Saw a British rail-fan magazine the other day (I think it was "Rail Enthusiast," and-- apologies-- I didn't get the date). Apparently EWS is thinking about re-engining its Class 60 locomotives with GE engines.
---
Background:
(i) EWS is English Welsh and Scottish Railway: the largest operator of freight trains in Britain. The ones who have bought something like 300 Class 66 and Class 67 locomotives from EMD (the Class 67 being built in Spain by a European contractor with more expereince in lightweight design, the Class 66 CC units coming from London... Ontario) with 3,000 hp 12-710 engines to replace their inherited maintenance-intensive British-design locomotives.
(ii) Class 60 was the final British Rail freight diesel design before breakup and privatization: a CC design for heavy (by British standards) haul, powered by a large-bore Mirrlees straight-8 engine of about 3000hp (one source lists them as rating 3100hp, which would probably be equivalent to about a 2800hp locomotive if rated according to American conventions). Built starting 1989.
(iii) British locomotives have been re-engined with American diesels before: Class 57 locomotives (I don't know if EWS has any, but their competitor Freightliner does) are rebuilds of British Rail Class 47 (built in 1960s), but with the original Sulzer diesels replaced by 12-645 EMD engines (and the original DC traction generators replaced with alternators from BR Class 56 (built in 1970s) locomotives being scrapped).
---
Background:
(i) EWS is English Welsh and Scottish Railway: the largest operator of freight trains in Britain. The ones who have bought something like 300 Class 66 and Class 67 locomotives from EMD (the Class 67 being built in Spain by a European contractor with more expereince in lightweight design, the Class 66 CC units coming from London... Ontario) with 3,000 hp 12-710 engines to replace their inherited maintenance-intensive British-design locomotives.
(ii) Class 60 was the final British Rail freight diesel design before breakup and privatization: a CC design for heavy (by British standards) haul, powered by a large-bore Mirrlees straight-8 engine of about 3000hp (one source lists them as rating 3100hp, which would probably be equivalent to about a 2800hp locomotive if rated according to American conventions). Built starting 1989.
(iii) British locomotives have been re-engined with American diesels before: Class 57 locomotives (I don't know if EWS has any, but their competitor Freightliner does) are rebuilds of British Rail Class 47 (built in 1960s), but with the original Sulzer diesels replaced by 12-645 EMD engines (and the original DC traction generators replaced with alternators from BR Class 56 (built in 1970s) locomotives being scrapped).
