Photo © Jeff Buck (cc-by-sa/2.0)
Snowdon Railway, a popular attraction in Snowdonia, has revealed that they have ordered 2 new locomotives – which are the first of their kind to be built in the UK for over 27 years.
A locomotive is the power unit of a train, which pulls the coaches. They have ordered two battery-diesel hybrid locomotives, which is their first step in replacing the diesel engines, that have been in service for over 30 years.
The rail service is currently closed for the winter season, but should be re-opening again in March, with the services expecting to be ready to reach the summit again some point at the beginning of May.
The historic train will be using this modern technology by this summer, to take thousands of people to the summit of Snowdon – the highest mountain in Wales. That’s not all… the new engines will allow up to 12 more passengers per train! Thus allowing the railway to extend its existing service.
The railway is the only one in Britain to use a rack and pinion system, which can cope with the steep gradients (and a climb of 1085m) in the land up to the summit from Llanberis. The steam locomotives will be retained – these have been in use since the railway track was first laid towards the end of the 19th century.
The new locomotives have cost a huge £1.1 million. These will be driven by maintenance free electric motors, and a generator will be used to charge the batteries for the way up the mountain.
Mike Robertshaw, the senior engineering manager of Snowdon Mountain Railway said that the diesel generator will be turned off on the downhill runs. To generate the power for the next ascent, the batteries will be recharged using regenerative service braking.
This massive investment is the perfect opportunity for the railway to move forward to the next generation. The new engines will be quieter in comparison to the old diesel motors, and they also produce lower emissions. This makes them a lot more environmentally friendly.
This proposal from Clayton Equipment LTD helps Snowdon Mountain Railway have better fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and take a step forward. They are currently being built by the firm, who is based in Staffordshire, and hope to be delivered and in service by May.
