Hybrids halted

Clayton hybrid battery-diesel locomotives will not enter Snowdon Mountain Railway service.

THE pair of hybrid batterydiesel locomotives constructed for Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR) by Clayton Equipment Ltd will not been seen working passenger trains on the mountain. Exactly why remains unclear. An enquiry by The RM in late July simply produced a statement from an SMR spokesperson saying, “Following decisions made by both parties, it has been confirmed that the locomotives will not be put into service.” Asked to expand on what the problem was, and if this is a permanent decision or whether the locos would receive some kind of remedial attention, the spokesperson simply replied: “The locomotives will not be put into service,” without further clarification. Clayton Equipment Limited is a specialist in bespoke hybrid battery-diesel locomotives and a number of standard gauge shunters using this power system are in use at various sites, apparently successfully. The SMR ordered the two new locomotives in 2019. They employed electric motors powered by both traction batteries and a diesel generator with traction and braking via pinions as employed on the SMR’s Abt rack and pinion system. The concept envisaged the diesel generator being switched off while descending from the summit while service braking recharged the battery ready for the next ascent. Announced as a £1.1 million investment by Heritage Great Britain (operators of the Snowdon Mountain Railway), the intention was for the new locos, which incorporated a 12-seat ‘pod’ at the front of the locomotive which could be swapped for a freight pod when required, to replace SMR’s four 0-4-0DH locomotives supplied by Hunslet between 1986-1992. The Clayton locos, designated as No. 14 Glaslyn and No. 15 Moel Eilio, were delivered in July 2020. They were pictured in The RM July 2021 at Llanberis, at which time they were understood to still be awaiting commissioning. It now seems they will never enter traffic with their fate presently unclear. This is the second time innovative SMR motive power has not lived up to expectations. Three dieselelectric railcars, which could operate as a three-car unit, were introduced in 1995 but following numerous problems were withdrawn in 2001 and finally scrapped in 2010. It seems that SMR operation will continue to be handled by the diesels working modern carriages with heritage steam services also featuring in the summer high season.