Congratulations to Freightliner for breaking away from the GM strangle hold on the market, it is about time a modern product was developed for Europe.
I am sure that cab comfort will be high on the agenda for the unions as they appear to have failed to get anything done about the older class 66 which are a nightmare to operate. The newer 66 are not so bad but still leave a lot to be desired. A modern looking class 58 great !

Freighliner and GE have released more details of this loco at the Innotrans event in Berlin.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news_view/article/2008/09/8844/freightliner_powerhaul_design_on_show.html

Hate to be a Party Pooper here but what on earth happened to Britain's locomotive building industry?, as everyone knows in the steam days Britain and America exported loco's all over the world now it seems its just America, I never thought I would see the day that American power would run on British steel in such a big way, looks like Britain is destined to be like Australia where just about everything is American built or built under license in Australia, one of the things I used to admire most about locomotives in Britain was that they were unique to that country, I have nothing against American loco's but I guess I am just a little sad that the American loco's are getting a bit of a stranglehold on the UK.

David

Have to agree David.
Only the Americans seem willing to build diesels to suit our restrictive loading gauge. Perhaps it might be a different story if we had more electrified lines and needed new electric freight locos ......................We could then be flooded with German stuff.:D

Dont think the engineering now exists in the country to pull a project together like this at the right price :(

David, why not go a step further and ask what happened to British heavy industry. We make nothing do we.
Paul.

This is very sad, we in Oz are in the same boat all we do is supply the raw materials and make very little ourselves, nearly all Aussie owned brands have been snapped up by large overseas companies.

I dont think the Americans have it all their own way though, I did read where I think Venezuela are buying 200 new diesel locomotives from China, if China can spread their wings with loco's like they have with everything else even GE may find themselves in some kind of price war.

David.

David,
You asked about the British Locomotive Industry, it is now in a small shed in Darlington.
One loco every 18 years!!!!!
John (G)

Crikey John that is even worse than Oz, I thought Hunslet were building a replacement for the Class 08 Shunter?, if they do I guess it will better than nothing.

I used to be proud of Britain's manufacturing might, Ships, Locomotives and Cars, I can remember when train loads of cars used to leave the Longbridge Austin Factory in the 1950s, hard to believe that many now come from Japan and Korea, I think we lost the plot somewhere along the line., one day it will come back to bite us on the you know what.

David.

I was of course referring to a main line locomotive although that could also be termed Model Engineering in 12 inch to the foot scale however Hunslet do make the little Quarry locos to order.
If I win the lottery I'll have one and a circle of two foot track to play on.
John (G)