'Lets do the Locomotion?

 U.S. tariffs will mean for Trains!

It seems a good idea to the U.S. to bring home jobs for heavy industries, but will it really work in 2025 or be the cause of more problems and broken promises as last time around to the Ohio dust belt?

The building of locomotives is not what it was and now with many nations going electric, there is no demand for Diesel and the dirt that they produce, meanwhile Africa is looking to China for conventional engines, because they are cheaper!

In the U.K. we face loosing our Scunthorpe Chinese owned steel mills and many rail projects may go under or come to nothing?

When these import taxes hit, we may need to start to look to Europe or the far-east for a Class 66 replacement, since many were built in Canada

Class 66 Lives on!

The American/Canadian Class 66 lives on?

At this time there remains no real replacement to the British class 66 locomotive, there are some newer classes but no substantial orders have been made for them in relation to freight haulage!

In fact many European engines are being returned to the U.K. to replace the early first introduction 6600-20 and there looks like no other engine is to replace it in the near future?

Like the Class 43 (Intercity 125) in passenger travel, it has seen a rebuild and over forty years of service. Many countries do not let go of their locomotion so quickly and hold on in reserve what might come in handy at a later date!

The price of fuels is one key factor the other be reliability and also ease of use to the existing drivers! None of these 66's were ever as far as ones knows ever employed in passenger services, apart from recovery of preservation trains?

Transport in Africa. Part-One.

Changing Continent?

Not much is thought about the continent of Africa, when it comes to transport it all seems backward? But this is far from the truth, in fact it is seeing some of the latest technology being tested before we might get it?

Republic South-Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya and Botswana are fast growing economies with the technology and industry to back them up and they are aiming higher than Europe in some areas? Solar power, Aviation, mechanical engineering, mining and automobiles as well as Space flight are on the cards for them to pursue in the next one-hundred years!

What is not much known about the continent is that is has a long space-race history with Europeans using facilities in Kenya and Nigeria and that RSA is one of the most advanced nations with an established Locomotive, military, vehicle and aviation industry!

China, Russia and the U.S. along with Europe and the U.K. have had a long history of supplying equipment, but it has been the Africans who have adapted everything to meet their own needs!

British Rail Class31/33.

Dwindling to Preservation?

Today these are either found working Departmental or Network track testing trains and one hopes may of what is left will soon head for the various preservation societies?

The Class 31 is the Brush/English Electric A1A-A1A, built between 1958-62 and could be described as a light engine. These Loughborough engines were originally numbered D5520-5862, today only one locomotive still carries D5613, 31190.

31/1 Is standard and only six remain, 31/4 has electric supply fitted and only six also remain in service. The last is 31/6 two with ETS wiring remain.

Top speed was originally 90mph, continues traction was 23.5 mph and weights 106-111 tons.

The Class 33 was built between 1960-61 at Birmingham BRCW/SULZER Bo-Bo Speed 85mph and weights were lighter than the Class 31's coming in at 78-78tons.

These locomotives were also originally numbered D6500-D6597 but not in order. Only 33012 still carries D6515.

33/0 Standard class has only four left, while 33/2 is one engine

Electric Trains. Part-One.

Europe First.

With the advent of electricity it was Europe that first cottoned on to developing electric trains. Many experiments were carried out from Trams to Monorails and then both France and Germany pioneered the field. 

The Paris Metro railway was well ahead of the London Underground by 1900, but England was to commit with Southern third rail and London-Eastern with the Electrical Multiple overhead units

Basically the U.K. was the first to develop overground electric suburban rail networks, Europe advanced with the electric locomotives and have maintained that lead ever since. TVG, Ice and many other high-speed trains are the fruits of electrification.

The Class 66/1-9.

General Motors Locomotive.

The Class 66 Locomotive (12N-710G3B-EC) has been perhaps the best ever to have entered service in Britain. This Canadian built engine is the backbone of most freight operations in the UK. 

(Northern-Ireland Translink jointly owns their Class 201's with the Republic of Ireland. Thirty-four were delivered to Ireland from 1994-95, but most of these are now withdrawn apart from the Dublin to Belfast Enterprise service and the Dublin to Cork service. Ireland has replaced them with state of the art South-Korean DMU's).

Over four-hundred locomotives have been purchased since they were first introduced in 1998-2008. They have proved to be an invaluable asset, working all types of freight duties from coal trains to container freight. You will see them nearly in every part of the country, working day and night.

Two versions were built for the UK, the JT42CWR and JT42CWRM low emissions engines. Some of the British loco's were sent to France to work in the Channel tunnel crossings, but I think all these have now returned. Meanwhile the first delivered have been withdrawn for servicing and assigned to other workings. 

Speed and weights vary between the Irish and British versions. IR locos worked 90-100mph and weighed 112 tonnes. British version had a top speed of 87.5 mph, but were restricted to 60-75mph. their weight was heavier at 127 tonnes.

Trains.

Life Lines.

They say that nations without a coast are doomed, but you could say the same, if they have no railways either with laid track or none. Nearly every country on the planet has a railway of some kind, from a narrow gauge to wide track. 

The railways are an essential life line, especially in trade, wither it be cross border or not. The history and development of the locomotive is a backbone to any network. Trains of course come in all forms, some are used just for freight, while others for passengers. Trains can cover great distances such as in Russia, China, India, Australia, Canada, Brazil and the United States.

In these fore mentioned countries trains can be up to four miles in length for freight cars, some now double decked. While passenger trains can be 25+ carriages long. Some trains are built for speed, such as in Japan, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, where the rail lines have very few curves.  

So you kind of see the picture and their value. Later in 2014 we will get down to the ''nitty gritty'' of these starter blogs.