Colas Class 70s - deliveries now underway

[Warbonnet]

As a former Res driver from early 1995 to late 2000 I can confirm that EWS was entirely to blame for the loss of confidence by Royal Mail, this was mainly due to the disgusting attitude of EWS 'management' who thought that cost cutting on 47 maintenance was the way forward in running a successful company, all we heard from 1996/7 onwards was that the 67's, the worst engine I've had the misfortune to drive IMHO, were coming to save the world so why waste money on keeping 47's in running condition. The 47's went from being reliable workhorses to overused and undermaintained nags because of EWS stupidity

Interesting post! Very enlightening cheers.
Im not that surprised if im honest though. EWS at that time were pretty ruthless in their screwy polices.

 

[BestWestern]

Just to say I've now seen a Colas 70 in the flesh....and boy do they look awful! The deep cabside panelling right down to the bogies painted radioactive yellow makes them look even worse than the FL ones, which at least try to hide the comedy styling with a fairly drab livery. They look like something straight out of a toy shop :-/

Perhaps the next batch should be fitted with a full-on fibreglass face and a faux baseball cap on the cab roofs, Chuggington style!?

 

[Beveridges]

I've yet to see the Class 70/8's but if these are just here for new work then I'm not bothered. It's all about the 56's as far as I'm concerned, and long may it continue.

 

[ModernRailways]

Just to say I've now seen a Colas 70 in the flesh....and boy do they look awful! The deep cabside panelling right down to the bogies painted radioactive yellow makes them look even worse than the FL ones, which at least try to hide the comedy styling with a fairly drab livery. They look like something straight out of a toy shop :-/

Perhaps the next batch should be fitted with a full-on fibreglass face and a faux baseball cap on the cab roofs, Chuggington style!?

The yellow they have used is terrible. It doesn't match the yellow at the front ends and so looks really naff. The yellows should have either matched or blended together. The Colas livery looks fairly good on the 47s but the yellows seem to either blend together or are the same.

The Freightliner livery to me looks very smart on the 70s. It seems to make them look fairly powerful too! The new DRS livery on the 68s seems to have the same look. Both Freightliner and DRS have adapted their liveries for the locos, Colas seem to have got the same livery on all their locos and just slapped it on.

 

[BestWestern]

The yellow they have used is terrible. It doesn't match the yellow at the front ends and so looks really naff. The yellows should have either matched or blended together. The Colas livery looks fairly good on the 47s but the yellows seem to either blend together or are the same.

The Freightliner livery to me looks very smart on the 70s. It seems to make them look fairly powerful too! The new DRS livery on the 68s seems to have the same look. Both Freightliner and DRS have adapted their liveries for the locos, Colas seem to have got the same livery on all their locos and just slapped it on.

I actually quite like the Colas livery as a rule, I think it looks very smart on the 47s and 56s, fresh modern and striking. But the difference is they are attractively styled locos with smart lines and sensible proportions, wheras the 70 looks like a 10 year old's cardboard box school project. The 58s followed the same narrow central body template as the 70s and, low and behold, managed to look inoffensive and proportionate whilst still having a purposeful, powerful stance. There is just no excuse for the hideous looks I'm afraid, sack the stylist!

 

[Beveridges]

he Freightliner livery to me looks very smart on the 70s. It seems to make them look fairly powerful too! The new DRS livery on the 68s seems to have the same look. Both Freightliner and DRS have adapted their liveries for the locos, Colas seem to have got the same livery on all their locos and just slapped it on.

All locomotives look best in their "original" livery. The original livery was designed to suit the locomotive. Everything after that was just a corporate brand slapped on regardless of whether it looks good or not. Looking at the best liveries for all the locomotive classes says it all. The original was always the best.

Loco class & Best Livery:

Class 70 - Freightliner
Class 68 - DRS
Class 66 - EWS (by far the best 66 livery)
Class 92 - Two tone grey
Class 90 - Two tone grey
Class 91 - Intercity
Class 60 - Two tone grey
Class 58 - Railfreight grey with large logo

Need I go on?

 

[CosherB]

"Failures are interesting"
"It's all about the 56's as far as I'm concerned"

Welcome to the brave new world of 1976! thank goodness you're a spotter because if you had any influence, you could single handedly wreck the railways in record time! :roll:

 

[Oswyntail]

All locomotives look best in their "original" livery. The original livery was designed to suit the locomotive. Everything after that was just a corporate brand slapped on regardless of whether it looks good or not. Looking at the best liveries for all the locomotive classes says it all. The original was always the best.

Loco class & Best Livery:

Class 70 - Freightliner
Class 68 - DRS
Class 66 - EWS (by far the best 66 livery)
Class 92 - Two tone grey
Class 90 - Two tone grey
Class 91 - Intercity
Class 60 - Two tone grey
Class 58 - Railfreight grey with large logo

Need I go on?

Well, apart from the fact that you are wrong.
1) Where a loco has only been in one livery saying it was "best" is pointless, so remove the 68 (the livery of which, like all DRS liveries, looks appalling) from the list (and perhaps the 70, until more have seen it in Colas)
2) The "original" livery of most 90s was Inter City, which looked quite nice
3) The EWS, two-tone grey, Inter City and Railfreight liveries were not designed to suit any one class, or vice versa, so your point fails a tad.
4) IMHO the best 66 livery was the Fastline
5) Going further back, Rail Blue was a turgid disaster - was it really the best livery to be found on a 56?
6) What was the best livery for the 59s? The one they carry now you claim is the best for the 66s, to which they are almost identical, but it is far from being their original.
Need I go on?

 

[Beveridges]

"Failures are interesting"
"It's all about the 56's as far as I'm concerned"

Welcome to the brave new world of 1976! thank goodness you're a spotter because if you had any influence, you could single handedly wreck the railways in record time! :roll:

I'm a Driver at the moment at a top depot and I wouldn't rule out going into higher management one day.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I'm a Driver at the moment at a top depot and I wouldn't rule out going into higher management one day.

With your current attitudes towards train failures I certainly hope that you don't get anywhere near management, let alone higher management. The network would be an absolute shambles.

 

[Y186520]

Eastleigh seems to be popular with Colas 70's with 5 on hand today.
70802 parked in what was the loco holding sidings by the station.
70803 and 5 in C11 (carriage siding 11)
70806 and 7 by the east yard ground frame box.

6 and 7 arrived via Atlantic Cartier on 23rd April in Liverpool and fairly quickly
have made their way to Eastleigh arriving last night on 6Z30 1726 from
Westbury (hauled by 70801)

A couple of snaps of them.
Presume the orange clad gang in front of the 2 70's in the carriage sidings
are just doing maintainence.
The snap of the new pair in east yard has 70007 passing on the main line
light engine.

Thanks to Wessex rail gen yahoo group for some of above info.

 

[Ciderking]

The track was spread trapping the two 70's as seen in this picture.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sparrowhawk7/14072233856/

 

[Rick1984]

Why are they subclassed 70/8? What's the difference from Freightliner's?

 

[fgwrich]

Why are they subclassed 70/8? What's the difference from Freightliner's?

Very little, but it's largely because the number series now comes into conflict with a fleet of 377/6 EMU Coach numbers which are numbered into the 701XX / 702XX / 703XX / 704XX & 705XX Numbers. Also presumably because Colas Rail wanted to keep their locos in their unique /8 Series as per their 66/8s.

Rather unfortunate picture of the two trapped 70/8s there in Eastleigh, given that these are Colas's investment in their Network Rail NDS Contract, and the track spreads underneath them trapping them into a NR yard.

 

[swt_passenger]

Rather unfortunate picture of the two trapped 70/8s there in Eastleigh, given that these are Colas's investment in their Network Rail NDS Contract, and the track spreads underneath them trapping them into a NR yard.

That's a NR yard that is still operated by DBS/EWS though, I think.

 

[Y186520]

That's a NR yard that is still operated by DBS/EWS though, I think.

When it was Mainline Freight (before EWS) there was a small gang who went
round the area doing this sort of work. Perhaps it continued under EWS/DBS
that way.

There were incidents like this regularly in the yard. Some sidings had been
upgraded for 25 1/2 tonne axleload (like C12 which was the route down to
Foster Yeomans siding) and C12 had concrete sleepers.

Due to the speed of movements round the yard complex usually if there was
something off the road then it didnt cause too much damage.

I don't think much money was spent in the time I was there. Mostly it was
pathching up. I seem to recall the p-way replacing 1 in 4 sleepers on some
of the lines, but its starting to be a while ago and memories fade.

 

[Warbonnet]

Very little, but it's largely because the number series now comes into conflict with a fleet of 377/6 EMU Coach numbers which are numbered into the 701XX / 702XX / 703XX / 704XX & 705XX Numbers. Also presumably because Colas Rail wanted to keep their locos in their unique /8 Series as per their 66/8s.

Rather unfortunate picture of the two trapped 70/8s there in Eastleigh, given that these are Colas's investment in their Network Rail NDS Contract, and the track spreads underneath them trapping them into a NR yard.

I cant see how they would have been trapped to be honest.
If you have sleepers or in the case there, S&C timbers that are not capable of maintaining the gauge any longer, you can just fit some tie bars for gauge correction and you can then run your train! Would take about 15 minutes to fit half a dozen tie bars. Job done.
(speaking from experience).

 

[455driver]

Cant they get out the other end of the siding or is that one of the dead end ones?

 

[G_A_C_C_C]

Any point in Colas having these 70s as Network Rail have just announced the following:

Bringing in house the high output team currently employed by AmeyCOLAS will create a less complex organisation with greater stability. It will support our commitment to further improvements in workforce safety, train performance and value for money and enable long term investment in people and machinery to support our track renewals programme. Around 1,200 people work on the high output programme, around half of whom are affected by this announcement.

The aim is to complete the transfer of all affected people to direct employment with Network Rail within the current financial year (2014/15).

We will work jointly with AmeyCOLAS to deliver high output track renewals up to the point of transfer and are now working closely with both the RMT and TSSA to manage a smooth transfer of the people affected.

 

[swt_passenger]

Any point in Colas having these 70s as Network Rail have just announced the following:

There's little or no connection between the two matters. Colas Railfreight do not haul the TRT around, that's done by Freightliner.

AmeyColas as an organisation 'operate' the TRT, but I'd be interested to know if NR actually own it - in which case all Amey Colas are doing is organising the manpower for the contract.

Edited to add:

Turns out from the NR press release about this that NR do own the high output TRT. It is also clear that both Amey and Colas, as part of other joint ventures, also have a fair chunk of separate contracts for conventional track renewal, and S&C renewal; so I expect there'll definitely be no problem employing the 70s anyway...

 

[SansPareil]

Does anyone know if the Class 70s have worked any of the services between Eastleigh and Hoo? I've not heard any reports of them working through Hounslow or Richmond?

 

[Waddon]

There was a Colas Class 70 at London Victoria on Sunday, is this the first time one of this class have been to this station? Maybe its the first 70 there since the original locomotives designated as 70's were scrapped...

Was a lot of interesting traction there all at the same time on Sunday, 2 x 73's, a 66, the 70 and two 67's top and tailing the orient express (which went from platform 19 due to the engineering works, maybe the first passenger diesel service from this platform since the thumpers?)

 

[Freightmaster]

Does anyone know if the Class 70s have worked any of the services between Eastleigh and Hoo? I've not heard any reports of them working through Hounslow or Richmond?

The first working was last Friday (May 9th), when 70802 worked 6Y41/42.

MARK

 

[DEAN MURPHY]

Good evening everyone.
Please could somebody help....!
I passed Eastleigh tonight at about 21.10 on a very late and cancelled then another train service from Exeter to London, and passing Eastleigh there were three colas class 70s there. 70804 was one but could anyone tell me whst the other two were? I would be most great full.
Kind regard
Dean

Ps-does anyone know which colas 70 was seen at London Victoria this weekend just gone?

Many thanks!

 

[SansPareil]

The first working was last Friday (May 9th), when 70802 worked 6Y41/42.

MARK

Many thanks Mark, shame I missed that, it's getting a bit dull with the limited number of Colas 66s on that working.

 

[fgwrich]

Good evening everyone.
Please could somebody help....!
I passed Eastleigh tonight at about 21.10 on a very late and cancelled then another train service from Exeter to London, and passing Eastleigh there were three colas class 70s there. 70804 was one but could anyone tell me whst the other two were? I would be most great full.
Kind regard
Dean

Ps-does anyone know which colas 70 was seen at London Victoria this weekend just gone?

Many thanks!

70807 Was in Eastleigh on Sunday evening opposite Eastleigh's Platform 3, although it may have moved on by now.

 

[DEAN MURPHY]

Thank you for that buddy.
I think, looking into it, it may have been 70806 and 807 with 804, but again, if anyone can help i would be so greatful.
kind regards
dean

 

[fgwrich]

If anyone is interested, the first pair of Colas Rail Class 70s - 70804 & 70807 Made a journey last night from Westbury to Penzance & back on a Netowkr Rail NDS job with 5 Autoballasters in tow for a job in the St Erth area last night. So 70s are now cleared for use into Cornwall and the first pair have made it down and back.

 

[8A Rail]

70808 and 70809 currently on trailers at Royal Seaforth Dock, arrived early AM. Scheduled to be lifted Monday AM with maintenance / fuelling following over next couple of days afterwards. No departure date known. 70810 poss delivered by end of month.

 

[BRX]

A couple of 70s were at Hoo over the weekend and there's one there at the moment too.

I'm hoping they'll become commonly used on the Eastleigh/Hoo trips to give us a bit of relief from 66 monotony.