New loco fleet

[Branchline121]

Found this article that says Irish Rail are considering buying Stadler Euro Dual electro-diesel locos similar to the Class 99 entering service in England, apparently to replace the 071s and 201s.

Didn't think the 201s need replacing (the 071s are good too but I suppose they are almost 50) but here we are; either way, the article's worth a read.

[GSR 800]

5 hours ago, Branchline121 said:

Found this article that says Irish Rail are considering buying Stadler Euro Dual electro-diesel locos similar to the Class 99 entering service in England, apparently to replace the 071s and 201s.

Didn't think the 201s need replacing (the 071s are good too but I suppose they are almost 50) but here we are; either way, the article's worth a read.

It would make sense considering Stadler is in the running for the new Enterprise also. It probably won't be for around a decade, the 071s would be approaching 60!

 

[226 Abhann na Suire]

I think the max operating speed of the 99s is only 120kmh so I think it’s safe to see that once the 201s and 071s have gracefully bowed out, Irish Rail see that being the end to loco hauled services on the island. EMU/BMU’s seem like the likely future for the Belfast and Cork services especially if 200kmh speeds are the plan! A sad end but really an inevitable move with the times. Any word on the new Enterprise tender by the way? Last I heard, they’d narrowed it down to 2 bidders…!

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

I think the max operating speed of the 99s is only 120kmh so I think it’s safe to see that once the 201s and 071s have gracefully bowed out, Irish Rail see that being the end to loco hauled services on the island. EMU/BMU’s seem like the likely future for the Belfast and Cork services especially if 200kmh speeds are the plan! A sad end but really an inevitable move with the times. Any word on the new Enterprise tender by the way? Last I heard, they’d narrowed it down to 2 bidders…!

100%, yes. I recall similar conversations about the total, final, end of steam in the 1960s.... and we all moved on! With nothing but freight and PW work almost certain to be ahead of any locomotives, one wonders how many they would buy, and would NIR have a couple of their own, or just borrow from IE when needed?

Or - the unthinkable; a resumption of Belfast - Derry goods traffic? Timber from Donegal to Waterford?

[skinner75]

Did NIR not spec the 3000 & 4000 railcars to haul freight? 

[jhb171achill]

35 minutes ago, skinner75 said:

Did NIR not spec the 3000 & 4000 railcars to haul freight? 

No, only customers. No goods, no freight and no passengers.

In the past, passengers travelled by train from railway stations. They bought their ticket from a ticket clerk or member of staff.

Today, customers travel in silver-coloured tubes from “train stations”. Few have staff, but the bigger ones have customer service representatives…………!!

Thus, steam has gone, goods trains have as good as gone, passsnger trains have gone, and instead we have customer tubes scooting along the lines…… (or ambling, if it’s the DSER…)

[K801]

Are all 071s/111s still in service 

Have any become a parts donor?

[jhb171achill]

50 minutes ago, K801 said:

Are all 071s/111s still in service 

Have any become a parts donor?

All still in traffic.

[hurricanemk1c]

On 17/10/2024 at 4:38 PM, 226 Abhann na Suire said:

I think the max operating speed of the 99s is only 120kmh so I think it’s safe to see that once the 201s and 071s have gracefully bowed out, Irish Rail see that being the end to loco hauled services on the island. EMU/BMU’s seem like the likely future for the Belfast and Cork services especially if 200kmh speeds are the plan! A sad end but really an inevitable move with the times. Any word on the new Enterprise tender by the way? Last I heard, they’d narrowed it down to 2 bidders…!

That's a gearing thing, as the locos thus far ordered are for heavy (and far heavier than an Irish) freight work. The 99s for example should have more tractive power than a 66 starting off even in diesel mode.

Vossloh / Stadler built Class 68s and 88s are 100mph locos

Nothing stopping a 160km/hr / 200km/hr version being produced

Edited October 25 by hurricanemk1c

[Mayner]

Standler appears to be becoming  a major World loco manufacture.

Kiwirail have just taken delivery of a narrow (3'6") gauge version of the Standler Euro 4000 Class of locos.

The two locos delivered are the first of a class of 66 locos intended to re replace older 40+ year old locos on both Islands. The original order was for 44 locos to replace GE U Boats (3000-3600Hp) dating from 76 used on South Island Coal trains and export dairy and meat traffic. Additional locos added most likely to replace General Motors (2750Hp) locos used on North Island freight and passenger traffic)

Its intended to use the two locos to trail the locos in service to identify and resolve design problems before manufacturing the production batch.

Will be interesting to see whether there is sufficient work for these locos when they enter service, as Kiwirail is expected to be self-sufficient financially from 2025, has been forced to cancel a project to improve rail-ferry links between the North and South islands, last week all Kiwirail staff have been offered voluntary redundancy. 

One of the underlying problems is that industries that once generated significant rail traffic such as meat and timber processing are becoming uneconomic and are closing as a result of reduced demand and high energy costs and while coal, logs and dairy exports remain buoyant domestic and international container traffic has fallen as a result of reduced demand for imported consumer products.

 

Edited October 26 by Mayner

[Galteemore]

Interesting John. Spent a day in south Wales this week. Fascinating mix of loco-hauled trains to Holyhead, GWR hybrids, classic railcar sets of the late BR era, and these very swish Stadlers with a GNRI style central power pack. Pic from Tom Curtis 

[GSR 800]

26 minutes ago, Galteemore said:

Interesting John. Spent a day in south Wales this week. Fascinating mix of loco-hauled trains to Holyhead, GWR hybrids, classic railcar sets of the late BR era, and these very swish Stadlers with a GNRI style central power pack. Pic from Tom Curtis 

We will likely see something similar on the Enterprise within the next decade. Presumably similar will end up replacing Mark 4s also

 

[Galteemore]

14 minutes ago, GSR 800 said:

We will likely see something similar on the Enterprise within the next decade. Presumably similar will end up replacing Mark 4s also

 

Makes perfect sense, given the journey distances. 

[Mayner]

During the early 90s IE would have been just about able to justify the investment in the 201s because the Supertrain and Mark3 stock would have been considered good enough for another 25-30 years and long term freight contracts with businesses like Asahi, Bell Lines, Cement Ltd, CSE (beet) Esso, IFI, Irish Cement and Guinness, which would have supported its Liner Train network and developing traffic flows like logs and mollases. 

The closure of Asahi and the failure of Bell Lines would have undermined the economics of IEs freight operations. Rail traffic through Waterford Port never recovered to similar levels to Bell, most likely Belfast, Cork, Dublin Ports and the established shipping lines did not want a competitor entering the market and diverting 'their" business through Waterford.

Afterwards IE came under a lot of criticism for the high cost of operating loco hauled trains as opposed to railcars, both in terms of damage/wear and tear on track and the actual running cost which at the end of the day is heavily subsidized by the tax payer a high proportion of whom don't or are unable to travel by rail.

My impression from visiting Ireland and travelling by train (one journey each time) in  2005 & 2018 was the general condition of infrastructure, rolling stock and service reliability had improved significantly since regularly travelled by rail in the 80s and 90s.

[GSR 800]

On 26/10/2024 at 11:32 AM, Mayner said:

During the early 90s IE would have been just about able to justify the investment in the 201s because the Supertrain and Mark3 stock would have been considered good enough for another 25-30 years and long term freight contracts with businesses like Asahi, Bell Lines, Cement Ltd, CSE (beet) Esso, IFI, Irish Cement and Guinness, which would have supported its Liner Train network and developing traffic flows like logs and mollases. 

The closure of Asahi and the failure of Bell Lines would have undermined the economics of IEs freight operations. Rail traffic through Waterford Port never recovered to similar levels to Bell, most likely Belfast, Cork, Dublin Ports and the established shipping lines did not want a competitor entering the market and diverting 'their" business through Waterford.

Afterwards IE came under a lot of criticism for the high cost of operating loco hauled trains as opposed to railcars, both in terms of damage/wear and tear on track and the actual running cost which at the end of the day is heavily subsidized by the tax payer a high proportion of whom don't or are unable to travel by rail.

My impression from visiting Ireland and travelling by train (one journey each time) in  2005 & 2018 was the general condition of infrastructure, rolling stock and service reliability had improved significantly since regularly travelled by rail in the 80s and 90s.

Interestingly any time an 'older' family or friend mentions they travelled by rail in Ireland recently also consider it vastly superior to the likes of the 80s and 90s, usually if they are travelling in ICRs. Not travelling in freezing cold carriages!

IMO don't feel much of a difference regarding noise/vibration between ICRs and say Mark 4s. I think the ICRs would be perfect if the seats were somewhat more comfortable.

29s are a different story, you know all about it if you're sitting under an engine!

Unsure about the future of rail freight here. Certainly, there is plenty of opportunity for somewhat of a resurgence but significant infrastructure improvement is required to build a rail network that can deal with an increasingly intense commuter timetable along with increased freight levels around Dublin and elsewhere. The rail review outlined a lot of rail freight as effectively being a relief valve to take trucks off the M50.

 

Edited October 27 by GSR 800

[irishrailways52]

does anybody know what came about of Irish rails idea to modify the 071s/201s on hydrogen