Class 66 restarts heavy load after signal stop

66798 Justine has been held at Hale and must now restart her load of 2,400 tonnes. As the power winds up she starts to inch forward but then, for a couple of seconds, one begins to wonder.... Volume UP!
6G92 0829 Hindlow to Small Heath on Wednesday 10th January 2024

[@richardtaylor9382]

Never tire of hearing that sound!

[@class77sncb]

In Germany Class 77 (Class 66 reduced max. speed to 100 km/h ) and max. 450 KN power to haul got a train in motion with 3.999 metric tonnes !! A L O N E !

[@neilcrawford8303]

It's the same here in the UK with the predecessor of the 66 and your 77s, the class 59. They are lower geared (59/0 & 59/1) for greater tractive effort with a reduced top speed compared to most 66s. They regularly haul trains of aggregates booked for 4,000 to 4,300 tonnes from the Mendips in Somerset. They are impressive machines. What's really impressive is the level of adhesion through 12 wheels to get these heavy loads moving.

[@cd66061]

Some of the 66’s are regeared to create higher tractive effort and run at 50mph. DB are altering some of theirs currently to do the same.

[@neilcrawford8303]

@cd66061 Thanks. That's why I was careful with the wording, and said some. Not 100% sure of the current situation across the 66 fleet, but I do know 66/6s have a lower top speed and a greater tractive effort due to their gearing. Likewise the ex National Power class 59/2 had a higher top speed (75mph) than the 59/0s and 59/1s (60mph) due to different gear ratios.

[@cd66061]

@@neilcrawford8303 yeah mate, correct. Several newer ones are regeared as you said. A few of the older ones inherited by DB (or EWS etc) back in the day are now being done to handle bigger loads, presumably at places like Peak Forest where the 60’s were able to manage the loads easily. Shame the 60’s are not nearly as reliable as I think the drivers prefer them in many ways.

[@andywomack3414]

You Europeans have mini trains. A 4000 ton train in the US might be a local.

[@kelvinhoughton7953]

Nice looking station with orgional features

[@Daytona2]

It's a normal start on a level or uphill gradient. The couplings were compressed so the loco was initially only moving a few waggons and/or the brakes were still coming off - they release from the loco end first. As more waggons start moving you can feel the weight and match the power to the weight. The class 66 has good wheelslip control so no drama. 22 waggons of aggregates is about the maximum they haul on the UK network so that they don't delay other services too much.

[@chairmakerPete]

The software that actually drives these locos is simply amazing.

[@alangordon3283]

No need for pink blobby things up front now.

[@chairmakerPete]

@@alangordon3283 they like to think they still drive the trains, and nobody has the heart to tell them the truth... 😉

[@alan2804]

Hopefully Fujitsu wasn’t involved…

[@chairmakerPete]

@@alan2804 definitely not Fujitsu - this system demonstrably works!

[@cd66061]

@@chairmakerPetereally? Who drives to the signals? Route learns the in’s and out’s of each route? Shunting in yards? You are way off if you think there is automation for this in the near future. Starting and stopping at London Underground stations isn’t the same as the variety in freight work!

[@arthurmatthews9321]

The 66s have a system called em2000 that controls wheel slip , it adds about 30 percent more tractive effort to the locomotive. This is why they can start heavy loads so easily. Everyone has witnessed older locomotives struggle with heavy trains , there is a limit to what a driver can do when you have no grip. And no computer helping you.

[@pootispiker2866]

It can start heavy loads so well because the designers are American. A 37 would blow its doors off trying to do this kind of work.

[@wirksworthsrailway]

A few amps flowing there!

[@HSTHoward]

What a beautiful sound

[@user-oo8xp2rf1k]

It's like my diesel ford focus pulling out of on an A1 sliproad at night .

[@37418]

Excellent Footage at Hale Station 👍

[@thegreyfolk]

That loco didn't seem to be making a big deal of it!! Imagine the old steamers attempting to shift that lot!!

[@Daytona2]

Because 70 years ago locos were less powerful.

[@martinchamberlain542]

I’m sure a 9f would ace it!

[@Daytona2]

@@martinchamberlain542 ?? The maximum a 9F could haul was 914t - this is 2400t

[@chompette_]

@@Daytona2 you'd be surprised, a Coronation has about the same rated horsepower as a 66, just larger and fewer driving wheels for top speed and the traction control being the driver's skill and experience

[@Colonel_Blimp]

⁠@@chompette_you’ve clearly never heard of the horsepower curve. I’m sure your Coronation can run like the wind but low and medium speed power is what matters for freight.

[@garryferrington811]

"Heavy Load" is kind of relative here in the US. Over a mile? But very good.

[@Daytona2]

Different ball game. Passenger trains have priority (mostly running between 70 & 110mph) and freight has to slot in between, without delaying it too much. We run lighter consists, faster. Same in Europe.

[@five-o5362]

@@Daytona2UK is in Europe.

[@Daytona2]

@@five-o5362 True, I should have said the rest of Europe.

[@MeBallerman]

But US trains typically run 8 machines in DPU for their mile-long trains. In Europe we mostly run 1 machine. I guess the load on the individual machine is comparable.

[@raylrodr]

​​@@MeBallermanmile long? Must be a transfer move.

[@jamesbraithwaite478]

I live a couple of miles from there, next to Skelton Junction in Timperley. I expect the Deansgate Junction signal was set to danger.

[@chrissutton4256]

Not a hint of wheel slip ! 🤨😲

[@mrgrumpy771]

Traction control!

[@olivermilner1470]

Nah, once power kicked in it move quite quickly. I’ve seen them whine and power down and struggle properly before.

[@courtneyhirsh2271]

No flat spots.smooth as glass

[@pn112upfast]

Good video mate 👍

[@rikrob]

I love the Class 66's. I had to deal with them constantly at my previous job. It is when you see them move fully loaded that always astounds me. They definitely show the skill of a good driver over a bad one, both moving off and stopping. (this one looked pretty good)

[@paullangford8179]

After a stop, the driver has to ease the train initially to take the slack out of the couplers. Quite often the train bunches up when the brakes go on. Starting too quickly can break things!

[@davidcoles198]

The old steamers had the most torque at 0 mph.

[@DaveInBridport]

Lots of fresh air in engine bay!

[@xaiano794]

has to be, those components need air

[@davedave6404]

And an auto AI operation with no driver, the future in action, excellent capture chum.

[@mattthesedg4238]

Driver sits on the other side mate 😂😂

[@pootispiker2866]

On UK rails? That's brave.

[@davidahugill99]

Nice one Phil …….. Cheers, Dave H

[@train4905]

Awsome😊😊

[@jims6323]

Thats alot of cars for an European train!

[@RonCooper-nl4pn]

I have 8 of these models in my collection of OO gauge and I have an O gauge one on order. But I am a Steam enthusiast by heart, am I being converted ?

[@harrymcandrew1447]

doute it cos i like steam more to diesel but do favor few 66s and in terms of 00gauge fleet ive more diesels vs steam

[@wickster79]

Really? 1 engine for that short of a train? 1 of our north america engine can pull about 50 cars before needing to put a second engine. The weight of our train loads is a lot higher also. Yeah I don't know what to say.

[@andrewroberts1376]

Sheds, proper diesel power would of done the trick better than shed electro diesel !😉

[@raylrodr]

2400 tons? Must be a transfer move.

[@arniesbox]

Makes you wonder why they don't plan freight loads to never be signalled to stop or even slow - except for block restrictions - until their final destination..... Which is easier to stop and move?: ..... 250 tonnes of passenger train or 2,500 of freight? 775 metres of stopped freight train must cause far more disruption and be harder to find a stopping location for than a 240 metre passenger service?

[@kc5402]

You have a very simplistic idea of how railway systems run. If you could find a method of scheduling trains "to never be signalled to stop or even slow..." then you would be the biggest genius in the world, and railway companies would pay you vast amounts of money to work for them. The *TRUTH* is that to keep a railway system profitable, you need to run as many trains as possible, as profit is derived from delivered tonnage (for both freight and passengers). With a full system, and with a complex layout of tracks between cities and towns, it is absolutely impossible to avoid conflicts between trains, so inevitably sometimes things have to slow down or stop to allow conflicts and congestion to be dealt with. It's a fact of life.

[@ImanRailfans-th4ef]

🎉💪💪👍🤝🚂🚂🚂🚂

[@Stebanoid]

how on Earth a 22 four-axle cars train is a heavy train?

[@martinchamberlain542]

Okay. A Midland 4f 0 6 0 then?

[@user-fed-yum]

Please do yourself and us a favor, and learn how to use the camera properly. The framing is really bad. Use a tripod. Don't move the camera; use a second camera instead. Audio seemed ok. Your welcome.

[@dancedecker]

Be a bit fair. It's not meant to be a Hollywood blockbuster. It's someone simply wanting to show a Class 66 winding her power units up to restart a heavy (for the UK) train and the resultant wonderfully powerful noises for us 'Gricers' to enjoy. I found nothing 'bad' in there. Was it going to win an Oscar? No, probably not, but it's for free, and I, for one, appreciated and enjoyed it for what it was. A nice little YT video of a powerful noisy train, doing what it does best. Excellent!! The guy may not be able to afford a tripod or another camera etc etc, and I'd MUCH rather see this with any slight imperfections in it than nothing at all. I'm sorry, but whilst I'm absolutely not saying that the contributor wouldn't take some fair and constructive criticism off you on board, you seem to just want to be supercilious and almost hurtful about it, which just isn't, to my mind at least, warranted with what they have actually produced for us to enjoy here. Conversely, you need to learn how to spell. FavoUr (unless you are from across the pond) isn't spelt like that and nor is... You're!!

[@darrylrichardson7940]

Do us a favour and learn to write in English to English people. It's our language and you lot ruined it.

[@andrewwhitehead2002]

Troll

[@TK-ec5bv]

Quit your whining, you little child.

[@user-xm9um1xe3o]

Lovely jubbly