One of the 20s broke down once. As the narration says, it overheated - and was probably fixed by just topping up the coolant. Note that it was this locomotive that is still in service today. Apparently they did most of the haulage using only two of the 20s anyway, because one of them had a smaller fuel tank, so they saved it for the steepest hills. The other breakdown was a Belgian locomotive - an electric. Don't ask me how they managed that - Belgium is almost as flat as the Netherlands, and that's saying something.
I remember this well (On International Mens Day last November, whilst I was in Mulberry 1 at Fulbourn Hospital in Cambridge, UK, after suffering some minor mental health issues, we had a talk from a former British Royal Air Force gunner who served in the Balkan War, plus in Iraq and Afghanistan).
An amazing story, and despite having done trainspotting several times each week on the line that leads from Belgium to Aachen in Germany I did not see this train nor had I seen it announced in media or the online running time tables you could find then on the very infant internet.
Thank you for sharing this! :-) I (Dutch) had never heard of this project, and it does deserve a tribute. [matter of opinion] I'd think (with hindsight!) that stuffing standard shipping containers with these goods would have been a better choice of transport, allowing for far more flexible routing. However, I admit that relating the aid to the railway initiators would then have been less obvious.
The problem with shipping containers is that you need the infrastructure to handle and unload them when they arrive. Note that the three locomotives were themselves part of the aid; they were used to perform vital logistics movements which there were not enough local locomotives to handle.
@@Kromaatikse Thank you. :-) Yes, when the locos were part of the aid... - Containers do provide flexibility: you could even leave them on the wagon or truck if you were unable to go intermodal. You could also move them using a fork-lift of certain dimensions (notably the fork). If available...
Brilliant, never knew this and was stood in that DRS shed a few months ago! Love a 20, that truly is an epic journey and proves their incredible staying power. I hear in the 50-60s, they used to leave the 20s running on idle all weekend (Willesden I think) - as startihg them up caused similar complaints to what they got on this vid in Calais... Great vid, thank you. Subscribed
8:30 General Jackson! I went to a lecture by him twenty years ago - he talked about the "theatre of war" being like an actual theatre and needing to give a convincing narrative to draw support to your side.
Correction: it's a Ukrainian design, originally developed for use in Hungary, and later adopted by East Germany as well as a number of other "behind the Iron Curtain" standard-gauge railways that couldn't sensibly use full-size Russian types. It might be well-known for its German nickname, but it's most certainly not a German design. It's also notorious for high fuel and oil consumption.
Probably due to signalling and driver aids etc, like the UK use TPWS, and AWS at the moment. Probably easier to use own countries locos rather than training drivers in CL20s controls. This is why most European countries are converting to ERTMS including the UK to combat this in the future.
@@JonBoweDon't hold your breath waiting for ERTMS to be implemented "everywhere" in Europe. ;-) In my perception (not yet opinion), the standardization of locomotive (and control car) dashboard layout to the industry standard of Germany may contribute more to international train services. - Here on the Continent, many trains (including probably most freight trains) are hauled by electric locomotives designed by Siemens and (German manufacturers now taken over by French) Alstom. The locos known by their DB class numbers 186, 189 and 193 can handle different voltages and safety systems, but they feature a similar (even identical?) dashboard lay-out. That standard seems followed by other manufacturers, like CAF and Stadler. - The Coradia Stream EMU by Alstom (known here in the Netherlands as ICNG) can automatically switch everything (pantograph, voltage, safety system) on the fly (with some manual acknowledgement apparently required when changing back from ERTMS to Dutch ATB).
@@chrislaarman7532 Don't worry I know the full extent of ERTMS, as I work on the rails in the UK. In my lifetime we may get in the south from the tunnel to London and the East coast. If true to any contract the cost will raise at least 6 fold, then 90% cancelled especially if those id10ts in Westminster are involved. We still rely on Cl 66/77 locos here as our main freight locos, it will depend on the foreign investors if we go Bi or Tri Module locos in the future.
@@wilfstor3078 The 20 was originally designed to handle light freight traffic on the mainline, as a direct replacement for steam locomotives of up to Class 4 or 5 power rating. This also motivated its single-cab design, as the poor "forward" visibility was comparable to that of a steam loco, while the better "backward" visibility would be helpful for shunting wagons at every wayside station. Other "Type 1" diesels were designed around the same brief, but the 20 and the smaller Class 14 diesel-hydraulic were the only successful designs. When the branch freight traffic dried up, the 20's ability to be worked in multiple gave it a very extensive second life hauling heavy freight trains.
The most reliable english electric locomotives. They only broke down twice.
that's why they sent three
@ shoulda added a fourth for good measure. Wouldn't have needed all those helper locos during the trip
@@mattsmocs3281 Allow me to toss the pun "breaksit". ;-)
@@RoamingAdhocrat :D Bet there's some super simple algorithm for this that increases reliability by a shedload
One of the 20s broke down once. As the narration says, it overheated - and was probably fixed by just topping up the coolant. Note that it was this locomotive that is still in service today. Apparently they did most of the haulage using only two of the 20s anyway, because one of them had a smaller fuel tank, so they saved it for the steepest hills.
The other breakdown was a Belgian locomotive - an electric. Don't ask me how they managed that - Belgium is almost as flat as the Netherlands, and that's saying something.
They said it could never be done, mission impossible. A great achievement that isn’t talked about enough today
Great story telling! Love your stories you create of different trains! 😃
That footage of the 20s starting up is hellfire 🔥🔥 A good friend of mine helps to maintain 20901 in presant day, it's an amazing loco.
What depot is 20901 based at?
@bfapple Nemesis Rail, Burton currently.
Something I did not know!
Very interesting
I remember this well (On International Mens Day last November, whilst I was in Mulberry 1 at Fulbourn Hospital in Cambridge, UK, after suffering some minor mental health issues, we had a talk from a former British Royal Air Force gunner who served in the Balkan War, plus in Iraq and Afghanistan).
Only ever seen pictures I’m so happy to see this video!
Although I’d read about this before, it is nice to see a video of this!
An amazing story, and despite having done trainspotting several times each week on the line that leads from Belgium to Aachen in Germany I did not see this train nor had I seen it announced in media or the online running time tables you could find then on the very infant internet.
Thank you for sharing this! :-) I (Dutch) had never heard of this project, and it does deserve a tribute. [matter of opinion]
I'd think (with hindsight!) that stuffing standard shipping containers with these goods would have been a better choice of transport, allowing for far more flexible routing. However, I admit that relating the aid to the railway initiators would then have been less obvious.
The problem with shipping containers is that you need the infrastructure to handle and unload them when they arrive. Note that the three locomotives were themselves part of the aid; they were used to perform vital logistics movements which there were not enough local locomotives to handle.
@@Kromaatikse Thank you. :-) Yes, when the locos were part of the aid... - Containers do provide flexibility: you could even leave them on the wagon or truck if you were unable to go intermodal. You could also move them using a fork-lift of certain dimensions (notably the fork). If available...
Brilliant, never knew this and was stood in that DRS shed a few months ago! Love a 20, that truly is an epic journey and proves their incredible staying power.
I hear in the 50-60s, they used to leave the 20s running on idle all weekend (Willesden I think) - as startihg them up caused similar complaints to what they got on this vid in Calais...
Great vid, thank you. Subscribed
can you make a video on the electrostars?
8:30 General Jackson! I went to a lecture by him twenty years ago - he talked about the "theatre of war" being like an actual theatre and needing to give a convincing narrative to draw support to your side.
Nice video. Piece of railway history and help in need. ❤
i never thought that i would see a czech locomotive next to a british one
Wow I never knew of this
Nice story and good story telling!
6:24 The irony being that the train you referred to as "Very USSR looking" is actually a German design...
It was built by Voroshilovgrad locomotive works in Luhansk
Yep.
Error 🤡
Correction: it's a Ukrainian design, originally developed for use in Hungary, and later adopted by East Germany as well as a number of other "behind the Iron Curtain" standard-gauge railways that couldn't sensibly use full-size Russian types. It might be well-known for its German nickname, but it's most certainly not a German design. It's also notorious for high fuel and oil consumption.
tonibler approved
A credit to the late Max Joule of DRS
This will never happen again due to train control systems
With European train control standardisation, it’s not too hard to see it being normal.
Well, the history runs in circles: th-cam.com/video/D5sL7_W1_2g/w-d-xo.html The route was shorter though.
It's still bad in Kosovo
No where near as bad since 2008 it’s been peaceful in most of the country other then the northern parts near the border with Serbia
@Thegoldenemerald
The Serbians were evicted. I have neighbours from there
train needed 3 britisg made locos yet for most it was halled by 1 european locomotive englis locos included
Credit where it's due, the Class 20 was a small engine meant for use in Yards, whereas the other locos were high horsepower mainline electrics...
Probably due to signalling and driver aids etc, like the UK use TPWS, and AWS at the moment. Probably easier to use own countries locos rather than training drivers in CL20s controls.
This is why most European countries are converting to ERTMS including the UK to combat this in the future.
@@JonBoweDon't hold your breath waiting for ERTMS to be implemented "everywhere" in Europe. ;-) In my perception (not yet opinion), the standardization of locomotive (and control car) dashboard layout to the industry standard of Germany may contribute more to international train services. - Here on the Continent, many trains (including probably most freight trains) are hauled by electric locomotives designed by Siemens and (German manufacturers now taken over by French) Alstom. The locos known by their DB class numbers 186, 189 and 193 can handle different voltages and safety systems, but they feature a similar (even identical?) dashboard lay-out. That standard seems followed by other manufacturers, like CAF and Stadler. - The Coradia Stream EMU by Alstom (known here in the Netherlands as ICNG) can automatically switch everything (pantograph, voltage, safety system) on the fly (with some manual acknowledgement apparently required when changing back from ERTMS to Dutch ATB).
@@chrislaarman7532 Don't worry I know the full extent of ERTMS, as I work on the rails in the UK.
In my lifetime we may get in the south from the tunnel to London and the East coast. If true to any contract the cost will raise at least 6 fold, then 90% cancelled especially if those id10ts in Westminster are involved.
We still rely on Cl 66/77 locos here as our main freight locos, it will depend on the foreign investors if we go Bi or Tri Module locos in the future.
@@wilfstor3078 The 20 was originally designed to handle light freight traffic on the mainline, as a direct replacement for steam locomotives of up to Class 4 or 5 power rating. This also motivated its single-cab design, as the poor "forward" visibility was comparable to that of a steam loco, while the better "backward" visibility would be helpful for shunting wagons at every wayside station. Other "Type 1" diesels were designed around the same brief, but the 20 and the smaller Class 14 diesel-hydraulic were the only successful designs. When the branch freight traffic dried up, the 20's ability to be worked in multiple gave it a very extensive second life hauling heavy freight trains.