Colas Class 70s - deliveries now underway

[fgwrich]

Probably one of the worst kept secrets in the industry as of late, but Colas & GE have now confirmed that they have taken up an order for 9 New Erie built Class 70s and Turkish built 70099/70801. The new build locos by the sounds of it are actually left over parts built for the original but now downsized Freightliner order, which reputedly left GE with near enough four partially constructed locos.

Colas Rail orders 10 GE Transportation PowerHaul locomotives
21 Nov 2013
Impression of GE Transportation Class 70 PowerHaul locomotive for Colas Rail.GE Transportation PowerHaul diesel locomotives for Freightliner.Colas Rail Class 47 delivering an electric multiple-unit to South West Trains.


Impression of GE Transportation Class 70 PowerHaul locomotive for Colas Rail.GE Transportation PowerHaul diesel locomotives for Freightliner.Colas Rail Class 47 delivering an electric multiple-unit to South West Trains.
UK: GE Transportation officially announced an order to supply 10 Class 70 PowerHaul locomotives to freight operator Colas Rail on November 21. The locomotives are to be assembled at GE Transportation's Erie plant for entry into service in 2014.

Stephen Haynes, Managing Director of Colas Rail Services, said the order ‘demonstrates our commitment to significantly develop and grow our freight haulage business’. Colas would benefit from ‘a significant increase in tractive effort’, enabling it to haul heavier trains up steep gradients with reduced fuel consumption. The increase in capacity would ‘allow us to serve an expanding portfolio of customers and contracts, delivering the highest levels of service’.

GE Transportation said the UK version of the PowerHaul family ‘generates 13% more horsepower, 32% more starting tractive effort and 61% more continuous tractive effort’ than the Electro-Motive Diesel Class 66 fleets which form the mainstay of UK freight operations.

Testing undertaken by Ricardo UK found the Class 70 PowerHaul could reduce annual fuel consumption on typical freight duty cycles by up to 18% compared to UK Class 66 fleets, and ‘further significant fuel savings could be made’ using the automatic engine stop/start system and auxiliary power unit, or using energy from dynamic braking to drive auxiliary loads.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...werhaul-locomotives.html#.Uo4m_2WlAe0.twitter

 

[asylumxl]

If Lego ever wishes to make sets based on these, they shouldn't have too hard a time...



Hopefully these ones will be less prone to spontaneous combustion.

 

[60008]

I have to say that the dalek looks rather smart in the Colas colours .

 

[Photohunter71]

Sadly it omits from the figures that it would also give 100% more fires!

 

[G_A_C_C_C]

18% less fuel but still enough to run the BBQ...wow....that's impressive!

 

[Peter Sarf]

If Lego ever wishes to make sets based on these, they shouldn't have too hard a time...



Hopefully these ones will be less prone to spontaneous combustion.

Lego would be useless. Plastic does not spontaneously combust or evan burn as effectively .

 

[Photohunter71]

Joking aside,does anyone think GE will ever get the class 70 engine right? Judging from comments elsewhere,it looks highly unlikely!

 

[ainsworth74]

As amusing as all this is, when was the last fire related incident involving one of these locomotives?

 

[YorkshireBear]

As amusing as all this is, when was the last fire related incident involving one of these locomotives?

I was just racking my brains about this...

Seem to be a lot more reliable than they once were!

 

[fgwrich]

As amusing as all this is, when was the last fire related incident involving one of these locomotives?

Not that long ago. The last major fire however would probably be 70018s Hampshire Bonfire around a year ago. Also hearing of problems with the 70s on the Welsh Marches again this Autumn. But I thought the fire issue was supposed to be rectified under the 'overhauls' in Brush?

70005 EN ROUTE LPOOLBKTL TO BASFDHALL ON 366M601311 DITLOCO N/500
OUT OF SVC 08 11/11 FAILURE AT 0815

This apparently happened in the Liverpool Docks area. Don't have anymore information on it or its whereabouts since.

 

[Peter Sarf]

To be fair there is bound to be a design solution to the fire problem eventually and it has probably happened. Otherwise it just needs more time and patience. It does appear however that the last ten 70s destined for Freighliner are now for Colas. So that means one of three things :- Freightliner don't need so many powerful locos, Freightliner are viewing alternatives or Freightliner have simply lost patience.

 

[Beveridges]

GE Transportation said the UK version of the PowerHaul family ‘generates 13% more horsepower, 32% more starting tractive effort and 61% more continuous tractive effort’ than the Electro-Motive Diesel Class 66 fleets which form the mainstay of UK freight operations.

That is impossible as you cannot have more continuous tractive effort without having more horsepower. You would need a 61% increase in horsepower to gain a 61% increase in continuous tractive effort.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

To be fair there is bound to be a design solution to the fire problem eventually and it has probably happened. Otherwise it just needs more time and patience. It does appear however that the last ten 70s destined for Freighliner are now for Colas. So that means one of three things :- Freightliner don't need so many powerful locos, Freightliner are viewing alternatives or Freightliner have simply lost patience.

When you think about it Freightliner have already got a number of higher powered locos already in the form of 86's & 90's plus the 20 Class 70's they already have, also 66's can always be run in multiple if more power is needed.

 

[breadfan]

As amusing as all this is, when was the last fire related incident involving one of these locomotives?

Did 70005 set alight working a train during the WCML blockade in July?

 

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

When you think about it Freightliner have already got a number of higher powered locos already in the form of 86's & 90's plus the 20 Class 70's they already have, also 66's can always be run in multiple if more power is needed.

True although the 86s and 90s aren't getting any younger, and it's not as if they can go anywhere is it! And double-heading 66s just seems inefficient (but admittedly may the best available solution).

 

[cj_1985]

That is impossible as you cannot have more continuous tractive effort without having more horsepower. You would need a 61% increase in horsepower to gain a 61% increase in continuous tractive effort.

IIRC the likes of the class 66 and 67 (and IIRC most of the other diesel electric locos) have DC traction motors... where as the class 70s feature AC traction motors that allow better haulage capabilities, in this case specifically better tractive effort, although if I remember articles from year ago this comes at extra expense (£££) compared to the DC motors that are more common over this side of the atlantic ocean.

I believe that AC traction motors were an option for the class 66s, with the extra haulage capacity at the time being considered as less valuable for the cost... and that (again IIRC) the feeling was that the DC motored 66 was more than suitable for the network as it was in the mid 90s as there was more capacity available on the network etc... i'm sure there were other factors but I can't recall them off the top of my head...

 

[YorkshireBear]

70s are in response to bidding for biomass contracts i believe with their higher haulage capabilities to be used to drag it over the Pennines.

 

[cj_1985]

if that's so, then Colas must be pretty confident of their chances of gaining such a contract if they have ordered 9x new locos and taken on a demonstrator on spec... either that or they have actually won a contract, and as is usual with Colas, kept quiet about it.

 

[Photohunter71]

Well,I doubt we'll be seeing any biomass rail traffic up here then!

 

[sprinterguy]

That is impossible as you cannot have more continuous tractive effort without having more horsepower. You would need a 61% increase in horsepower to gain a 61% increase in continuous tractive effort.

That's not right, as Freightliners' low geared class 66/6s have a continuous tractive effort 13% higher than that of the standard class 66, with the same power unit at the same rated horsepower.

There are other examples, too; the refurbished class 37s of sub-classes 37/4, 37/5 and 37/7, and the modified class 86s of class 86/4 and 86/6 (Which actually develop a slightly higher continuous tractive effort than a standard 86/2 from a lower rated horsepower). GE Transportation's quoted figures are accurate: Why wouldn't they be?

 

[Beveridges]

That's not right, as Freightliners' low geared class 66/6s have a continuous tractive effort 13% higher than that of the standard class 66, with the same power unit at the same rated horsepower.

The figure for the 66/6s is given at a lower speed than the standard 66. Give the Cont tractive effort at (example) 25mph and they both should be identical.

Cont tractive effort drops off with speed so your always going to get a lower figure if its given at a higher speed.

 

[sprinterguy]

With regards to tractive effort against speed you are certainly correct.

Though I understood that the maximum output that can be sustained by the traction motors indefinitely was used as the benchmark for the continuous tractive effort of any loco class (A standard 66/0 could not sustain the 296kN continuous rating of a 66/6 for an extended period of time, for example), irregardless of the speed that it is acheived at. Forgive me if my understanding of this point is simplistic.

 

[BantamMenace]

Tractive effort is proportional to horsepower and gearing. 1000 hp and gearing to reach 75mph has the same tractive effort as another loco with same horsepower and geared for same max speed. 1000 hp geared for 125mph has a lower tractive effort at say 30mph than say 1000 hp geared for max of 60mph.

That is my understanding from basic first year university level mechanical engineering

 

[TorqueOfTheDevil]

irregardless of the speed that it is acheived at

Surely 'regardless of' or 'irrespective of'?!

 

[Y186520]

Colas livery on new 70's


https://www.facebook.com/centralpalocos

https://www.facebook.com/altoonaworks

4 Photos of 70803 and 70805 loaded on flatcars on their journey.
Link was posted on RM Web forum.

Should they follow the route via ACL ships to Liverpool, then the likely candidate is Atlantic Compass which has just arrived at Norfolk VA.
Schedule appears to show x Halifax on the 16th Dec with arrival in Liverpool on the 23rd Dec. Atlantic Concert runs 1 week later.

 

[thetangoman]

They look tiny compared to the US Loco hock:

 

[cj_1985]

They look tiny compared to the US Loco hock:

I had the same thought when I first saw pictures of 66s being hauled in a US freight...

 

[ainsworth74]

They look tiny compared to the US Loco

The advantages of their often massive loading gauge which allow for trains like this.

 

[Loki]

The US loading gauge is ridiculous. Its fine for freight but not so much for passengers:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aniara/2296938543/in/photostream/

 

[Domh245]

That's only because they use a platform that is more or less at railhead level. I do find it hilarious though that the coach in that picture is the accessible coach. And people thought it was bad getting a wheelchair into a class 142!

 

[Monty]

Though to be fair many commuter lines like the North East Corridor (NEC) have more traditional platforms that wouldn't look out of place here.