Experiences on the Class 58s

This is a translated article reproduced from Op de Rails 6-2008 for which we are very grateful to the NVBS for.

 

Everyone who has driven a class 58 at somepoint, will always remember the deep diesel sound of this splendid machine. This one typically quiet heavy drone it is complemented with another characteristic sound -the rythmic ‘click’ ‘click’ of the air valves - almost as if someone is playing a game of ping pong!

By Hans De Mooij

ACTS’ Class 58s are a marvellous sight on the Dutch railway network. Since I qualified as a freight train driver I have been driving these machines for some years, and with much pleasure. The loco is noted for its relatively simple servicing and its high level of comfort in the cabs. The exterior is also fabulous. All easily recognisable from some distance away are the narrower British loading gauge, the large windows on the ends, the oval buffers and the front lights using LEDs. The enormous starting power of these machines is amazing and trains of considerable length and a weight of some 2400 tons are no problem for them. These sorts of trains can operate throughout the country with a maximum speed of 90 km/h. That’s not surprising what with their deeply roaring diesel engine, screaming traction motors, their spinning traction-blower motors and a wonderful howling turbocharger. It’s a real pleasure to travel in one of them over, for example, the Veluwe line at full speed. I must admit that on a summer’s day, with your arm resting nonchalantly on the sliding window, there’s a touch of macho about it all, yet it’s all a straightforward safe demonstration of power completely under control. Under these sorts of traction conditions the acoustic noise is lower in comparison with its younger Class 66 sisters. These clearly produce more noise on full power, you feel a lot more vibration in the cab and in general it feels a lot “tinnier”. The 66s are certainly poorer than the good old Class 58s what with their two-stroke diesel engine and their noise level but do have one good point; their haulage ability similar to a Class 58. Honesty forces me to say that the Class 66 should be supplied with an optional luxurious soundproofed cab at extra cost!

But it is not all sunshine and roses on a Class 58. They have minus points as well. The loco is pretty complicated and technically labour intensive when it comes to servicing. Also the driver has some not too pleasant tasks such as climbing up on the outside and checking the engine compartments with their hard to open doors. A slippery area, especially in the rain and wind! Often you finish up with filthy workclothes and jet-black gloves as a result of the greasy grime which has stuck itself to the outside of the loco. Because of all this you have to use an official safety harness to secure yourself. Engine inspections are decidedly not an extra luxury! These locos like a nice swig of oil and because of this you always carry some ten litres of lubricating oil on board in jerry-cans. Incidentally this “thirst disease” is also a known problem with the 66s. This is in contrast to the lighter Caterpillar diesel engines used on the Vossloh locomotives.

Starting up.

Before starting up, a great number of things have to be checked. The loco undergoes a comprehensive safety and handling inspection every time. Not only the diesel engine itself is checked but also the compressor, parking brake, cooling system, bogies, buffers, couplings, the ATB, seals, brake systems, emergency equipment and the presence of respiration apparatus all come up for examination. A check-card is kept on the loco and items ticked off as necessary.

As soon as everything is checked as satisfactory the starting procedure can begin. Obviously, before starting up, all the controls must be put in their correct positions. After that the festivities can begin. The start-up of these locos is a very special story. Some dexterity is needed whilst using the starter button, a stiff button which has to be held in for several minutes. I could tell you about my thumb’s pain threshold!

Then as soon as the slowly turning diesel engine has built up full oil pressure it wakes from its sleep. Perceptibly lightly rocking from side to side with its first piston strokes is how the loco comes to life. It’s always a lovely moment when “she’s going!” A quite painful thumb can now be put away!

The cab.

The Class 58 cab provides an excellent working environment. Of course, because of its English character the loco is driven from the left-hand side. One cab has two good seats for the drivers. The other end has room for only one such seat and a little hook on an electrical switchbox. These seats have only recently been salvaged from a redundant NS passenger SM 90.

All the controls are placed in sensible positions. There are no unnecessary refinements and everything is kept to a minimum. Direction and speed handles sit nicely by your right hand while the brake handles are on your left. There are also various switches for lights, windscreen wipers as well as a handle for the horn. There are a pair of pressure gauges, two speedometers and an ammeter which shows the current going to the motors. The powerful diesel engine is coupled to the heavy main generator which passes the power on to the six traction motors in the bogies.

Finally, there are some data storage devices and there is constant radio communication between the loco and shore.

The simplicity of the controls shows a striking difference from the high-tech Vossloh machines and the Class 66s. In these younger generation locos you are overloaded with modern gadgets such as lots of warning lamps, knobs, meters and computer displays. The 58 is, however, only modestly equipped with ATB (with two varieties) and there is no German “Indusi”, no Belgian “Memor” and above all no “ERTMS2” on the Betuwe route! Any digital display was a bit too late for these primitive British monsters!

The Anglo-Saxon character of the loco can often be seen inside the loco, for example the “Train Pipe” sign, the little “fire warning” knobs, the crew communication buzzers and the ancient British “trainbell”.

Operating and Communication.

The Class 58 is renowned for its enormous pulling power. The loco hardly seems to have to exert itself. With long trains, however, getting up brake air pressure is a bit of a problem. It usually takes too long, sometimes much too long. 58s haul the longest trains on the Dutch network, the Veendammer, the daily ACTS container shuttle between Rotterdam and Veendam. This is indeed sometimes seven hundred metres long and all the wagons have to have their brake cylinders pressurised. After that, a brake test is done, an absolute essential before any journey commences. However we often have to wait twenty minutes before the full five bars of pressure is reached. The compressor is coupled to the diesel engine via a flywheel with a higher rotation speed so that a smooth rate of compression can be achieved. Thus you need to couple on to a long train well before the start of the journey.

Like most modern locomotives the Class 58 has a pulse driven brake lever. Every slight backwards movement on the lever adds more braking power until finally the maximum braking is achieved. Every forwards movement gives a partial release of brakes. During a journey the driver has to make sure that his use of brakes is controlled adequately thus not allowing the ATB to intervene and force an application resulting in the train stopping.

Because of the enormous weight of most freight trains, an experienced driver anticipates in advance any signals he can see or expects to see. Also good route knowledge in relation to the busy and faster passenger services can prevent him from unnecessary braking and wasting power starting away again. The skill of driving is to drive with the minimum use of brakes, which is often a challenge when slowing down on the level Dutch network with no inclines or declines. All good management teams know that as well. On a “NSR-VIRM” it’s a touch simpler to keep your speed and to brake than on a seven hundred metre long, two thousand ton goods train!

Once in a while radio communication is necessary to keep drivers and management aware of what is going on. If everything is going well after leaving Waalhaven, the Veendammer has its first planned stop at Amersfoort. Two hours later, after grinding to a halt, the driver and train manager can be very satisfied with their work.

ATB braking.

On a Class 58 there is one troublesome thing which must be taken into account when braking. If the train begins to make an unexpected ATB application for whatever reason, a superfast manual application is needed. If you are a fraction of a second too late there is an automatic ATB application and the whole train comes to an irrevocable standstill. The braking system completely loses all its air and, as I have already said, it takes a very long time to create air pressure again. There are notorious spots on the network where this happens now and again and these always demand swift usage of the brake lever. Drive with your hand on it!

But sometimes you get a fault and the technical gizmos work a lot faster than the driver. It happened to me once on a rather difficult trip. I was driving on a dark, rainy Autumn evening from Emmerich to Kijfhoek, along “the bottom route”, so not via Utrecht but via Nijmegen and Tilburg. Coupled on was a very heavy grain train with rather troublesome brakes and weighing more than two thousand tons. Thirty-three old Polish grain wagons were rattling and clanking behind the 58, every one controlled by the brake system switched to “goods” and which was rather sluggish both to apply and to release. This is the rule with trains over 700 metres long and more than 1600 tons in weight so as to prevent snatching and kicking, and thus couplings breaking.

I was driving in the wet, gloomy evening in the middle of the rush hour. After a slow journey from Arnhem I was just getting up speed and after going over the Rhine Bridge the line-speed of 90km/h was reached. The loco was running very nicely, though the windscreen wipers could barely cope. However, near Elst Junction things went pear-shaped. The ATB bell tinkled with a shrill sound.I didn’t use brake lever in good time and the little red ATB light grinned at me. During the full application of ATB I could only hope that the loco would not slide along the glassy, slippery rails. The last thing I wanted was wheel flats on the loco. However, luck was with me. With enormous force and a big final jolt the long, heavy train came to a stop.

I immediately informed management over the radio and gave the position of where the ATB application had happened. I also told them that it would be several minutes before I could get my train on the move again, solidly braked as it was. Then I reset the ATB and closed the ATB emergency valve. The loco now showed its worst side as the re-pressurising of the brake system took an eternity. But eventually I could slowly and steplessly increase the traction current with no further problem. Without even the slightest wheelslip the train slowly set off again, completely under control. Wheelslip had been a real risk because of the bad adhesion conditions at the time. A bit later the train passed over the shimmering Waal Bridge in the pouring rain. This was just another example of sheer British power!

The question is, how much longer will the Class 58s be in the Netherlands? ACTS are considering hiring more modern machines. Will they be Traxx or Class 189s ? It is my guess that the Class 58s will definitely be returning to England before too long. I shall miss them with their crazy ping-pong ball noise and the heavy, deep roar of their engines.