This article is about the 2010s diesel locomotive. For the prototype electric locomotive produced by the Southern Railway in the 1940s, see British Rail Class 70 (electric).
The British Rail Class 70 is a Co-Co mainline freight GE PowerHaul locomotive series manufactured by General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania. They are operated in the United Kingdom by Freightliner and Colas Rail. These locomotives replaced the Class 59 as having the highest tractive effort of any Co-Co Diesel locomotive in use in the United Kingdom when they were introduced.
In November 2007, Freightliner announced Project Genesis, a procurement plan for 30 freight locomotives from General Electric (GE). The locomotives ordered were intended to match older types in terms of haulage capacity whilst at the same time being more fuel-efficient. The project was a collaborative effort between Freightliner and GE, with input from drivers on the cab design.[1][2] The locomotives utilize a GE PowerHaul P616 diesel engine rated at 2,750 kW (3,690 hp).[3] The locomotive meets EU Tier IIIa emission regulations.[4] Freightliner expects that the locomotive's efficiency is 7% better than contemporary models, with a further 3% increase in efficiency whilst braking; regenerative braking is used to supply the energy to power auxiliary motors.[5][6]
The locomotives were given the Class 70 TOPS code.[7][8]
The new locomotives are similar in appearance to a Class 58; a hood unit design with a narrow body typical of locomotive types in use in North America, the cabs are accessed from the rear via exterior walkways on the narrow part of the hood. The distinctive front end shape is due to crashworthiness features[4][n 2] It is also fitted with air conditioning and acoustic insulation to improve the crew's environment, making it an improvement over the Class 66.[6]
Operations
Freightliner
Freightliner 70001 Powerhaul
Construction of the first two locomotives at GE's Erie, Pennsylvania plant was completed in July 2009, with both locomotives tested during the same month.[9][10] The original plan was for two months of testing, with the locomotives then spending a further three weeks being modified where necessary and prepared for transport to the United Kingdom.[11][12]
The first two locomotives arrived at Newport Docks on 8 November 2009.[13][14] The delivery gave GE its first locomotives in service on the British rail network. The first locomotive was given the name PowerHaul' at Leeds on 24 November 2009.[4]
Four more locomotives were delivered to the UK on 2 December 2009.[15] On operation tests, 70001 hauled a 30-wagon train consisting of 60ISO containers during December 2009.[15] 70002 also hauled a 19 hopper 1,300-tonne (1,400-ton) coal train in the same month.[16]
On 5 January 2011, 70012 was severely damaged while being unloaded at Newport Dock when part of the lifting gear failed, causing the locomotive to fall back into the hold of the ship.[17]
In January 2017, some were placed in store at Freightliner's Leeds Midland Road depot.[18] By July 2018, 13 of the 19 were in store.[19] In March 2020, only four remained in store, the rest having been returned to service.[20] However, by June 2020 all Freightliner examples were in storage at Leeds Midlands Road, with only two, 016 and 017, returning to service as of July 2020.
Turkish demonstrator
In August 2012, it was announced that the demonstrator locomotive built in Turkey in 2011 was to be transferred to the UK and allocated the number 70099.[21][22] The locomotive was to be allocated to the private owners pool for use as required.[23] On 19 November 2012, it was announced that 70099 was to test trial with GB Railfreight for coal and intermodal traffic trials.[12]
In November 2013, Colas Rail announced it had ordered ten class 70s for entry into service in 2014;[24] the order included the Turkish built demonstrator 70099, renumbered as 70801, and the remainder of Freightliner's original order option of 30 locomotives.
Colas' locomotives were allotted numbers in the 708xx range. Locomotives 70802–70805 had already been constructed at the time of the order and were shipped to the United Kingdom in January 2014, with the rest assembled and delivered later the same year.[25] In 2015, Colas announced the purchase of an additional seven locomotives, which were delivered by 2017.[26]
Accidents and incidents
On 5 January 2011, locomotive 70012 was dropped when part of the lifting gear failed, causing the locomotive to fall approximately 13 to 20 ft (4 to 6 m) from the crane, back into the hold of the ship. The impact severely bent the locomotive's frame, rendering it unserviceable and resulting in it later being returned to the United States.[17][27] It was rebuilt as a test bed and used as a shunter at the Erie plant.[12]
On 5 April 2012, locomotive 70018 had an engine room fire requiring the attention of the fire brigade, whilst hauling a freight train on the line between Basingstoke and Winchester, Hampshire.[28][29]
On 27 February 2016, locomotive 70803 collided with an engineers train at Ivybridge, Devon and was derailed.[30]
On 30 October 2016, locomotive 70804 ran away and was derailed at Toton Sidings in Nottinghamshire.[31]
On 28 January 2020, a container train hauled by 70001 was derailed at Eastleigh, Hampshire.[32] The derailment was caused by a defect which allowed the track to spread underneath the train.[33]
^ ab"PowerHaul – Longer, Heavier Trains". freightline.co.uk. Freightliner Group. Freightliner is pleased to announce that PowerHaul locomotive 70001 has successfully completed operational trials hauling, the first ever 30 wagon train to and from the Port of Felixstowe[dead link]
^"PowerHaul runs first loaded trial". agg-net.com. QMJ Publishing. 4 December 2009.
^ ab. Rail. No. 662. Bauer Consumer Media. 26 January 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
^"Class 70s stored". Rail. No. 820. 15 February 2017. p. 31.
^"Freightliner Class 70 fleet reduced further". Rail Express. No. 267. August 2018. p. 86.
^"Tülomsas rolls out Turkish PowerHaul". Railway Gazette. 1 March 2011.
^Coward, Andy (2012). "Demonstrator '70' set for UK use". Rail. No. 701. p. 30.
^Coward, Andy (2012). "GBRf in the frame for Turkish '70'". Rail. No. 702. p. 33.
^"Colas Rail orders 10 GE Transportation PowerHaul locomotives". Railway Gazette. 21 November 2013.
^"Colas Class 70 moves". Railways Illustrated. Eastfield Media. January 2014. p. 11.
^Pritchard, Robert (February 2016). "More 70s for Colas Rail". Today's Railways. No. 170. Platform 5. p. 58.
^"Damaged Class 70 returns to America". Rail. No. 674. 13 July 2011. p. 29.
^"Train fire causes "significant" delays to South West Train services". BBC News. 5 April 2012.
^Adams, Melanie (5 April 2012). "Fire on train at Micheldever causing delays on line between Hampshire and London". Southern Daily Echo.
^"Collision between two freight trains in a work site near Ivybridge, Devon, 27 February 2016". Rail Accidents Investigation Branch. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
^"Runaway of locomotive – News stories – GOV.UK". gov.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
^"Derailed freight train blocks railway line at Eastleigh". BBC News. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
^"Freight train derailment at Eastleigh, Hampshire 28 January 2020" (PDF). Rail Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 70.
. getransportation.com. General Electric. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
February 13, 2023
british, rail, class, diesel, this, article, about, 2010s, diesel, locomotive, prototype, electric, locomotive, produced, southern, railway, 1940s, british, rail, class, electric, british, rail, class, mainline, freight, powerhaul, locomotive, series, manufact. This article is about the 2010s diesel locomotive For the prototype electric locomotive produced by the Southern Railway in the 1940s see British Rail Class 70 electric The British Rail Class 70 is a Co Co mainline freight GE PowerHaul locomotive series manufactured by General Electric in Erie Pennsylvania They are operated in the United Kingdom by Freightliner and Colas Rail These locomotives replaced the Class 59 as having the highest tractive effort of any Co Co Diesel locomotive in use in the United Kingdom when they were introduced British Rail Class 70A Freightliner Class 70 at the Port of Felixstowe in June 2012Type and originPower typeDiesel electricBuilderGeneral ElectricModelPH37ACmiBuild date2008 2017Total produced37SpecificationsConfiguration UICCo Co CommonwealthCo CoGauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeWheel diameter1 067 mm 42 0 in Length21 710 m 71 ft 2 7 in Width2 642 m 8 ft 8 in Height3 917 m 12 ft 10 2 in Loco weight129 t 127 long tons 142 short tons empty 135 t 133 long tons 149 short tons full n 1 Fuel capacity6 000 L 1 300 imp gal 1 600 US gal Prime moverGE PowerHaul P616AlternatorGE GTA seriesTraction motorsGE 5GEB30 axle hungMU workingAAR system 59 66 67 68 008 015 69 70 and 73 9 Train heatingNonePerformance figuresMaximum speed75 mph 121 km h Power outputEngine 2 750 kW 3 690 bhp Tractive effort534 kN 120 000 lbf starting CareerOperatorsFreightlinerColas RailNumbers70001 7002070801 70817 Contents 1 Background and specification 2 Operations 2 1 Freightliner 2 2 Turkish demonstrator 2 3 Colas Rail 3 Accidents and incidents 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksBackground and specification EditMain article GE PowerHaul In November 2007 Freightliner announced Project Genesis a procurement plan for 30 freight locomotives from General Electric GE The locomotives ordered were intended to match older types in terms of haulage capacity whilst at the same time being more fuel efficient The project was a collaborative effort between Freightliner and GE with input from drivers on the cab design 1 2 The locomotives utilize a GE PowerHaul P616 diesel engine rated at 2 750 kW 3 690 hp 3 The locomotive meets EU Tier IIIa emission regulations 4 Freightliner expects that the locomotive s efficiency is 7 better than contemporary models with a further 3 increase in efficiency whilst braking regenerative braking is used to supply the energy to power auxiliary motors 5 6 The locomotives were given the Class 70 TOPS code 7 8 The new locomotives are similar in appearance to a Class 58 a hood unit design with a narrow body typical of locomotive types in use in North America the cabs are accessed from the rear via exterior walkways on the narrow part of the hood The distinctive front end shape is due to crashworthiness features 4 n 2 It is also fitted with air conditioning and acoustic insulation to improve the crew s environment making it an improvement over the Class 66 6 Operations EditFreightliner Edit Freightliner 70001 Powerhaul Construction of the first two locomotives at GE s Erie Pennsylvania plant was completed in July 2009 with both locomotives tested during the same month 9 10 The original plan was for two months of testing with the locomotives then spending a further three weeks being modified where necessary and prepared for transport to the United Kingdom 11 12 The first two locomotives arrived at Newport Docks on 8 November 2009 13 14 The delivery gave GE its first locomotives in service on the British rail network The first locomotive was given the name PowerHaul at Leeds on 24 November 2009 4 Four more locomotives were delivered to the UK on 2 December 2009 15 On operation tests 70001 hauled a 30 wagon train consisting of 60 ISO containers during December 2009 15 70002 also hauled a 19 hopper 1 300 tonne 1 400 ton coal train in the same month 16 On 5 January 2011 70012 was severely damaged while being unloaded at Newport Dock when part of the lifting gear failed causing the locomotive to fall back into the hold of the ship 17 In January 2017 some were placed in store at Freightliner s Leeds Midland Road depot 18 By July 2018 13 of the 19 were in store 19 In March 2020 only four remained in store the rest having been returned to service 20 However by June 2020 all Freightliner examples were in storage at Leeds Midlands Road with only two 016 and 017 returning to service as of July 2020 Turkish demonstrator Edit In August 2012 it was announced that the demonstrator locomotive built in Turkey in 2011 was to be transferred to the UK and allocated the number 70099 21 22 The locomotive was to be allocated to the private owners pool for use as required 23 On 19 November 2012 it was announced that 70099 was to test trial with GB Railfreight for coal and intermodal traffic trials 12 Colas Rail Edit Colas Rail 70803 In November 2013 Colas Rail announced it had ordered ten class 70s for entry into service in 2014 24 the order included the Turkish built demonstrator 70099 renumbered as 70801 and the remainder of Freightliner s original order option of 30 locomotives Colas locomotives were allotted numbers in the 708xx range Locomotives 70802 70805 had already been constructed at the time of the order and were shipped to the United Kingdom in January 2014 with the rest assembled and delivered later the same year 25 In 2015 Colas announced the purchase of an additional seven locomotives which were delivered by 2017 26 Accidents and incidents EditOn 5 January 2011 locomotive 70012 was dropped when part of the lifting gear failed causing the locomotive to fall approximately 13 to 20 ft 4 to 6 m from the crane back into the hold of the ship The impact severely bent the locomotive s frame rendering it unserviceable and resulting in it later being returned to the United States 17 27 It was rebuilt as a test bed and used as a shunter at the Erie plant 12 On 5 April 2012 locomotive 70018 had an engine room fire requiring the attention of the fire brigade whilst hauling a freight train on the line between Basingstoke and Winchester Hampshire 28 29 On 27 February 2016 locomotive 70803 collided with an engineers train at Ivybridge Devon and was derailed 30 On 30 October 2016 locomotive 70804 ran away and was derailed at Toton Sidings in Nottinghamshire 31 On 28 January 2020 a container train hauled by 70001 was derailed at Eastleigh Hampshire 32 The derailment was caused by a defect which allowed the track to spread underneath the train 33 See also EditGE CM20EMP Indonesian twin cab GE locomotiveNotes Edit Full mass is 135 t as displayed on the locomotives information plate citation needed The relevant standard at the time of introduction being EN 15227References Edit Freightliner Group Orders 30 Locomotives from GE Transportation for UK Market Press release GE Transportation 26 November 2007 Archived from the original on 7 April 2014 Retrieved 23 February 2012 Freightliner Group Ltd has placed an order for 30 brand new locomotives freightliner co uk Press release Freightliner 19 November 2007 Archived from the original on 26 September 2008 Freightliner order 30 General Electric Genesis JS37ACi locomotives TheRailwayCentre com 26 November 2007 Archived from the original on 18 March 2008 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link a b c PowerHaul brings Evolution technology to Europe Railway Gazette International 26 November 2009 PowerHaul locomotive specification sheet Version 3 Freightliner details may not be final dead link a b Freightliner PowerHaul loco design on show Railway Gazette International 8 September 2008 Archived from the original on 15 April 2012 Retrieved 2 August 2009 Rail Express October 2009 p 5 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Missing or empty title help Railways Illustrated November 2009 p 13 a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a Missing or empty title help PowerHaul locos ready for testing PDF freightliner co uk Press release Freightliner Group 10 July 2009 dead link Freightliner PowerHaul locomotives ready for testing Railway Gazette International 10 July 2009 Haigh Philip Clinnick Richard 2009 Freightliner PowerHaul starts tests ready for autumn Rail No 623 pp 6 7 a b c Class 70s a decade of disappointment Rail No 893 4 December 2019 pp 64 70 PowerHaul arrival brings GE into European loco market Railway Gazette International 8 November 2009 GE lands first British locomotive order International Railway Journal January 2008 p 5 a b PowerHaul Longer Heavier Trains freightline co uk Freightliner Group Freightliner is pleased to announce that PowerHaul locomotive 70001 has successfully completed operational trials hauling the first ever 30 wagon train to and from the Port of Felixstowe dead link PowerHaul runs first loaded trial agg net com QMJ Publishing 4 December 2009 a b New Class 70 dropped during unloading Rail No 662 Bauer Consumer Media 26 January 2011 Archived from the original on 15 July 2011 Class 70s stored Rail No 820 15 February 2017 p 31 Freightliner Class 70 fleet reduced further Rail Express No 267 August 2018 p 86 In Brief Railways Illustrated April 2020 p 19 Tulomsas rolls out Turkish PowerHaul Railway Gazette 1 March 2011 Coward Andy 2012 Demonstrator 70 set for UK use Rail No 701 p 30 Coward Andy 2012 GBRf in the frame for Turkish 70 Rail No 702 p 33 Colas Rail orders 10 GE Transportation PowerHaul locomotives Railway Gazette 21 November 2013 Colas Class 70 moves Railways Illustrated Eastfield Media January 2014 p 11 Pritchard Robert February 2016 More 70s for Colas Rail Today s Railways No 170 Platform 5 p 58 Damaged Class 70 returns to America Rail No 674 13 July 2011 p 29 Train fire causes significant delays to South West Train services BBC News 5 April 2012 Adams Melanie 5 April 2012 Fire on train at Micheldever causing delays on line between Hampshire and London Southern Daily Echo Collision between two freight trains in a work site near Ivybridge Devon 27 February 2016 Rail Accidents Investigation Branch 19 May 2016 Retrieved 31 May 2016 Runaway of locomotive News stories GOV UK gov uk Retrieved 10 November 2016 Derailed freight train blocks railway line at Eastleigh BBC News Retrieved 28 January 2020 Freight train derailment at Eastleigh Hampshire 28 January 2020 PDF Rail Accidents Investigation Branch Retrieved 4 March 2021 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 70 PowerHaul freightliner co uk Freightliner Group dead link PowerHaul Series Locomotive getransportation com General Electric Archived from the original on 27 December 2010 Retrieved 9 January 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title British Rail Class 70 diesel amp oldid 1134199342, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
