Rail — rolling stock & vehicles
Rail — rolling stock & vehiclesVehicle/fleet programme; New build
Freightliner Class 70 Introduction
UK (locomotives manufactured in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA) · 2009–present (introduction)
The judgement call
Account-gated at launch* Introduction of a powerful new diesel locomotive to enhance freight efficiency and replace older fleets. * The design prioritized robust functionality for heavy haul over traditional aesthetics.
Key engineering challenges
* Adapting a US-designed locomotive to meet specific UK loading gauge and operational requirements. * Addressing initial reliability issues and noise concerns during operation. * Ensuring high tractive effort for heavy freight operations on the UK network.
Project facts
- Client / owner
- Freightliner, Colas Rail
- Lead contractor
- General Electric (GE)
- Lead designers
- General Electric (GE)
- Project type
- Vehicle/fleet programme
- Scale
- Fleet of GE PowerHaul locomotives; most powerful diesel locomotive in the UK.
- Disciplines
- Mechanical; Electrical; Systems
- Standards & frameworks
- RSSB; Network Rail standards
Sources: * British Rail Class 70 (Wikipedia) * YouTube (What Happened to the Freightliner Class 70?) * Spotlog.org * RMweb.co.uk