Tideway Tunnelling Locomotives

Tideway Tunnelling Locomotives
Locomotive number 2 in the shed at Boston Lodge 02/07/24
Home Railway	FR
Original Railway	Tideway Tunnelling Project
Status	Under test
History
Built by	Clayton Equipment Ltd
Built	2013
2023	Arrived on FR
Technical
Wheel Arrangement	4wBE
Fuel	Battery Electric
Locomotives

The Tideway Tunnelling Locomotives are two 14 tonne 150 hp battery electric locomotives on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. They are intended for use as works shunters.

History

Background

In 2023 the F&WHR was made aware of two 20 tonne 4wBE (4 wheel Battery Electric) locomotives from the Thames Tideway Scheme that had become available for sale. These would have exceeded the F&WHR 8 ton axle limit and were already sold when F&WHR raised an enquiry. However, the next week two Clayton 14 tonne 4wBE locomotives became available from the same source and these were acquired by the F&WHR. They cost £12,000 + shipping and were driven to the bottom of the shaft under their own power. The lot consisted of two 9 tonne locomotives, six 5 tonne battery packs, four hi-power battery charging sets, two wheeled axles with their final drive gearbox and miscellaneous spares.

They are adjustable gauge from 610 mm to 750 mm, and are being adapted to the F&WHR gauge of 597 mm (1ft 11½"). It is hoped that the locomotives could become works shunters and reduce the need for the railway to use diesels in this role, thus reducing the fuel bill and carbon emissions.

There are two similar ex-tunnelling Clayton locomotives on the South Tynedale Railway (610 mm). These 15 tonne locomotives were used for underground track replacement for TfL. They have 75hp power on each axle.

Controls of locomotive number 2

Commissioning for FfWHR service

Two of the battery packs were sent to Northern Industrial Battery Services for an overhaul, the rest (four) will follow. A new lower power charger has been bought. The chargers bought with the locomotives took too much power for the existing cabling at Boston Lodge. A battery has been charged and "Loco 2" has been checked to be functional. Standard Clayton charging is three phase. . Further investigation of the high power chargers has revealed them to contain four lower power chargers, which could be use individually. These could allow the locomotives to be recharged at a number of different location across the railways.

The two spare axles have been regauged to 597 mm (1ft 11½") and swapped with those on "Loco 2". Loco 2 was selected as it happened to be nearer the shed door, in front of Loco 1. Loco 2 can be identified by the large blue 2 painted on the side of the cab.

Locomotive number 2 was in action moving other locomotives around the yard at Boston Lodge in early July 2024. There are proposals to replace the single-person cabs at each end with a larger cab at one end only (similar to other locomotives on the railway). This cab would be raised up and wider so that the driver can see over the locomotive and around coupled stock (see South Tynedale Railway above). The revised cab position would also enable the couplings to be pivoted closer to the wheelbase (under the raised cab), to allow operation on tighter radius curves. The space previously occupied by the second cab could be used to mount a vacuum brake exhauster. Two of the six battery packs have been reconditioned.