That was it in the rather delicate "Refresher" livery of one, which operated London-Norwich InterCity services for a while, but the Class 90 has appeared in a veritable rainbow of liveries:
Introduced as an express passenger and freight machine, its earlier work included Royal Mail expresses in the days when post was carried by trains:
It's still in everyday use as a heavy-haul electric freight engine, primarily by Freightliner.
Canadian train manufacturer Bombardier has now launched its TRAXX "Last Mile" electric locomotive, which also has a small diesel engine to enable it to operate beyond the overhead wiring. Bombardier say they are pushing these engines as replacement locomotives for the London-Norwich route.
Modern locomotives seem to be becoming ever more anonymous -- this one is fundamentally a steel container with a cab at each end. Where's the romance and the glamour?
2 comments:
Why would they be trying to sell a diesel equipped electric loco for operation in a region that is electrified throughout!?
How very silly and pointless.
And in any case it's not the class 90s that are in need of replacement, but the dated and neglected rolling stock they haul.
What nonsense.
Wither? ?Whither. ?
Post a Comment