GBRF confirms conversion of Class 56s to Class 69s

[ABB125]

View attachment 84801
Richard Clinnick

https://twitter.com/Richard_rail/status/1318134134187884547

The front end sort-of bears a resemblance to a class 50, and a class 57/6 (but only below the cab windows!).

 

[DB]

Anyone know where they've put the horns? The grille seems to have been plated over.

 

[uvarvu]

Anyone know where they've put the horns? The grille seems to have been plated over.

The light clusters look fugly too, they eviscerated what was a great design :/

 

[trainmania100]

Nice to see the 69 coming along nicely in the pic above. Did someone slip with the jig saw or are the vents on the side meant to not be rectangle

 

[221101 Voyager]

The light clusters look fugly too, they eviscerated what was a great design :/

To be honest there are much worse lights out there. Ahem, Class 701s!

 

[pdeaves]

Nice to see the 69 coming along nicely in the pic above. Did someone slip with the jig saw or are the vents on the side meant to not be rectangle

I think not meant to be. The 'far end' grille on the class 56 photo linked earlier appears to have a jiggle downwards at the right end underneath the mesh. The 'near end' on the 69 photo has the same jiggle, suggesting some internal structural thing.

 

[BRX]

Simplicity, I suspect, where simpler=cheaper. Why spend money on making things above the roof look pretty when hardly anyone will see them?

If that's the reason, then why would it apply to newer but not older locos?

The 68s and 88s are reasonably well designed in terms of appearance,

Unfortunately they appear to have been designed by someone who normally designs SUVs rather than railway vehicles.

 

[DB]

Unfortunately they appear to have been designed by someone who normally designs SUVs rather than railway vehicles.

Not sure that road and rail vehicle styling can easily be differentiated these days - the same comment could be made about many locos by European manufacturers.

 

[pdeaves]

If that's the reason, then why would it apply to newer but not older locos?

I would plump for "because that's the way we make engines" and people nowadays realise that fancy styling (certainly above the roof line) isn't necessary. As a small comparison, many shop fronts used to have curved glass fronts. Most of those have been replaced by flat front segments and new buildings tend not to have curved glass. Curved glass is very expensive still and would have been even more so 100 years ago but "that's how we make shops".

 

[BRX]

I would plump for "because that's the way we make engines" and people nowadays realise that fancy styling (certainly above the roof line) isn't necessary. As a small comparison, many shop fronts used to have curved glass fronts. Most of those have been replaced by flat front segments and new buildings tend not to have curved glass. Curved glass is very expensive still and would have been even more so 100 years ago but "that's how we make shops".

I think actually you could find a number of reasons - relating to manufacturing technology - why curved glass was more often used in shopfronts in the past. I suspect that the cost difference between a flat and curved pane might have been less in the past than it is now. At one point I believe glass was actually formed on cylinders and then flattened. Once float glass became the main method of production, then the default is for glass to be flat, and curving it becomes an additional costly step. In addition, it's much more difficult to make curved double glazing than curved single glazing, and as time has gone by, double glazing has become more standard.

Also, there are all sorts of changes in fashion that would influence how shopfronts are made, and how much money the shop owner wants to spend on them. And many cases where shops were once in fancy areas but are no longer.

I don't really see why something similar would apply to locos. I don't really think that when the 56s, and other locos of that era, were being designed, they were thinking about "fancy styling" above the roofline.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If that's the reason, then why would it apply to newer but not older locos?


Unfortunately they appear to have been designed by someone who normally designs SUVs rather than railway vehicles.

As a general rule, form follows function rather than the other way around...

Not to mention that when discussing styling (be it cars, trains, SUVs or buildings) the quality or otherwise is entirely subjective. The only bad design is one which is out of gauge!

 

[ExRes]

Current body shell situation as shown on WNXX (subscription section) this morning

031/311/018/069/007/128 - body shells prepared and at Longport

037/038 - body shells being prepared and at Stoke Marcroft

The remaining two have not yet been identified

 

[K.o.R]

It looks like they put in an extra light, but not where the "Cyclops" light usually goes (below rather than above the windscreen). Is that an accepted layout if they want to do a non-yellow front livery?

 

[ExRes]

I still can't fathom why anyone would want a loco without a yellow front, these will be used in yards, possessions etc without headlights which would blind ground staff, those ground staff require and deserve all the protection they can get and a yellow front is part of that

 

[DB]

I still can't fathom why anyone would want a loco without a yellow front, these will be used in yards, possessions etc without headlights which would blind ground staff, those ground staff require and deserve all the protection they can get and a yellow front is part of that

The only locos so far without yellow front ends are the TPE 68s, which was prsumably decided by TPE. No freight operator has omitted the yellow ends, even where they could do so. It seems likely that these will have yellow ends whether or not they have to in order to eb compliant.

 

[atsf_fT]

I look forward to seeing and hearing these '
Just goin out 69ing ' I'll be a few hours .

So what pet name are these goining to be called ?

 

[43096]

It looks like they put in an extra light, but not where the "Cyclops" light usually goes (below rather than above the windscreen). Is that an accepted layout if they want to do a non-yellow front livery?

The lower ‘cyclops’ light is perfectly permissible under the relevant European Technical Standard - Bombardier’s TRAXX locos have a similar placement, for example.

 

[Wyrleybart]

The only locos so far IN THE UK without yellow front ends are the TPE 68s, which was presumably decided by TPE. No freight operator has omitted the yellow ends, even where they could do so. It seems likely that these will have yellow ends whether or not they have to in order to eb compliant.

Take a ride to anywhere else in the world and yellow cab ends are considerably rare.

 

[221101 Voyager]

Take a ride to anywhere else in the world and yellow cab ends are considerably rare.

I like yellow cab ends as like you say it's a British thing mainly. I hope yellow ends stay for a long time to come as I like them and it gives our trains a different look to those in other nations.

Does anyone know what routes these 'new' locos will be used on yet or is it too early to say yet?

 

[DB]

I look forward to seeing and hearing these '
Just goin out 69ing ' I'll be a few hours .

So what pet name are these goining to be called ?

Frankengrid

 

[birchesgreen]

So what pet name are these goining to be called ?

Pornos?

 

[RichJF]

Pornos?

"Ying-yangs". It's a 66 but with a different body

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I look forward to seeing and hearing these '
Just goin out 69ing ' I'll be a few hours .

So what pet name are these goining to be called ?

I refer the honourable member to pages one and two of this thread.

 

[ExRes]

Okay I think it's time to move on from the jokes

Perhaps @ainsworth74 could add "again" to his post?

 

[ainsworth74]

Okay, again, I think it's time to move on from the jokes

Perhaps @ainsworth74 could add "again" to his post?

 

[Wyrleybart]

Would it be right to assume that the different cab front "shelf" will remain on these. Some had the curved mini snout in front of the windscreens whilst the later Donny and Crewe built cabs had the flat "shelf". I am assuming Marcroft haven't remodelled them.

 

[fgwrich]

It looks like they put in an extra light, but not where the "Cyclops" light usually goes (below rather than above the windscreen). Is that an accepted layout if they want to do a non-yellow front livery?

It is and it isn't an extra light really - the 56s always had a cyclops light above the horn grid, so they've just replicated that. As were, a late change I believe, the switch to use the BMACs Vertically than Horizontally, as per the 73/9s.

What's also interesting to see is the same AAR Multiple Working socket on the front too - therefor allowing interoperability with the 59/66/67 & 73/9 series. Very clever!

 

[DB]

It is and it isn't an extra light really - the 56s always had a cyclops light above the horn grid, so they've just replicated that. As were, a late change I believe, the switch to use the BMACs Vertically than Horizontally, as per the 73/9s.

What's also interesting to see is the same AAR Multiple Working socket on the front too - therefor allowing interoperability with the 59/66/67 & 73/9 series. Very clever!

70s have AAR as well, although unlikely that GBRF locos will need to work with them, or with 67s.

 

[fgwrich]

70s have AAR as well, although unlikely that GBRF locos will need to work with them, or with 67s.

Indeed - as do the 68s. Though thats why I didn't include them

 

[DB]

Indeed - as do the 68s. Though thats why I didn't include them

Not quite! It's only the Chiltern eight, and it's a cut down version which allows control from the DVT but not full multiple working with other locos.

You did include 67s, which are also not used by GBRF