Class 58s in France

Sending the Class 58s to France would be perhaps EWS’ biggest Class 58 project since the company took the fleet on board back in 1996…

Following the successful hire of Class 37s to Spain, France and Italy, as well as the deals to send Class 58s to Spain and the Netherlands, EWS was keen to win more and more overseas contracts using the hundreds of stored, but perfectly serviceable, locomotives it had ‘lying around’ since the introduction of the Class 66s.

In all past LGV construction projects, SNCF has supplied almost all the traction for the engineering trains, most of them being the oldest locomotives in the fleet which had been in store in between projects. In 1999/2000, forty two Class 37s had taken a trip ‘over the pond’ to France to haul infrastructure trains along the newly-constructed LGV Méditerranée that was being constructed between Valence and Orange. These ‘tractors’ had all returned to Britain by 2000.

However, for the building of the new LGV Est, the new high speed line between Paris and Strasbourg which is due for opening in June 2007 (if all goes to plan), SNCF is not providing any locomotives. Instead, it has appointed ‘Fertis’ to supply all the traction for ballast trains. In turn, Fertis has hired 40 locomotives from UK operator EWS. Originally, 24 Class 37s (37046, 37058, 37077, 37196, 37221, 37238, 37250, 37293, 37377, 37505, 37518, 37519, 37671, 37679, 37693, 37696, 37701, 37705, 37719, 37796, 37887, 37891, 37892, 37894 – many of which had been to France before) were allocated to an appropriate French pool. However, it was decided that Class 56s and 58s would be more appropriate for the work planned. The main reason being just one of these ‘Type 5s’ could be used instead of a pair of Class 37s double-heading a ballast train, so EWS chose 26 Class 56s and 14 Class 58s. The trains, which are expected to weigh approximately 1800 tonnes each when fully laden, will operate along the route in ‘top and tail’ mode and may even have to be double-headed due to the severe gradients involved (as steep as 1-in-28 in some locations). Fertis supplies its own drivers, but EWS provides staff on-site for maintenance. These UK locomotives will be operating alongside a dozen or so Class BB 62400 locomotives (former NS Class 2400s).

Track contractors ‘SECO’ and ‘Travaux du Sud Ouest’ (TSO) will carry out the track-laying along the new route (sleepers and rails). A consortium of both SECO Rail and TSO have hired eight Class 58s for the duration of the contract. Four of the Class 58s were repainted into the livery of TSO and the other four locomotives were repainted into the livery of SECO Rail. These locomotives will top and tail long-welded rail trains along the route.

There are three construction bases along the route from where the locomotives work. The St Hilaire base (near Reims) is where work has started from already. Ocquerre base (near Meaux on the East side of Paris) is expected to start work in mid 2005 while at Pagny-sur-Moselle (also near Meaux) work is expected to start in late 2005. The deal to hire the traction to France is only for two years and it is anticipated that all the EWS locomotives will be back in the UK by November 2006, having completed their duties and when the contract comes to an end. EWS are providing maintenance staff and a full maintenance package at all three bases along the route of the LGV Est to ensure the locomotives are maintained to the highest level.

Work first started on the LGV Est route in Spring 2002 and was planned to take five years to complete. By June 2004, three-quarters of the civil engineering work had been done with track-laying due to begin at the end of 2004. Once completed, the LGV Est will allow trains to run at a maximum speed of 320km/h (although the maximum design speed is for 350km/h running). This will have a major effect on some of the journey times. The route of the LGV Est is 300km in length and will use the 25000kV overhead electric system.

The route has been carefully chosen to have minimal effects on the surrounding environment by blending into the landscape as much as possible as well as avoiding built-up areas and important natural landscape features such as the important vineyards near Reims.

Preparing the forty locomotives for export proved to be a mammoth task for EWS. Locomotives were being worked on at four EWS depots: Toton, Eastleigh, Old Oak Common and Bristol Barton Hill and the programme involved a great many maintenance staff of all types working on all the different machinery. Unlike the Class 37s that went to France in 1999, the ‘Type 5s’ selected to go this time would be repainted into the liveries of the infrastructure companies hiring them

In June 2004, 56078 was the first to receive the Fertis livery. The repaint was done at Toton and unveiled to the French management when they came over to sign the relevant paperwork to seal the deal. They were said to be “very impressed”. Very little work was required on this locomotive as it was one of the two Class 56s that survived until the ‘end’ in April 2004.

Work on preparing the other locomotives for the project, many of which had been in open store for months if not years, involved the checking, changing and re-certifying of many items. Bogies and tyre profiles were inspected in detail, being turned if required. Ultrasonic axle tests were also undertaken as a priority inspection to ensure there were no hairline cracks on the axles. The air system was also examined in detail, meticulous attention being paid to the air tanks and brake detail, to see whether any re-certification was required or not to ensure safe and reliable working under the extreme operating conditions the locomotives would have to endure.

Engines were individually tested and prepared before the next ‘balanced B-exam was given to the engine, with any additional heavier component replacement where necessary. Each locomotive was, in turn, attached to either Eastleigh or Toton’s load bank and full power applied to check for faults such as blowing cylinder heads which could easily be identified and changed. Fortunately, Class 56 and Class 58 engines are not as prone to water-entry as other classes, such as the Class 37s, so fewer faults have been found, but unfortunately, during preliminary inspection, 58012 was found to have a frost-damaged engine and was replaced by 58009. A full set of new batteries was fitted as was a Q-tron ‘black box’ system (this is important for monitoring performance and investigating any accidents that might occur). These are also fitted as part of the ‘reactivation’ process. Finally, any rusty bodywork was rubbed down and filled and re-plated as necessary before a full repaint was undertaken into Fertis, TSO or SECO livery (only Toton has a purpose-built paint shop and uses spray-painting techniques. Eastleigh, Old Oak Common and Barton Hill use the more traditional hand-painting method).

58046 was the first Class 58 to receive the Fertis livery, being released from Toton’s paint shop towards the end of August 2004 and by the 9^th of September had reached France with 56078 via the Channel Tunnel on EWS International service 4404, hauled by 92028 and 92043.

The ‘56’ and ‘58’ were sent abroad first for Fertis staff driver training and for them to learn the basic maintenance on the locomotives. By the time more and more of the ‘type 5s’ arrived, driver familiarization should have been completed and the locomotives could be put straight into service. 58004, 58015, 58016, 58032, 58034 and 58035 have also received the Fertis grey livery to date, with another 14 to follow.

The first Class 58 to receive the SECO orange livery was 58007 at Toton and the first ‘58’ to receive the yellow TSO livery was 58033 at Old Oak Common. A further three Class 58s (58009, 58027 and 58040) were repainted into SECO colours and 58047, 58049 and 58050 received the ‘TSO’ treatment.

Each time the Class 56s/58s need to go to France, they will normally be hauled to Wembley Yard, then on to Dollands Moor before being hauled through the Channel Tunnel as part of an EWS International service. In France, the locomotives arrive in Frethun before onward movement to the St. Hilaire base where they are employed on the LGV Est work.

Once at the St. Hilaire base (or to give it its full name: Vadenay St. Hilaire-au-Temple), about halfway between Reims and Châlons-en-Champagne, the locomotives are employed, top and tailed, on ballast (for the Fertis machines) or sleeper/rail trains. The line is extended by about 600 metres each day on the two lines (so 1200m overall) and work is only done on Mondays to Fridays, restricted to these times for the benefit of local residents.

Conclusion

In total, EWS believes that it has the resources to have a maximum export fleet of 110 locomotives, and when the current hire deals all come to fruition, we should see at least 72 of these working abroad in the very near future:

• · 5 Class 58s in the Netherlands with ACTS;
• · 11 Class 37/7s and 8 Class 58s in Spain with GIF;
• · 8 Class 58s in France for TSO / SECO
• · 26 Class 56s and 14 Class 58s in France with Fertis

• Possible candidate locations for sending more EWS locomotives on hire deals include the politically stable regions of North Africa or the Iberian peninsula. Re-gauged locomotives working in Portugal is another option and EWS supplying locomotives for the 2005 Barcelona extension in Spain in 2005 is another possibility…

EWS has said that it is confident it has enough spares and could realistically return about 45 of the 50-strong Class 58 fleet back to operational condition, but if push-comes-to-shove, it could re-instate all fifty of the Class 58s. However it is likely that a few members of the class will remain as donors; 58002 and 58037 at Eastleigh along with 58003 at Toton are just three that have already been heavily stripped for spares.

Loco Date of departure to France Date of arrival back in UK Length of stay overseas 58004 15 October 2004 15 September 2006 698 days 58007 14 October 2004 27 October 2006 742 days 58009 3 November 2004 17 January 2007 804 days 58010 23 June 2005 1 December 2006 525 days 58011 30 June 2005 11 October 2006 467 days 58015 7 October 2004 17 January 2007 831 days 58016 14 May 2005 25 May 2006 375 days 58018 23 August 2005 3 December 2006 466 days 58021 13 July 2005 16 November 2006 490 days 58027 21 October 2004 1 November 2006 740 days 58032 19 October 2004 27 December 2006 798 days 58033 28 October 2004 13 August 2006 653 days 58034 21 October 2004 24 November 2006 763 days 58035 27 October 2004 5 May 2007 919 days 58040 13 November 2004 13 August 2006 637 days 58046 9 September 2004 24 January 2007 866 days 58047 28 October 2004 10 August 2006 650 days 58049 17 November 2004 1 November 2006 713 days 58050 17 November 2004 26 October 2006 707 days

The French Liveries In Detail

The ‘SECO Rail’ Livery

Four Class 58s are employed in France with SECO Rail. This company is responsible for the track laying i.e. sleepers and rails on the LGV EST. The ‘58s’ with SECO Rail are 58007, 58009, 58027 and 58040. The livery is black, orange and yellow. Locomotives have black roofs with orange body and cabs. A narrow yellow band runs from end to end including across the cabs intersecting the cab side windows. All grilles are body coloured including the yellow band with the exception of the radiator grille which is black. Full yellow front ends are applied and window frame beading is black. The underframe is predominantly black however the uppermost ridge is painted yellow and this carries on over the bottom part of the cab sides to the front of the cabs. Locomotive numbers are again in the EWS Gill Sans font but are black. They occupy the same position as EWS red locomotives on the front end and are the same size. One minor difference however is that there is a dash between the ‘58’ and the loco number so, for example, numbers read 58-007. Cab-side numbers are the same size as on the front of the locomotive and are positioned centrally below the driver’s side window. Below the secondman’s window is the SECO logo which is a white vertical rectangle with an orange hard hat with a yellow stripe and the word SECO Rail below the hard hat. Buffer-beam, bogies and tanks are black. An orange cantrail overhead wires warning stripe runs the length of the body and where it crosses the orange of the central body is defined by means of two thin parallel horizontal black lines. On cab roofs this falls within the black of the roof so it is not a problem. There are no known livery variations.

The ‘Fertis’ Livery

Locomotives in this livery work in France for Fertis and also include Class 56s. Fertis is responsible for carrying out the ballast work on the new LGV Est (High Speed Line East) from Paris east towards Eastern France and Germany.

Locomotives in this livery have a mid grey roof, not unlike the old Railfreight grey as originally applied to 58s when introduced. The horn grille on the front is also mid-grey. Body and cabs are a very light grey, in fact almost white, and cab window surrounds on the front are also in this colour. The window beading is black. The rest of the cab front end is yellow as per EWS red locomotives and the buffer beam is black. The underframe is mid grey as per the roof with the lower most part painted in a cherry red strip, the same as the yellow warning stripe on EWS locomotives. Bogies and tanks are black. Locomotive numbers are on the front end in a purple version of the EWS Gill Sans font in the same position as EWS locomotives. They are applied in a slightly bigger format centrally under the driver’s side window and a small Fertis logo is below this. This is repeated in large format on the body side centrally across the engine compartment access doors. The Logo is a cherry red and blue/grey gentle wave with the word Fertis below in purple. The large radiator grilles are black with all other grilles body colour. Orange cantrail overhead wire warning stripes are applied.

Class 58s currently in this livery are: 58004, 58015, 58016, 58032, 58034, 58035 and 58046. More are to follow this year. To date there are no known livery differences but with more to follow this cannot yet be ruled out.

The ‘TSO’ Livery

Four ‘58s’ are employed with TSO in France again on the construction work associated with the LGV Est. They carry out the same sort of work as SECO Rail and indeed it is not unusual to see SECO Rail and TSO ‘58s’ employed on the same train regardless of which company’s train it is!

There are four Class 58s in this livery: 58033, 58047, 58049 and 58050. The livery is a white roof, yellow body and cabs including full yellow ends. In this respect they look rather like Network Rail liveried locomotives bar the white roof although the yellow is slightly paler. Underframes and buffer beams are a light blue colour similar to the former Network SouthEast original light blue. Bogies and tanks are black as is the beading around the cab windows. The large radiator grille is black, while all other grilles are yellow. Large TSO logos are applied centrally on the cab front below the windows and again on all cab sides. There is no logo on the bodyside doors. Numbers are once again in the Gill Sans font and in a similar position to EWS red locomotives but are near the headlight to allow for the TSO logo on the loco front. On the cab side, numbers are positioned near the bottom towards the back of the cab, again to allow for the TSO logo under the cab side windows. Numbers are the same light blue as the underframes and again have a dash in the same position between the number 58 and the loco number in the same manner as the SECO Rail locomotives. The TSO logo is a white circle with a light blue broken dashed rim on its outside edge. The cross section of a rail is depicted in the centre of the circle in light blue which is intersected by the TSO letters in the middle. Standard orange cantrail warning stripes are applied. There are no livery variations.

Copyright notice
All text on this page and any other page of the C58LG website is copyrighted to the Class 58 Locomotive Group, except where shown otherwise. Likewise, photographs are the property of the photographer or of the C58LG if no name is stated. If you wish to use any of the text on this website we would appreciate being informed of which text you are using and where it will be reproduced. All we ask for in return is an acknowledgement. High resolution photographs can be supplied upon request. Please e-mail our webmaster for more details if required. Thank you.