Class 20's at Bristol Temple Meads

[whole diary]

[ReWind]

Just a quickie,

wondering if anybody can tell me what the 4 Class 20 locomtives and a Class 73 electric loco were doing shunting tanks around on the through line at Temple Meads today?

Caused quite a noise at times, and caught many peoples attention! 

[dog box]

dunno..but they have gone now

[devon_metro]

I was rather shocked to see this random combination earlier!

[inspector_blakey]

Class 20s sound like it could be DRS^» (Direct Rail Services Ltd, a national rail freight operator providing a range of services with its head office in Carlisle and depots at the South East, York, Crewe, Sellafield, and Scotland. - about), but a 73...? Was it running on the diesel engine or just being dragged?

[Chris from Nailsea]

DRS^» (Direct Rail Services Ltd, a national rail freight operator providing a range of services with its head office in Carlisle and depots at the South East, York, Crewe, Sellafield, and Scotland. - about) = Direct Rail Services (I've added it to our 'acronyms and abbreviations' page  )

[asdfg]

wondering if anybody can tell me what the 4 Class 20 locomtives and a Class 73 electric loco were doing shunting tanks around on the through line at Temple Meads today?

Four GBRf Class 20s and a GBRf Class 73 stopped over last night and continued their journey to South Wales today where the Class 73 will take up shunting duties at Celsa, Cardiff. All to do with GBRf winning a former EWS^▸ (English Welsh & Scottish Railway Ltd, now known as DB Schenker Rail (UK^▸ (United Kingdom))) contract. I understand the Class 20s, on hire from DRS^» (Direct Rail Services Ltd, a national rail freight operator providing a range of services with its head office in Carlisle and depots at the South East, York, Crewe, Sellafield, and Scotland. - about), will then be doing some route learning in the Gloucester area.

[ReWind]

I thought a class 73 was an electric loco though!  Therefore unable to operate in unelectrified locations!!

[asdfg]

I thought a class 73 was an electric loco though!  Therefore unable to operate in unelectrified locations!!

It's an electro-diesel. It has a 600hp diesel engine for use when off the third rail system.

[JayMac]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_73

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_20

[inspector_blakey]

I thought a class 73 was an electric loco though!  Therefore unable to operate in unelectrified locations!!

It's an electro-diesel. It has a 600hp diesel engine for use when off the third rail system.

And indeed even when running on diesel they have a surprising amount of "poke".

Spoken as a guard who forgot to take his handbrake off. For a few seconds...

[eightf48544]

As Industryinsider recalls the 73's on diesel have some poke.

I've seen one at Reading having pulled the old Sussex Scot on diesel from probably Clapham Jn it was quite late but it made it.

Another time one pushed an XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) complete with dead 47 on the front from Basingstoke to Reading. Using the rear coaches buckeye.

They were another of the Southern Regions universal locos with buckeyes and standard control wires that could be coupled to 33s TCs^▸ (Train Crew, or Travelling Chef, depending on context),  most EPB units and presumably Thumpers and be driven from either end. Late 60s early 70s was the nearest we've come in this country to a universal coupling, and then only one region and not universal on that with the SUBs and later the PEPs not buckeye fitted.

As I've posted before the Americans have had the buckeye since around 1905.