New use for class 20 ?

[pre65]

A brand new intermodal freight flow has opened up a link between Britain’s biggest port by tonnage and Britain’s ambitious iPort Rail terminal in Doncaster. The sponsors, shipping company DFDS, say the short rail route provides a long-term answer to the UK’s shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers. The 50-mile (80 kilometres) working will take over 70 truck movements off the rural roads between the two terminals.

The high-profile launch attracted interest from the industry and media. Lawrie Johnstone, at Tracsis Transport Consultancy, commented online at the revived interest in using venerable Class 20 locomotives for the service, in the same week as the marque was retired from mainline service by a leading operator. “I hope this short-haul container service is a big success and leads to other operators looking at similar flows being transferred to rail”, he said.

Full article here.

https://www.railfreight.com/railfrei...week%202021-43



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[pre65]

With reference to class 20s.

Forward vision long bonnet first has always been a problem, but the cement works at Hope have a few class 20s to take cement wagons from the main line sidings to the works, some 3 miles I believe.

I saw a clip today in cab and they have a camera mounted on the front with a screen in the cab.

I think they have 3 locos but I've only seen numbers 1 and 3 on YouTube.

[Beeyar Wunby]

The trick with 20s is to operate them in tandem with the cabs facing outwards. Better power and reliability also.

If they're opening up a service there's quite a few available to hire.

[hereward]

Just wondering why roadrailers don't seem to be used considering the shortage of drivers and the state of the roads. All Wiki says is that British Rail used them on the ECML in 1964. I saw them at Dover port in the 1970's the system was called Kangaroo on the continent, I think.

[Master Cutler]

Originally Posted by Beeyar Wunby

The trick with 20s is to operate them in tandem with the cabs facing outwards. Better power and reliability also.

If they're opening up a service there's quite a few available to hire.

I recall back in the 70s single 20s doing shunting duties between Silverhill and Teversal collieries often giving a rake of wagons a right old bang when coupling nose first.