Image 08649, stabled, Electro-Motive, Longport
08649, stabled, Electro-Motive, Longport
08649, stabled, Electro-Motive, Longport What links 08649 and our new car? Read on........! 08649 dates from March 1959 being based at various depots including Bristol's Bath Road where I saw it many times as a young spotter in the 1970s. It then became one of Wolverton Works' resident shunters involved in the tripping of the Royal Train amongst other things and being named 'Bradwell'. After being sidelined due to crankshaft failure it was removed to a facility at nearby Silverstone where it was completely stripped; a process that took some considerable effort by all accounts. It was then rebuilt with a new six-point eight-litre John Deere diesel engine and a large battery pack from a Tesla matched to a couple of electric motors derived from the same. In this form, the shunter became a testbed for subsequent hybrid conversions with others now in operation at various locations around the country. The locomotive is seen as we pass its present operational base at Electro-Motive's Longport depot which also contains a number of poor-looking Class 56s and 47s one of which can be seen in the background. Keywords: 08649 Electro-Motive Longport
08649, stabled, Electro-Motive, Longport What links 08649 and our new car? Read on........! 08649 dates from March 1959 being based at various depots including Bristol's Bath Road where I saw it many times as a young spotter in the 1970s. It then became one of Wolverton Works' resident shunters involved in the tripping of the Royal Train amongst other things and being named 'Bradwell'. After being sidelined due to crankshaft failure it was removed to a facility at nearby Silverstone where it was completely stripped; a process that took some considerable effort by all accounts. It was then rebuilt with a new six-point eight-litre John Deere diesel engine and a large battery pack from a Tesla matched to a couple of electric motors derived from the same. In this form, the shunter became a testbed for subsequent hybrid conversions with others now in operation at various locations around the country. The locomotive is seen as we pass its present operational base at Electro-Motive's Longport depot which also contains a number of poor-looking Class 56s and 47s one of which can be seen in the background. Keywords: 08649 Electro-Motive Longport


What links 08649 and our new car? Read on........!

08649 dates from March 1959 being based at various depots including Bristol's Bath Road where I saw it many times as a young spotter in the 1970s. It then became one of Wolverton Works' resident shunters involved in the tripping of the Royal Train amongst other things and being named 'Bradwell'. After being sidelined due to crankshaft failure it was removed to a facility at nearby Silverstone where it was completely stripped; a process that took some considerable effort by all accounts. It was then rebuilt with a new six-point eight-litre John Deere diesel engine and a large battery pack from a Tesla matched to a couple of electric motors derived from the same. In this form, the shunter became a testbed for subsequent hybrid conversions with others now in operation at various locations around the country. The locomotive is seen as we pass its present operational base at Electro-Motive's Longport depot which also contains a number of poor-looking Class 56s and 47s one of which can be seen in the background.