EMD Series 66
Encyclopedia
The Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) Class 66 (or JT42CWR) is a series of Co-Co six axle diesel locomotive
s built by EMD for the European heavy freight market.
Originally designed for use in Great Britain
as the Class 66
, a development of the Class 59
, they have since been adapted and certified for use in other European countries. Outside Europe, 40 locomotives have been sold to Egyptian Railways for passenger operation.
A number of locomotives built for Euro Cargo Rail
in France with roof mounted air conditioning are classed Class 77.
and other railway operators.
(JT26-CW-SS) had led to its use by the German company Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK). The first mainland Europe order also came from HGK, for two locomotives, followed by TGOJ Trafik in Sweden. Subsequently numerous, often private European railway operators bought locomotives.
Over 100 locomotives of this type have been purchased for operations in Europe, including 60 operated by Euro Cargo Rail
a wholly owned subsidiary of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (since 1st Jan 2009 named DB Schenker rail (UK) Ltd.
. The ECR locomotives are equipped with train protection systems for France, Germany and Belgium but cannot operate in Great Britain. They have cab air conditioning and carry a fridge and microwave oven in one cab. They are registered in France as Class 77.
In 2008 EMD announced plans to develop of a new variant 'Class 66EU', specifically designed for continental European operations - this development will not need to conform to the restrictive UK loading gauge
, instead being built within the UIC 505-1 loading gauge. A range of European safety systems would be supported including ERTMS, the locomotives would be fitted with a dynamic brake and previous issues with driver comfort were also to be addressed. The project was confirmed to be cancelled in 2011.
prime mover
, D43 traction motors, radial (self-steering) bogies of patented design which reduces wheel surface and flange wear and is also said to improve adhesion and reduce track load.
The class has undergone various updates; other than the lower geared class 66/6 version produced for Freightliner, most of the updates have been in relation to conforming to the ever increasing specifications for exhaust particulate emissions.
Despite being popular with rail operators, especially due to its high reliability, the class has not been universally successful: one recurring problem, both in operation in the UK and mainland Europe, has been the issue of driver comfort. In particular, noise levels (including noise from the cab horn), vibration, and excessive cab-temperatures in hot weather have brought serious complaints. In particular, the cab is not isolated from the main frame causing engine noise to be the dominant background noise; notwithstanding the implications for safety (audibility of warning signals etc.), and the potential for hearing damage in the long term, the conditions drivers face led to threats of industrial action in the UK in 2007, and an agreement for increased pay for drivers using this type of locomotive (in Norway). By modifying using noise absorbing materials EMD succeeded in meeting TSI Noise Certification standards in 2008. Tests on retrofitted cooling systems and improved seating have been carried out on some UK locomotives.
, comprising the ETCS Level 1 "Havenspoorlijn" in the Rotterdam harbour area and the ETCS Level 2 "A15" route linking Rotterdam to the German border.
Certification (homologation
) is needed for each country of operation.
The locos were initially given a temporary certificate for use in France, full certification for use in France came in 2009 (they had previously operated in France on some routes), Romanian certification came in 2007
The class are also certified for operation in Germany, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Poland and Denmark.
As of 1 Jan 2009, certification for use in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic is pending.
Additionally they have been sold to, and are operated in Egypt
by the Egyptian National Railways
.
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s built by EMD for the European heavy freight market.
Originally designed for use in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
as the Class 66
British Rail Class 66
The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies...
, a development of the Class 59
British Rail Class 59
The Class 59 Co-Co diesel locomotives were built and introduced between 1985 and 1995 by Electro-Motive Division of General Motors for private British companies, initially Foster Yeoman...
, they have since been adapted and certified for use in other European countries. Outside Europe, 40 locomotives have been sold to Egyptian Railways for passenger operation.
A number of locomotives built for Euro Cargo Rail
Euro Cargo Rail
Euro Cargo Rail is a French rail freight operator formed in 2005 as a subsidiary of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway .-History:Euro Cargo Rail was founded in February 2005, in April 2005 EWS InternationalEWS International was the division of EWS responsible for operations through the Channel...
in France with roof mounted air conditioning are classed Class 77.
United Kingdom
The EMD Class 66 was originally designed by General Motors-Electro Motive Division for use in the UK as the British Rail Class 66, 250 were sold to EWS, with further orders coming from Freightliner (UK)Freightliner (UK)
Freightliner Group Limited is a rail freight and logistics company, founded in 1995 and now operating in the United Kingdom, Poland, and Australia. It is the second largest rail freight operator in the UK, after DB Schenker Rail .- History :...
and other railway operators.
Mainland Europe
With the locomotives proving successful in the UK, interest came from railway operators in Europe. General Motors locomotives in mainland Europe had historically been produced under license by local manufacturers, more recently the high haulage capacity and reliability of the Class 59British Rail Class 59
The Class 59 Co-Co diesel locomotives were built and introduced between 1985 and 1995 by Electro-Motive Division of General Motors for private British companies, initially Foster Yeoman...
(JT26-CW-SS) had led to its use by the German company Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK). The first mainland Europe order also came from HGK, for two locomotives, followed by TGOJ Trafik in Sweden. Subsequently numerous, often private European railway operators bought locomotives.
Over 100 locomotives of this type have been purchased for operations in Europe, including 60 operated by Euro Cargo Rail
Euro Cargo Rail
Euro Cargo Rail is a French rail freight operator formed in 2005 as a subsidiary of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway .-History:Euro Cargo Rail was founded in February 2005, in April 2005 EWS InternationalEWS International was the division of EWS responsible for operations through the Channel...
a wholly owned subsidiary of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (since 1st Jan 2009 named DB Schenker rail (UK) Ltd.
DB Schenker
DB Schenker is a logistics company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG. The company, created by reorganisation and rebranding of various Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries, comprises a logistics division encompassing air, land and sea freight, and a rail division made up from a variety of...
. The ECR locomotives are equipped with train protection systems for France, Germany and Belgium but cannot operate in Great Britain. They have cab air conditioning and carry a fridge and microwave oven in one cab. They are registered in France as Class 77.
In 2008 EMD announced plans to develop of a new variant 'Class 66EU', specifically designed for continental European operations - this development will not need to conform to the restrictive UK loading gauge
Loading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
, instead being built within the UIC 505-1 loading gauge. A range of European safety systems would be supported including ERTMS, the locomotives would be fitted with a dynamic brake and previous issues with driver comfort were also to be addressed. The project was confirmed to be cancelled in 2011.
Technical
The locomotive uses standard EMD components of its era - an EMD 710EMD 710
The EMD 710 is a line of diesel engines built by Electro-Motive Diesel . The 710 series largely replaced the earlier EMD 645 series. The EMD 710 is a large two-stroke diesel engine that has a displacement per cylinder. Since its introduction, EMD has continually upgraded the 710G diesel engine...
prime mover
Prime mover (locomotive)
In engineering, a prime mover is an engine that converts fuel to useful work. In locomotives, the prime mover is thus the source of power for its propulsion. The term is generally used when discussing any locomotive powered by an internal combustion engine...
, D43 traction motors, radial (self-steering) bogies of patented design which reduces wheel surface and flange wear and is also said to improve adhesion and reduce track load.
The class has undergone various updates; other than the lower geared class 66/6 version produced for Freightliner, most of the updates have been in relation to conforming to the ever increasing specifications for exhaust particulate emissions.
ETCS Equipment
A number of locomotives operating in the Netherlands and Germany have been equipped with ETCS, principally to allow them to work on the ETCS equipped BetuwerouteBetuweroute
The Betuweroute is a double track freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany. Betuweroute is the official name, after the Betuwe area through which it passes, but the line is popularly referred to as Betuwelijn, after an older track in the same region. The Germans have named their part the...
, comprising the ETCS Level 1 "Havenspoorlijn" in the Rotterdam harbour area and the ETCS Level 2 "A15" route linking Rotterdam to the German border.
Operators
Homologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
) is needed for each country of operation.
The locos were initially given a temporary certificate for use in France, full certification for use in France came in 2009 (they had previously operated in France on some routes), Romanian certification came in 2007
The class are also certified for operation in Germany, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Poland and Denmark.
As of 1 Jan 2009, certification for use in the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic is pending.
Additionally they have been sold to, and are operated in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
by the Egyptian National Railways
Egyptian National Railways
Egyptian National Railways is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority .-1833–77:...
.
| Owner | Operator | Countries | Designation | Total | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angel Trains Angel Trains Angel Trains is an English Rolling Stock Operating Company created in 1994 as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of three ROSCOs... (250) Beacon Rail (15) Halifax Assets finance Ltd. (33) HSBC Rail UK Ltd. (85) Porterbrook Porterbrook Porterbrook is one of the three major ROSCOs in the United Kingdom... (60) Lloyds TSB Lloyds TSB Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810... (4) |
Colas Rail DB Schenker DB Schenker Rail (UK) DB Schenker Rail , before 2009 known as English, Welsh and Scottish Railway is a British rail freight company. EWS was established by a consortium led by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation in 1996 by acquisition of five of the six freight companies created by the privatisation of British... DRS Direct Rail Services Direct Rail Services is a freight operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. The company started rail operations in 1995 using five heavily refurbished Class 20/3 diesel locomotives. Since then it has expanded greatly, and has acquired many more locomotives, most bought... Fastline Fastline Fastline was a railway freight operator. It was part of Jarvis plc. It ceased trading when Jarvis plc entered administration and subsequently ceased trading in late March 2010. The company is in administration with N.G. Edwards, N.B. Kahn, P.S. Bowers and I. Brown of Deloitte LLP.They operated a... GB Railfreight GB Railfreight GB Railfreight is a British freight train operating company. Formerly called First GBRf, its new owner Eurotunnel bought the company in May 2010.-History:... Freightliner UK |
Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... |
British Rail Class 66 British Rail Class 66 The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies... |
450+ | 60 EWS locomotives lent from EWS stock to EWSi subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail Euro Cargo Rail Euro Cargo Rail is a French rail freight operator formed in 2005 as a subsidiary of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway .-History:Euro Cargo Rail was founded in February 2005, in April 2005 EWS InternationalEWS International was the division of EWS responsible for operations through the Channel... . 5 units exported to Poland for Freightliner Poland. |
| Angel Trains Angel Trains Angel Trains is an English Rolling Stock Operating Company created in 1994 as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of three ROSCOs... |
Euro Cargo Rail Euro Cargo Rail Euro Cargo Rail is a French rail freight operator formed in 2005 as a subsidiary of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway .-History:Euro Cargo Rail was founded in February 2005, in April 2005 EWS InternationalEWS International was the division of EWS responsible for operations through the Channel... (ECR) |
France | Class 66 Class 77 |
120 | 60 loaned from parent company EWSi 60 further locomotives during 2009 designated Class 77 |
| Freightliner PL (FPL) | Poland | Class 66 British Rail Class 66 The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies... |
7 | Part of Freightliner Group Ltd. | |
| CB Rail formerly Porterbrook Porterbrook Porterbrook is one of the three major ROSCOs in the United Kingdom... |
Rail4Chem RAIL4CHEM RAIL4CHEM was a German rail freight transport company, and the parent company of a number of European subsidiary rail freight transport companies including rail4chem Benelux B.V. , the rail4chem transalpin AG and Fer Polska S.A. .The business was acquired by Veolia Cargo in 2008, which was... Benelux (R4CB) |
Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg) | 26 | ||
| Heavy Haul Power International (HHPI) | Germany | ||||
| Dillen et Le Jeune Cargo Railway (DLC) | Belgium | ||||
| Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK) | Germany | Class 266 | |||
| ERS Railways (ERSR) | Netherlands | ||||
| Railion Nederland (RN) | Netherlands | ||||
| Deutsche Leasing | Rail4Chem RAIL4CHEM RAIL4CHEM was a German rail freight transport company, and the parent company of a number of European subsidiary rail freight transport companies including rail4chem Benelux B.V. , the rail4chem transalpin AG and Fer Polska S.A. .The business was acquired by Veolia Cargo in 2008, which was... Benelux (R4CB) |
Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands & Luxembourg) | 1 | ||
| Egyptian National Railways Egyptian National Railways Egyptian National Railways is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority .-1833–77:... (ENR) |
Egypt | 2120 | 40 | First non-European customer, for passenger use. | |
| GM/Opel leasing | Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK) | Germany | Class 266 | 2 | |
| GM/GMAC leasing | Heavy Haul Power International (HHPI) | Germany | 1 | ||
| HSBC Rail HSBC Rail Eversholt Rail Group is one of the three major ROSCOs in the United Kingdom... |
TGOJ Trafik (TGOJ) | Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
T66 713 | 1 | Leased to Ikea IKEA IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer... rail AB, 1 unit modified for use in Denmark |
| CFL Cargo DK | Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
T66K 714 "Krudthornet" | 1 | Transferred to CFL Cargo DK in Padborg in 2010 | |
| CargoNet CargoNet CargoNet AS is the primary operator of freight trains on the Norwegian railway system. It was formed as NSB Gods after NSB fissioned into a passenger and a freight company. NSB Gods changed its name to CargoNet at the beginning of 2002. It is owned by NSB and the Swedish freight company Green Cargo... (CN) |
Norway | CD66 | 6 | Problems with driver cabin conditions (see above) Named Di9 as per Di series in procurement documents, in practice also called CD 66 To be replaced by Vossloh Vossloh Vossloh AG is a German transport technology manufacturer based in the Westphalian town of Werdohl. The group has 4,700 employees , and generated sales of €1.2 billion, of which approximately 60% came from the rail infrastructure division, and the remainder from the motive power and components... Euro 4000 on the Nordland Line |
|
| Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK) | Germany | Class 266 | 5 | ||
| ERS Railways (ERSR) | Netherlands | 5 | |||
| KBC lease group | Dillen et Le Jeune Cargo Railway (DLC) | Belgium | 4 | ||
| MRCE MRCE MRCE can refer to:*Manav Rachna College Of Engineering*Mitsui Rail Capital EuropeSee also*Mrče, village in Serbia... |
Dillen et Le Jeune Cargo Railway (DLC) | Belgium | ~5 | ||
| ERS Railways (ERSR) | Netherlands | ~6 | |||
| Häfen und Güterverkehr Köln (HGK) | Germany | Class 266 | ~2 | ||
| Afzet Container Transport System (ACTS) | Netherlands | 1 | |||
| Dortmunder Eisenbahn (DE) | Germany | 1 | |||
| Veolia Cargo Veolia Cargo Veolia Cargo was a European rail freight transportation company that operated mainly in France and Germany.On 2 September 2009 the company was acquired by Eurotunnel and SNCF the deal being finalised on 1 December 2009.-History:... / Connex (VC) |
Netherlands & France | 1 | |||
| Trainsport AG (TS) | Belgium | 1 | |||
| Rail4Chem RAIL4CHEM RAIL4CHEM was a German rail freight transport company, and the parent company of a number of European subsidiary rail freight transport companies including rail4chem Benelux B.V. , the rail4chem transalpin AG and Fer Polska S.A. .The business was acquired by Veolia Cargo in 2008, which was... (R4C) |
Germany | 1 | |||
| NedTrain | 1 | ||||
| Setrag | Gabon | 2 | Units shipped July 2011. | ||
External links
- JT42CWRM, information at EM Diesels
- Dutch railfan page on Class 66 (in English)
- Nothing stops a Class 66: article from RAIL #492 Detailed description of class, including internal layout. via pigeonsnest.co.uk