British Rail Class 67

The Class 67 locomotives are a class of Bo'Bo' diesel electric mainline locomotives which were built for the English, Welsh and Scottish Railway between 1999 to 2000 by Alstom at Meinfesa in Valencia, Spain with drive components (engine and transmission) from General Motors Diesel.

EMD's designation for this locomotive type is JT 42HW-HS. Rail enthusiasts have nicknamed the class 'skips'.

Design, testing and introduction
Thirty locomotives were ordered in a £45million contract split between Alstom and General Motors. for use by the English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS) as British Rail Class 47 replacements for use on high-speed mail trains and passenger trains. The locomotives were obtained on a 15 year lease via Angel Trains.

The bodyshell is a monocoque load bearing Alstom design, the bogies are an "H" frame Alstom design, The engine, traction motors and control electronics are GM-EMD products, and the same as used in the British Rail Class 66. Unlike the Class 66, the traction motors are frame mounted rather than axle hung to reduce unsprung mass and the gear ratio is increased allowing higher speeds. The cab design has a central driving position.

The locomotives are able to supply electric head end power for passenger train heating and air-conditioning, and are equipped for buffer and screw coupling and also coupling via a buckeye coupler attached on a swing arm mount.

High speed running tests were undertaken with 67002 starting at Alstom's facility at La Sagra (Toledo, Spain) and running on the standard gauge Madrid-Toledo high-speed rail line, a top speed of 143 mph was obtained.

The first locomotive to be delivered was 67003, which arrived in October 1999. Initially plans were for a rapid acceptance into service, but problems with the locomotives being slightly out of loading gauge caused delays. Acceptance trials began in December, and all 30 units had been delivered to the UK by early 2000.

The high axle load of the locomotive caused an initial speed restriction to 110 mph and modifications to the bogies were required; locomotive 67023 was passed for 125 mph running in July 2001, all 30 units had been modified for 125 mph running by June 2003.

Operators
Initially the class were used primarily on mail trains. EWS's contract with Royal Mail was terminated in 2003.

The locomotives have since been used for First ScotRail on the Caledonian Sleeper on non electrified beyond Edinburgh, as "Thunderbird" rescue locomotives for failed trains on the ECML, on some freight trains,and are hire for use on chartered tourist trains. Two units were assigned to, and received special liveries for use with the Royal Train in the early 2000s, a third unit had a commemorative jubilee livery applied for use with the royal train during the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012.

Four locomotives were also used by the Wrexham and Shropshire (W&SR) railway company until it ceased operating in January 2011.

Chiltern Railways began using ex W&SR Class 67 hauled passenger sets in Dec 2010, on 5 Sep 2011 after impovements to the Chiltern Line infrastructure the company began running a 100 mph service from London to Birmingham branded 'Mainline' using Class 67 powered sets.

On 26 March 2012 Arriva Trains Wales began the lease of three Class 67s from DB Schenker to replace its Class 57s on its North-South Wales Premier Service.

Liveries and naming
The locomotives were initially painted in EWS maroon livery. In 2003 two locomotives, 67005 and 67006 replaced the two previous Class 47 locomotives for hauling the prestigious Royal Train; these were repainted in the Royal Claret colour, with one unit named Queen's Messenger officially unveiled in 2004. The other vehicle was named Royal Sovereign in February 2005. A third unit received a silver livery, union jack flag and royal jubilee logo for use during the 2012 Queen's jubilee celebrations, the unit was named Diamond Jubilee by HM the Queen on 23 March 2012 at London Victoria Station.

Special liveries include 67029 'Royal Diamond' which was re-liveried in silver for the EWS Executive Train, and 67018 was which was repainted in a red livery, with a special white maple leaf (and DB Schenker logo) in honour of Canadian born former EWS and DB Schenker UK chairman Keith Heller.

Other liveries carried include the "Wrexham & Shropshire" livery., and Arriva Trains Wales livery.