Class 73/1s precede further purchases in GBRf expansion
MORE locomotives have been bought by GB Railfreight, as it looks to expand its fleet following contract wins.
Two Class 73/1s have been bought from LORAM UK, while ten Colas Railfreight Class 60s will also be acquired.
GBRf has also begun moving its newly purchased Class 56s from Leicester to Electro-Motive Diesel’s Longport facility, where many will be fitted with new power units.
The operator has previously suggested it wants to buy locomotives not only for new contracts, but also in preparation for any HS2 contracts it wins. Managing Director John Smith has suggested in the past that HS2 represents the biggest challenge for the freight industry, due to the need to quickly provide resources including locomotives and wagons coupled with the fact that nothing brand new was available immediately off the shelf.
The ex-LORAM electro-diesels are 73101 and 73139. They were acquired in mid-July and moved to Arlington Fleet Services’ Eastleigh Works by road. They left Derby on July 11. The locomotives join 73110, which was bought from preservation last year and which is stored at the site.
EWS withdrew 73101 in May 2002 and 73139 in March 1999, and neither of GBRf’s newest ‘73s’ has worked in a number of years. LORAM bought 73101 from preservation (it last hauled trains almost a decade ago), while 73139 was based at the Weardale Railway before being acquired. The ‘73s’ were initially destined to be rebuilt as ‘73/9s’ for Network Rail in a similar vein to 73951/952, but that plan was shelved.
GBRf has previously told RAIL that should it win National Supply Chain contracts with Network Rail, then it would look to rebuild all of its original Class 73s (it now owns 12).
The company is also investigating the option of building a diesel-only ‘73/9’ for Caledonian Sleeper. It recognises that the CS locomotives need larger fuel tanks, but that the only way to achieve this is by removing their electric capabilities.
Meanwhile, GBRf will use the ten Colas Class 60s on heavier trains currently hauled by ‘66s’. The company has won several aggregates contracts in recent weeks, while Smith has also previously said that ‘60s’ would be a useful addition for heavy HS2 construction trains ( RAIL 833). The locomotives are 60002/021/026/ 047/056/076/085/087/095/096.
Meanwhile, the first ‘56s’ to leave UK Rail Leasing for GBRf arrived at Longport on July 6. The locomotives moved were 56031/032/037 and 56311. All have been allocated to the company’s new GBGS fleet, and have been joined in that pool by 56069, which remains at Leicester.
Also at Longport is the shell of 56009, which moved by road from Shackerstone. It was previously used as a testbed for power units at Brush Traction, Loughborough.