GB RAILFREIGHT has signed a lease and contract with Progress Rail for the repowering of 16 Class 56 locomotives the operator purchased from UK Rail Leasing in June 2018.
The repowered locos will be designated as Class 69s, with prototype No 69001 due for delivery in May 2020. Work will take place at Progress Rail’s facility at Longport, Stoke-on-Trent, and will see the locos’ existing Ruston-Paxman RK3 engines and control gear upgraded to EMD 12-710 Series engines, rated for EU Stage IIIA emissions certification, with updated electronic controls, based on the Class 66. The companies say the ‘69s’ will offer more power, reduced fuel consumption and improved emissions, along with an enhanced driver cab environment and better performance. GBRf has won extra work recently, with transfer of passenger stock a growing area for the company, and needs more locomotives to handle the workload.
GBRf has won extra work recently, with transfer of passenger stock a growing area for the company, and needs more locomotives to handle the workload.
