DB CARGO has told The RM it plans to use Class 66 locomotives re-geared to provide greater tractive effort on some of its services previously operated by Class 60s.
The company still has 64 Class 60s in its fleet, but 48 of these were already in storage before it was revealed in November that it would be withdrawing the remainder from use. Eleven were due to be taken out of service by the end of the 2023, but four are to remain in service on a short term basis, with a fifth retained for engineering training.
Ten DB Cargo Class 66s will be converted into HTE (Higher Tractive Effort) locomotives and designated Class 66/6, a subclass already used to denote members of the Freightliner fleet which are also geared to handle heavier freight workings.