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British Rail Class 88
The British Rail Class 88 is a type of mainline mixed traffic electro-diesel locomotive manufactured by Vossloh España/Stadler Rail Valencia for Direct Rail Services (DRS) in the United Kingdom. The locomotive is part of the Stadler Euro Dual family. It is the first dual-mode locomotive in the UK to use the 25 kV AC electrification.
Amid the fulfillment of DRS' order for the Class 68, Vossloh's team proposed the development of a dual-mode locomotive that could be alternatively powered by an onboard diesel engine or via electricity supplied from overhead lines (OHLE). Having been impressed by the concept, DRS opted to place an order for ten Class 88s during September 2013. Having been developed alongside the Class 68, considerable similarities are shared between the two locomotives, amounting to roughly 70 per cent of all components being shared.
Testing of the first Class 88 was undertaken at the Velim Test Centre in the Czech Republic during 2016; these trials proved to be relatively smooth. During July 2016, 88001 made the type's first official public appearance. During January 2017, 88002 Prometheus was the first Class 88 to be delivered to the UK. All ten Class 88 locomotives were delivered by March 2017. During June 2017, the type entered regular service with DRS; examples have been typically used to haul freight trains, although they are also fitted for hauling passenger services as well.
During January 2012, Direct Rail Services (DRS) announced that it had ordered a total of 15 new diesel locomotives from Vossloh España (since 2016 Stadler Rail Valencia). These locomotives, which entered service in the UK as Class 68, were part of the company's Eurolight family, redesigned to fit the smaller UK loading gauge. DRS had opted to procure a clean-sheet design after examining various existing alternatives, such as the ubiquitous British Rail Class 66 locomotive, which the company's management determined to be incapable of satisfactorily replacing its ageing fleet of Class 20s, largely due to inefficient engines and elevated operating costs. Vossloh undertook development of the Class 68 over an 18-month period, during which the company studied several derivatives and modifications, including the use of alternative powerplants. Having presented such proposals to DRS, the latter became particularly interested in the electro-diesel arrangement, as the company's management recognised there was a potential role for a dual-mode locomotive in the UK market.
During September 2013, DRS announced that it had placed an order for a further ten locomotives, which were designated as the Class 88. The most distinctive difference between the news locomotives and the preceding Class 68 was that the former would harness a dual-mode electro-diesel propulsion system. Accordingly, these locomotives could be powered either via overhead lines (OHLE) or by an onboard diesel engine. In comparison to conventional diesel locomotives, this arrangement enables operational costs to be significantly reduced when diagrammed on routes partially or entirely under OHLE, under which the diesel engine can be deactivated. The Class 88 is the first dual-mode locomotives in the UK to use the 25 kV AC electrification, as the only other electro-diesel locomotives to have entered service on the British network were the Class 73 and Class 74s, which operated in the Southern Region using third rail electrification.
The Class 88 is part of the Stadler Euro Dual family. This is a range of dual-mode locomotives that are fitted both with a pantograph, to collect electricity from overhead wires, and a Caterpillar diesel engine. The UK version is able to run either on electrified lines using the pantograph, which is the UK's standard OHLE current at 25 kV AC, or away from electrified lines with the Caterpillar C27 950 hp (710 kW) engine. Dual-mode locomotives have previously been mooted for freight use in the UK, using the "Last Mile" principle, where a primarily electric locomotive is fitted with a small diesel engine to allow locomotives to run without a load to non-electrified freight sidings.
The Class 88 also has a primarily electric design, with most of the interior space of its machine room is occupied by electrical equipment, and the diesel prime mover housed in a separate room to the side of the central aisle. However, in terms of power, the Class 88 holds an intermediate position between primarily electric locomotives with auxiliary diesel engines and fully dual-mode locomotives, such as Class 93 and Class 99. It is powerful enough to haul a normal freight train in diesel mode on its own like a road switcher diesel locomotive, although with only 17.5 per cent of the power it would otherwise have in electric mode, so in diesel mode it is mostly suitable to last mile operations in sidings or on freight-only branches.
In the majority of its aspects, the Class 88 featured a high degree of commonality with the preceding Class 68, including the use of an identical bodyshell, cab, brakes, bogies, traction equipment, control software; roughly 70 per cent of all components are shared between the two classes. Akin to the Class 68, the Class 88 can achieve a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), sufficient for regular passenger operations, while operating under OHLE, it has a power output of 4,000 kW (5,400 hp). Under diesel power, provided by its 12-cylinder Caterpillar C27, it has a maximum power output of 700 kW (940 hp); however, the maximum tractive effort is available in either mode. The locomotive's engine, which is compliant with the current EU Stage IIIB emission restrictions, has limited available power as a result of the customer's choice to give the Class 88 comparable power to a traditional Class 20.
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British Rail Class 88
The British Rail Class 88 is a type of mainline mixed traffic electro-diesel locomotive manufactured by Vossloh España/Stadler Rail Valencia for Direct Rail Services (DRS) in the United Kingdom. The locomotive is part of the Stadler Euro Dual family. It is the first dual-mode locomotive in the UK to use the 25 kV AC electrification.
Amid the fulfillment of DRS' order for the Class 68, Vossloh's team proposed the development of a dual-mode locomotive that could be alternatively powered by an onboard diesel engine or via electricity supplied from overhead lines (OHLE). Having been impressed by the concept, DRS opted to place an order for ten Class 88s during September 2013. Having been developed alongside the Class 68, considerable similarities are shared between the two locomotives, amounting to roughly 70 per cent of all components being shared.
Testing of the first Class 88 was undertaken at the Velim Test Centre in the Czech Republic during 2016; these trials proved to be relatively smooth. During July 2016, 88001 made the type's first official public appearance. During January 2017, 88002 Prometheus was the first Class 88 to be delivered to the UK. All ten Class 88 locomotives were delivered by March 2017. During June 2017, the type entered regular service with DRS; examples have been typically used to haul freight trains, although they are also fitted for hauling passenger services as well.
During January 2012, Direct Rail Services (DRS) announced that it had ordered a total of 15 new diesel locomotives from Vossloh España (since 2016 Stadler Rail Valencia). These locomotives, which entered service in the UK as Class 68, were part of the company's Eurolight family, redesigned to fit the smaller UK loading gauge. DRS had opted to procure a clean-sheet design after examining various existing alternatives, such as the ubiquitous British Rail Class 66 locomotive, which the company's management determined to be incapable of satisfactorily replacing its ageing fleet of Class 20s, largely due to inefficient engines and elevated operating costs. Vossloh undertook development of the Class 68 over an 18-month period, during which the company studied several derivatives and modifications, including the use of alternative powerplants. Having presented such proposals to DRS, the latter became particularly interested in the electro-diesel arrangement, as the company's management recognised there was a potential role for a dual-mode locomotive in the UK market.
During September 2013, DRS announced that it had placed an order for a further ten locomotives, which were designated as the Class 88. The most distinctive difference between the news locomotives and the preceding Class 68 was that the former would harness a dual-mode electro-diesel propulsion system. Accordingly, these locomotives could be powered either via overhead lines (OHLE) or by an onboard diesel engine. In comparison to conventional diesel locomotives, this arrangement enables operational costs to be significantly reduced when diagrammed on routes partially or entirely under OHLE, under which the diesel engine can be deactivated. The Class 88 is the first dual-mode locomotives in the UK to use the 25 kV AC electrification, as the only other electro-diesel locomotives to have entered service on the British network were the Class 73 and Class 74s, which operated in the Southern Region using third rail electrification.
The Class 88 is part of the Stadler Euro Dual family. This is a range of dual-mode locomotives that are fitted both with a pantograph, to collect electricity from overhead wires, and a Caterpillar diesel engine. The UK version is able to run either on electrified lines using the pantograph, which is the UK's standard OHLE current at 25 kV AC, or away from electrified lines with the Caterpillar C27 950 hp (710 kW) engine. Dual-mode locomotives have previously been mooted for freight use in the UK, using the "Last Mile" principle, where a primarily electric locomotive is fitted with a small diesel engine to allow locomotives to run without a load to non-electrified freight sidings.
The Class 88 also has a primarily electric design, with most of the interior space of its machine room is occupied by electrical equipment, and the diesel prime mover housed in a separate room to the side of the central aisle. However, in terms of power, the Class 88 holds an intermediate position between primarily electric locomotives with auxiliary diesel engines and fully dual-mode locomotives, such as Class 93 and Class 99. It is powerful enough to haul a normal freight train in diesel mode on its own like a road switcher diesel locomotive, although with only 17.5 per cent of the power it would otherwise have in electric mode, so in diesel mode it is mostly suitable to last mile operations in sidings or on freight-only branches.
In the majority of its aspects, the Class 88 featured a high degree of commonality with the preceding Class 68, including the use of an identical bodyshell, cab, brakes, bogies, traction equipment, control software; roughly 70 per cent of all components are shared between the two classes. Akin to the Class 68, the Class 88 can achieve a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), sufficient for regular passenger operations, while operating under OHLE, it has a power output of 4,000 kW (5,400 hp). Under diesel power, provided by its 12-cylinder Caterpillar C27, it has a maximum power output of 700 kW (940 hp); however, the maximum tractive effort is available in either mode. The locomotive's engine, which is compliant with the current EU Stage IIIB emission restrictions, has limited available power as a result of the customer's choice to give the Class 88 comparable power to a traditional Class 20.