remain so.
I have yet to find any data on locomotives produced by Vossloh at Keil, probably because it is all in German which I don't understand.
So far no more news on 68s and 88s, only one completed 68 seen on Saturday and a couple of German low-loaders, presumably waiting to transport more trams there. I expect two more 68s will find their way into a port and onto a ship in the next few days...
 
158722

158722

Member
Joined
8 Nov 2009
Messages
831
68018 & 68019 now en route according to wnxx. On board the Eendracht, and expected at Workington on the 15th.
 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
Thanks for those links, I hadn't found those pages but found others by operators and created a list of over 1600 locos from Vossloh, Mak, Voith and others. Many are duplicated due to owner changes but I found 432 locos with Vossloh works numbers, lots of gaps though so there may be more when I make time. Still a month behind with photographs!
Must run by the factory again in the next couple of days to see if anything new has appeared.

158722 said:
68018 & 68019 now en route according to wnxx. On board the Eendracht, and expected at Workington on the 15th.
Click to expand...

Tks for info. Eendracht, Sagunto to Workington ETA: 2015-11-15 12:00

Looks like it has its own cranes, each one rated at SWL 120 tons: http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/photos/of/ships/shipid:232666/#forward

Update:
The Eendracht has now docked at Workington and should be unloading already.
 
Last edited:
P

Peter Sarf

Established Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
5,699
Location
Croydon
I notice 68001 has been at Derby RTC since 2-3/12/2015. I don't think a 68 has been there before ?. I was wondering if its so that the wonder of it can be poured over or perhaps its being got ready for something - like multiple working with 442s !.

I am not sure about the following but apparently the lines past Gresty depot are closed for about two weeks iirc (from 28/11/2015 iirc) for engineering works. This apparently means anything on Gresty depot will not be wandering off any time soon. Some of the 68s have been out stationed at Crewe Coal sidings to get round this. This might explain why some 68s have not been out for a while although they seem to be piling up at Kingmoor.

Starting to think about the next two deliveries - anyone know how soon in December they will arrive ?.
 
Last edited:
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
68020 was virtually complete some 2-3 weeks ago and I saw another 2 with no ID markings visible in the final stages last week. With more buildings erected in the yard over the summer more work is likely being done under cover.
I plan to look again in the near future but with another 4 day holiday starting today anything which had not left by yesterday is unlikely to go anywhere until next Wednesday. Will update my latest post as usual when I find any useful info.
I have also been monitoring port movements but nothing has shown up yet, but several empty cargo ships have been anchored offshore recently "awaiting orders" so one of them "may" be waiting for them. Expensive subscriptions are required to obtain fuller information. http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/p/plans/_:d8afc3b025fea855119cda6e85bd9879
 
R

Rhydgaled

Established Member
Joined
25 Nov 2010
Messages
4,568
Sunbird24 said:
I have also been monitoring port movements but nothing has shown up yet, but several empty cargo ships have been anchored offshore recently "awaiting orders" so one of them "may" be waiting for them. Expensive subscriptions are required to obtain fuller information. http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/p/plans/_:d8afc3b025fea855119cda6e85bd9879
Click to expand...
There's another ship tracking site which doesn't require subscriptions at all I believe http://shipfinder.co/ Not something I've used myself so I'm not sure how good it is, but somebody gave me the link a few weeks back for some reason.

Peter Sarf said:
I notice 68001 has been at Derby RTC since 2-3/12/2015. I don't think a 68 has been there before ?. I was wondering if its so that the wonder of it can be poured over or perhaps its being got ready for something - like multiple working with 442s !
Click to expand...
Wasn't there something about 001 being a pre-series locomotive on which tests were done a minor modifications made to the rest of the fleet prior to delivery based on the results from 001? If so, perhaps 001 is having those minor modifications done to it? Just a guess.
 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
Rhydgaled said:
Wasn't there something about 001 being a pre-series locomotive on which tests were done a minor modifications made to the rest of the fleet prior to delivery based on the results from 001? If so, perhaps 001 is having those minor modifications done to it? Just a guess.
Click to expand...

After those tests at Velim were completed 68001 returned to the factory about April where a lot more work was done and it was finally released in the summer with the later members of the class. They also removed the incorrect worksplate (it had one for 68002) and fitted the correct one. I would imagine it received all the updates at that time.
 
R

Rhydgaled

Established Member
Joined
25 Nov 2010
Messages
4,568
Sunbird24 said:
After those tests at Velim were completed 68001 returned to the factory about April where a lot more work was done and it was finally released in the summer with the later members of the class. They also removed the incorrect worksplate (it had one for 68002) and fitted the correct one. I would imagine it received all the updates at that time.
Click to expand...
Ah, ok. Looks like I guessed wrong then.
 
Sunbird24

Sunbird24

Member
Joined
26 Oct 2013
Messages
391
Location
La Mont Ravana
Just 2 68s looking almost complete visible in the compound this afternoon, could be more behind them. No visible ID. Nothing visible at Sagunto docks but they use other docks for shipping also. Still no sign of the first 88.
I checked the free shipping website, it only has around 20,000 vessels in its database and only shows one berthed at Sagunto, the one I use has over 400,000 with about 20 either berthed at Sagunto or anchored off-shore. One ship, the Aegean Breeze, has just left for Southampton, no clue as to what is on it, could be Sheffield trams for all I know!
 
M

MainlineD

Member
Joined
30 Apr 2014
Messages
11
As far as I am aware of, the planning was that 68020+ would not arrive in the UK earlier than January 2016.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top