Freightliner Class 70's

[USRailFan]

Another one was due to go but that was canned to keep the UK from having a real deficit.

I cannot emphasise enough to everyone who says FL UK are not short of locos, they really are.
But they don't have an unlimited cheque book like GB Railfreight or additional assets like DB Cargo to get locos willy nilly.

Don't they have a few Class 86s and 90s in storage that they could use on electrified lines to free up the diesels running under wire?

 

[Ciderking]

What happened to the final 12 (don't they have 30)?

Originally they were going to have thirty but decided not to take up the option on the final ten. One loco was damaged before entering service and was returned to GE.
Colas took over the final ten.

 

[thetangoman]

Does the COLAS 10 have the fault which is sidelining the Freightliner ones

 

[xotGD]

I counted 11 70s in the stored line at Leeds this morning. It's growing by the day.

 

[greyman42]

I counted 11 70s in the stored line at Leeds this morning. It's growing by the day.

I counted 12 this afternoon.

 

[Timrud]

What is the reason for them being laid up?

 

[xotGD]

I counted 12 this afternoon.

Yes, 12 this morning. Plus one actually working in the Intermodal terminal.

 

[The_Engineer]

What is the reason for them being laid up?

Go to beginning of the thread, and in particular post #13

 

[43096]

Just 6 Freightliner 70s left in the operational DFGI pool now: 70007/08/11/14/15/20.

The other 13 (70001-06/09/10/13/16-19) are in the DHLT storage pool.

 

[E_Reeves]

Oh dear... Do we expect them to be repaired and back in service any time soon?

 

[Helvellyn]

Given the way GB is hungry for traction I wonder if they spoke to G&W about picking up the 19 Class 70s but G&W were either not willing to sell, or the costs to get them back in service (including dealing with design flaws) was too high (hence the acquisition of the 15 Class 56s to be rebuilt).

 

[43096]

Given the way GB is hungry for traction I wonder if they spoke to G&W about picking up the 19 Class 70s but G&W were either not willing to sell, or the costs to get them back in service (including dealing with design flaws) was too high (hence the acquisition of the 15 Class 56s to be rebuilt).

It’s difficult for Freightliner to sell something they don’t own.

 

[800001]

Yes, 12 this morning. Plus one actually working in the Intermodal terminal.

14 in the line today (16/06/18)

 

[56091]

Only Intermodal men and a few HH men still retain traction knowledge. Hence why you do not see them on HH jobs.

The locos that have been stored for a considerable time is due to a design fault which means new bogies are required.
They are hideously expensive to operate in terms of not only routine maintenance but also leasing costs, spare parts etc.

What a load of trash!! They don’t require new bogies, if they did so do Colas ones. Issue with Freightliner ones are wheelsets, the lead time on wheelsets is frightening. And there then stopped for major exams plus wheelsets TOPS tells the true on it. Plus a few others are awaiting rather big engine repairs.... some cases new engines!

 

[E_Reeves]

70014 out and about today

 

[ScottDarg]

70014 out and about today

It was on a Felixstowe to Basford Hall liner if I remember right. Saw it at Stratford and grabbed a quick side-on pic

 

[E_Reeves]

It was on a Felixstowe to Basford Hall liner if I remember right. Saw it at Stratford and grabbed a quick side-on pic

That's right. I got it through Nuneaton - took me by surprise!

 

[Blaahh]

I saw 8 11 and 15 last Saturday within an hour on the Garston, Leeds and Crewe intermodales to Southampton. Not dead and gone yet!

 

[randyrippley]

So just what are these supposed design faults? Seems a bit unlikely given the major components are pretty much all off-the-shelf standard items

 

[xotGD]

The line at Leeds is now shorter, but whether some are back out and about or just dumped elsewhere on the depot I can't say.

 

[The_Engineer]

For this:

So just what are these supposed design faults? Seems a bit unlikely given the major components are pretty much all off-the-shelf standard items

​

This:

What a load of trash!! They don’t require new bogies, if they did so do Colas ones would too. Issue with Freightliner ones are wheelsets, the lead time on wheelsets is frightening. And they are then stopped for major exams plus wheelsets. TOPS tells the true story on it. Plus a few others are awaiting rather big engine repairs.... in some cases new engines!

 

[BRX]

Has anything much changed on this, in the 18 months since this thread was started?

 

[IamTrainsYT]

Has anything much changed on this, in the 18 months since this thread was started?

i see lots of 70s sat in hope earls sidings now, think quite a few of the stored ones are back out

 

[ScottDarg]

Has anything much changed on this, in the 18 months since this thread was started?

13/19 now in the active pool - 6 stored at Leeds. All except 70001 and 002 available for service today.

70001 was involved in this weeks Eastleigh derailment and 002 is at Midland Road.

 

[IamTrainsYT]

from what i can see:
in service: 70001, 70002, 70003, 70005, 70006, 70007, 70008, 70010, 70011, 70014, 70015, 70016, 70020 (13)
stored: 70004, 70009, 70013, 70017, 70018, 70019 (6)
exported: 70012 (1)

 

[BRX]

So that's about 2/3 of them active now, compared to only about 1/3 of them active previously, which is a fairly substantial change. Is this down to the technical issues being resolved or just economics of FL having more work on?

 

[palmersears]

A lot of the stored ones that have recently come back into service required fairly major work, such as engine overhauls and new wheelsets. These took time to manufacture and fit, hence the prolonged periods some locos spent stored.

 

[D365]

Don't they have a few Class 86s and 90s in storage that they could use on electrified lines to free up the diesels running under wire?

I wasn't aware that any are in long-term storage.

 

[ScottDarg]

I wasn't aware that any are in long-term storage.

86610 is stored and 86607 is on long-term repair.

All of Freightliners class 90s are in active service with the exception of 90050 which acts as spares donor.

86251 is also used by Freightliner, but only as a spares donor: https://flic.kr/p/2htjFVJ

 

[D365]

86610 is stored and 86607 is on long-term repair.

All of Freightliners class 90s are in active service with the exception of 90050 which acts as spares donor.

86251 is also used by Freightliner, but only as a spares donor: https://flic.kr/p/2htjFVJ

Ah I see. Yeah there is 90050, but it's never going to turn a wheel in service again. FL will be taking on 13 Class 90s from Greater Anglia, so I can't see the Class 86 fleet staying on much longer.

Apologies for the diversion from Class 70s.