These things get bloody everywhere...

[Harbon 1]

Exept old BR ones & HSTs!

[teccuk]

Exept old BR ones & HSTs!

Ah damn you got me there!

Not rubbish in a looking pretty sense and watching them and stuff, but they aren't all that great at being trains, not on densely used lines and on routes with frequent stops like... oh i dunno the U-effing-K.

[Dave]

Exept old BR ones & HSTs!

Oh dear.

[Doorslammer]

we dun have any in Australia yet. now that I'd like to see.

You don't. Seriously.

[Espee]

Agreed. How long until the plan world domination?

Well, if had a decent loading gauge in the UK, you could have something more practical like this:

UP_U50.png (814.02 KiB) Viewed 488 times

[audigex]

I'd rather attach it to a VW Taureg and see how that does.

[dasy2k1]

The thing i find most remarkable is that the 66 class designation has stuck pretty much everywhere they are used!

[donchatryit]

dasy, it's like a brand now. Imagine, you are in a marketing room, trying to work out how to sell locos to some country that needs them. Given that the UK was the railway pioneer, you reckon you can make something out of that and bring your clients to the UK. They see a loud, ugly loco pulling coal behind it. It's so ugly, in fact, that it sticks in their mind.

"What's that?" your clients ask.
"It's a 66" you admit, blushing.

And from now on, the designation "66" gets associated with an ugly loco that can pull a bit and breaks down less than the stock they are using. When they bring it into their own country, they need a designation. What do they call it? What instantly pops into their head when it lands on the track off the crane like Dumbo with his ears tied back?

Why "66" of course!

(Hey, it's better than 666!)

[vear]

I don't get it. What's wrong with 66 that you don't like them that much? As for the country with probably the most neglected railways in EU (a.k.a. Poland), railfans tend to be enthusiastic towards them (or, being more specific, those used by Freightliner Poland). What is more, hardly anybody considers them to be ugly. Huh.

[JamieLei]

I just thought it was for convenience - since the EU models and the UK models would have the same number.

[Ameecher]

Well it's probably more to do with the fact that EMD have them in there catalogue as the EMD 66 which is as a result of the UK TOPS number.

[Kevo00]

Lol, I doubt many countries now see Britain as 'the railway pioneer' and an example to be followed.

Like it or not, the class 66 is what the new breed of indie rail company needs - something relatively cheap, off the shelf, and a proven and reliable design, and which can easily get certification. And lets be honest, the 66 will probably leave the European railfreight industry in a better state than it found it.

[donchatryit]

Lol, I doubt many countries now see Britain as 'the railway pioneer' and an example to be followed.

Like it or not, the class 66 is what the new breed of indie rail company needs - something relatively cheap, off the shelf, and a proven and reliable design, and which can easily get certification. And lets be honest, the 66 will probably leave the European railfreight industry in a better state than it found it.

True enough. One thing they have going for them is the fact that they can be used in such a wide range of situations. Still, it wouldn be nice to have a freighter with the kind of lines you see on the Mallard, Voyager or Pendolino.

[Dave]

They're a true workhorse. Can do anything, are pretty good at it, and will go and go. MPC levels have fallen so dramatically it's insane. 30% reliability from 56s/60s/47s? No thanks, I'll take a uniform fleet that can offer at least 80% reliability...

[Doorslammer]

They're a true workhorse. Can do anything, are pretty good at it, and will go and go. MPC levels have fallen so dramatically it's insane. 30% reliability from 56s/60s/47s? No thanks, I'll take a uniform fleet that can offer at least 80% reliability...

There are even quotes for 96% reliability when Yeoman introduced the 59 and replaced the rather useless, unreliable and infrequent BR loco pool (as it was in the late 80s before the place was overrun with refurbished 37s, 47s, 57s and new 60s and 66s). Now that's a staggering achievement.