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Freightliner Class 90s Mothballed?

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talltim

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Rise in electricity prices. Other TOCs with electric loco have stopped using them too, except on HS1 and GBRf on the Caledonian Sleeper
 

FreightDriver

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Just seen this that explains it clearly.

 

InTheEastMids

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How are electricity price risks managed in the industry? NR has decent certainty of demand, uses/suppliers 3.5+ TWh each year
Given the significance of that demand, and the ability to forecast it, then it could (and perhaps should) be backed against long-term, fixed price contracts with much more limited exposure to wholesale price fluctuation.
The stories I've read make it sound like NR is basically buying power on the spot market. Surely not?!?!

Second point, regardless of what actions NR was taking in the energy markets, if FOCs knew that electricity market volatility would be quickly passed through into their costs, then one wonders why they have not made more efforts to hedge their costs. Unless fuel switching back to diesel is part of that electricity price risk management approach, in which case, my sympathy is a bit limited, because it just means they didn't think through the CO2 impacts of their risk management.
 

Watershed

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I suppose that explains the rake of Freightliner locos parked up in Basford Hall Yard!
 

LNW-GW Joint

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That won't do much to advance the "rolling programme of electrification" or the aim of connecting ports and freight terminals to the wired network.
The passenger equivalent is getting the bi-modes (80x, 755, 769) to run wholly on diesel to save money.
In the present Cinderella era for the passenger railway, the TOCs will just pass the extra cost onto the taxman - the freight and open access boys can't do that.
 
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172007

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zwk500

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Network rail use EDF for electricity from nuclear power;
This is not strictly accurate: Network Rail uses power from the grid. It pays EDF to supply the equivalent amount of power into the grid from Nuclear power, but the amounts are aggregated over a period of time, not supplied as the railway is using it. So NR has peaks and troughs of usage as service follows demand, but EDF will supply it's power at a steady (or steadier) rate over the period.
 

172007

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This is not strictly accurate: Network Rail uses power from the grid. It pays EDF to supply the equivalent amount of power into the grid from Nuclear power, but the amounts are aggregated over a period of time, not supplied as the railway is using it. So NR has peaks and troughs of usage as service follows demand, but EDF will supply it's power at a steady (or steadier) rate over the period.
I wouldn't expect EDF and NR to account for every electron to make sure it's all Nuclear and I imagine most people wouldn't.
 

D365

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I wouldn't expect EDF and NR to account for every electron to make sure it's all Nuclear and I imagine most people wouldn't.
OT, but it's exactly the same as these "green tariffs" :lol:
 

Ken H

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That won't do much to advance the "rolling programme of electrification" or the aim of connecting ports and freight terminals to the wired network.
The passenger equivalent is getting the bi-modes (80x, 755, 769) to run wholly on diesel to save money.
In the present Cinderella era for the passenger railway, the TOCs will just pass the extra cost onto the taxman - the freight and open access boys can't do that.
Some bean counter somewhere in TOCS or DfT will have been considering it.
 

MDB1images

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The optics of this look dreadful for the Government which talks about it's Green ambitions.
Presume the Class 88s are also not being used judging by a report a pair of Class 66'swas on the Daventry-Mossend today.
 

86246

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Reported most of them are at Bashford Hall.
Yes, it would appear that they are either in service or at Crewe. The exceptions are 90008 being painted at Wolverton plus 90005 and 90045 which have been at Ipswich for over a week now.
 

Bald Rick

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Wake me up when diesel prices get too high as well, and they are hauling mainline freight by steam!

The freight companies hedge their diesel prices. Being sensible, they presumably hedged last year / earlier this year when wholesale red diesel was in the 45-50p / litre range. However they have now shot up to 70p/litre, so the next time they need to hedge (probably in the next 6-12 months), and assuming the price hasn’t come back down, they will be paying more.
 

Bertie the bus

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How many of the Freightliner 90s were active at one time? 10? And as they worked in pairs that means about 10 freight services per day were electric hauled and are now diesel hauled. How sooner will that bring about the end of the world - by about 1 millionth of a second?
 

Bevan Price

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The optics of this look dreadful for the Government which talks about it's Green ambitions.
Presume the Class 88s are also not being used judging by a report a pair of Class 66'swas on the Daventry-Mossend today.
68004 & 68001, not 66s, on 4M27. I think 88s were on the other DRS diagrams on WCML.
 

Spaceship323

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The freight companies hedge their diesel prices. Being sensible, they presumably hedged last year / earlier this year when wholesale red diesel was in the 45-50p / litre range. However they have now shot up to 70p/litre, so the next time they need to hedge (probably in the next 6-12 months), and assuming the price hasn’t come back down, they will be paying more.
Always thought diesel for rail use was dyed blue, is that not the case now?
 

The Bear

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68004 & 68001, not 66s, on 4M27. I think 88s were on the other DRS diagrams on WCML.
Both of DRS's Russell diagrams went over to double diesels last night:
4M27/4S45 - 68004 & 68001
4M49/4S44 - 66430 & 66432
Both diagrams are timed for electric traction, so with diesels double-heading is the only solution to keep time over the northern climbs.
DRS's Tesco 4M48/4S43 is sticking with 88s for the moment.

DB's 4M25/4S47 Malcolm diagram seem to be sticking with 2x90s at the moment.

As for Freightliner's Anglo-Scottish liners they're still 2x90s but only time will tell.

From past experience DRS don't mess about they will double-head diesels on their Anglo-Scottish intermodals where as FL & DB seem reluctant or won't regardless of how many delays it causes.
The current timetable doesn't really have the capacity for heavy single-headed diesel hauled freights to crawl over Shap between passengers.
 

Bertie the bus

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I'm not convinced DRS swapping to diesel haulage has anything to do with the price of electricity. I think they do it every autumn as the 88s aren't great on heavy intermodals when the rails are slippery.
 
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