GB Railfreight planning to repurpose at least 12 more Class 66s for heavy trainloads

GB Railfreight is planning to regear at least a dozen more of its Class 66s for heavy trainload work, reducing their speed.

The operator already has four such locos (66793-796) on the GBHH pool, imported from Europe in 2020/21. It is now looking at converting some more of its other 111 Class 66s.

Already 66779 Evening Star has been modified and has been renumbered 66689. Next in line are 66757/772/777 which will become 66667/682/687 while 66793-796 are due to be renumbered.

Other locos to be converted will come be GBRf-owned locos; those built at Muncie, 66752-779, or imported from Europe, 66790-792/797-799. These would be numbered 66662-688/690-92/697-699. This means 66756 could reappear at 66666, and would become the first TOPS numbered locomotive to have the same five digits

DB Cargo has recently converted ten Class 66/0s to 66/6s (66651-660), with the intention of converting five more (66661-665).

Freightliner has 25 Class 66/6s (66601-625) acquired new between 2000-07, although six have since been moved to its Polish operations.

The GBRf locos could be renumbered, with 66793-796 becoming 66693-696. Any future conversions could also gain 666xx numbers.