Three more of the 15 Clayton Equipment Co. Class 18s ordered by Beacon Rail have been moved for trials with prospective owners.
Following 18003, which had already moved to British Steel for evaluation at Scunthorpe Steel Works, 18006 is now at Basford Hall for use by Freightliner, and GB Railfreight has taken 18012 at Whitemoor Yard and 18015 at Eastleigh.
Three more of the 15 Clayton Equipment Co. Class 18s ordered by Beacon Rail have been moved for trials with prospective owners.
Following 18003, which had already moved to British Steel for evaluation at Scunthorpe Steel Works, 18006 is now at Basford Hall for use by Freightliner, and GB Railfreight has taken 18012 at Whitemoor Yard and 18015 at Eastleigh.
Clayton Equipment built the 15 emission-free Hybrid+ CBD90 shunting locomotives for Beacon Rail Leasing.
The CBD90 is a 90-tonne Bo-Bo battery-diesel hybrid locomotive.
On-board batteries can be charged via a depot three-phase electric supply for emission-free performance, and/or (for operating in more remote locations) via a small on-board diesel engine that meets EU emission standards.
Clayton sees the design as replacing Class 08 diesel shunters, which date from the 1950s and remain the default shunter for many industrial applications owing to its cheapness.
But as more companies seek to reduce their emissions, ex-BR diesel shunters which are 60 or 70 years old are no longer seen as customer- or environmentally-friendly.
The CDB90 is a Bo-Bo design, but there are other versions that are four- and six-wheel fixed frame locomotives. It is rated at 560hp, with a maximum tractive effort of 303kN and with a top speed of 13mph.
The locomotives are registered on TOPS as they may work in Network Rail yards, but they will not be main line-compliant.
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