Not a chance!! 4 seconds is supercar performance. A supercar might have over 400hp per ton, a class 90 has around 59hp per ton. Also the loco will not be able to put the power down so well as the coefficient of friction of a steel wheel on a steel rail is low compared to rubber on tarmac.
Yes, because they had 90mph top speed compared to the other Sprinter Classes - limited to 75mph.
Crazy to think that a 10 or 11 litre diesel engine used for trains produces a are 200 to 250hp - the same power as a 3-litre car engine - though i do get that these outputs are at pretty low RPM compared to automotive use and therefore supposedly more robust and reliable. Does anyone know how many miles / hours are expected between engine overhauls?
I haven't recorded any 22x unit doing 0 to 60mph under 60 seconds - even on downhill starts! Anyway, it is no secret that traction power has been altered for fuel economy and reliability reasons, so they are not quite as accelerative as when they were first introduced. Depending on the state of the unit, track speed etc, there are times when either unit can out accelerate the other. But the best examples of recorded performance in the last 2 to 3 years show the 222 series very slightly faster than 185's. But maybe the issue is that i hear frequent reports of 22x units running with an engine isolated! Therefore a 185 on all engines, will be faster than any 22x unit with an engine out.I don't agree with those 0-60 figures. A 220 can do 0-60 in around 40 seconds and I have worked 185s out accelerating voyagers out of York!
The max torque of:
Once the lock-down is over, I'm definitely going to start recording some estimates of how fast 222's accelerate out of Leicester going northbound. Pretty much perfectly flat and can open full throttle thanks to the high line speed north of the station.
Leicester northbound starts are slightly downhill, so you might get slightly quicker starts by a few seconds there, whereas Loughborough starts Northbound are level for several miles - so a more accurate barometer.
I recall Virgin Trains publicity stating 'sports car acceleration' - 0 to 60mph in 60 seconds for 220 and 70 seconds for 221s
Not forgetting 155s being Super Sprinters too
My last two runs out of Loughborough Northbound on 222's have been 0 to 60mph in 60/61 seconds, 0 to 100mph in 2min40/2min50 , and 0 to 110mph in 3min15/3min22.
I have it on very good authority that class 185 traction computer limits traction power even if you go attempt to go straight into notch 5. I have not heard of any instruction not to use full power. Drivers might be advised to start on lower power notches - due to the fact that notch 4 won't give you instant full power anyway. I know that when drivers use speed set, one of the engines will shut down into eco mode after three minutes if there has been no movement on the power controller. The engine cannot then be restarted until the train has stopped at the next station.
Last two voyagers i travelled aboard had one engine shut down. By contrast, a greater percentage of 222's seem to run on all engines.
