British Rail Class 69 Locomotive Conversion (from Class 56) (GB Railfreight)
UK (Longport facility, Stoke-on-Trent) · 2020–present (delivery of first prototype in May 2020)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launch* A strategic decision to extend the life of existing assets by converting them into a more reliable and efficient locomotive type. * The project highlights the viability of remanufacturing as an alternative to new-build for specific operational needs.
Key engineering challenges
* Extensive re-engineering of the Class 56 platform to integrate new engines and modern control systems. * Ensuring compliance with current UK rail standards and operational requirements for a remanufactured locomotive. * Maximizing the reuse of existing Class 56 components while achieving significant performance improvements.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- GB Railfreight (GBRf)
- Lead contractor
- Progress Rail (a Caterpillar company)
- Lead designers
- Progress Rail
- Project type
- Conversion
- Scale
- 10 Class 56 locomotives converted into Class 69s.
- Disciplines
- Mechanical; Electrical; Systems
- Standards & frameworks
- RSSB; Network Rail standards
Sources: * British Rail Class 69 (Wikipedia) * GB Railfreight (gbrailfreight.com) * Key Model World (keymodelworld.com) * Railforums.co.uk * Locomotive Wiki (fandom.com)