diesel axle loads

Hi,

Does anyone know how to work out a diesels axle load in tonnes like a steam loco is.

I ask as I'm looking at using a few diesels in some acts for msts, However when picking my loco's I work to real axle loads in tonnes not in route availability Like what diesels are specified in

Example class 37 Route availability 5

Hi Ben,
I may be being a little simplistic here, but couldn't the weight of the loco be divided by the number of axles?
For example, wikipedia gives the weight of a Class 37 (not 37/7 or 37/9) as 100 - 105 UK tons; taking the mean value, it results in about 17.1 tons per axle. 37/7 and 37/9 are ballasted to 120 tons which is much easier to work out, at 20 tons per axle!

Cheers,
Ged

Lots of information on locomotives can be found HERE including locomotive weights - just click on the class that you're interested in. However I don't know where one can obtain the breakdown of individual axle loads.
However the breakdown may not be quite so easy as Ged suggests; e.g. the A1A-A1A for the Class 31 would give different loads for the powered and pony axles. Another example where variation in axle load relates to the uneven weight distribution of the Class 28 which forced the use of 6 wheel bogies at one end and 4 wheel bogies at the other in order to stay within RA 8.

Hi,
That looks to be a very useful site, Alec; there's a little more information here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_availability.

However, Ben, if you want to use the axle-weight of a loco to determine if it was suitable, you'd also need to know the Availability code of the path you're writing the activity for, wouldn't you?   Then again, according to wikipedia, individual items of rolling stock also have an RA rating!

I did say my suggestion was simplistic!!

Cheers,
Ged

The route I need the information for is the LSC route Between Victoria and Brighton/Bognor, Littlehampton and Portsmouth Via the Arun Valley line.

Further more Victoria to Portsmouth Via Hove and the West coast way from Portsmouth to Brighton.

Aswell as the route Between Norwood Junction and London Bridge.

Ben,

What class of diesel are thinking of using,a class 33 would be ok,class 31 virtually never visited the Southern,Hymek and Warships Ok Class 37,47,class 24\25 in the early days some 24's operated on the Southern Region,class 66 regulary visit the region,there is a weekly oil train from Fawley- Gatwick.it goes via the West Coast Way,ArunValley and London to Brighton.

As all the routes mentioned are to main line standard I would say any diesel would be ok
Electro Diesels in Service Southern\Gatwick Express Thunderbird 73202 based at Stewerts Lane,also GBRf have some usualy used by Network Rail on enginnering trains on the electrifieid sections of the old Southern Region.

It really depends what era you are making activities for,as to what diesels to use,current you are limited to virtually class 66's and the 73 mentioned above,up to the mid 2000;s you can have Gatwick Express class 73's Virgin 47's EWS 37,47 and class 66,BR up until Privitisation virtually any diesel loco.

Mike

mikehendle wrote:Ben,

What class of diesel are thinking of using,a class 33 would be ok,class 31 virtually never visited the Southern,Hymek and Warships Ok Class  37,47,class 24\25 in the early days some 24's operated on the Southern Region,class 66 regulary visit the region,there is a weekly oil train from Fawley- Gatwick.it goes via the West Coast Way,ArunValley and London to Brighton.

As all the routes mentioned are to main line standard I would say any diesel would be ok
Electro Diesels in Service Southern\Gatwick Express Thunderbird 73202 based at Stewerts Lane,also GBRf have some usualy used by Network Rail on enginnering trains on the electrifieid sections of the old Southern Region.

It really depends what era you are making activities for,as to what diesels to use,current you are limited to virtually class 66's and the 73 mentioned above,up to the mid 2000;s you can have Gatwick Express class 73's Virgin 47's EWS 37,47 and class 66,BR up until Privitisation virtually any diesel loco.

Mike

Mike,

It's More for rail tours, VSOE dinning trains etc. You have a pm on the oil train.

Ben
Most charter trains these days are hauled WCRC class 37 or 47,other loco's class 67, and WCRC Mk2 coaches,and sometimes DRS locomotives,including the new class 68 diesel locomotives.
Mike

Hi Ben.
Just to add to Mikes list, Class 31s did go to Brighton circa 1998 to 2003 I think! It was a Fridays only working from Bristol to Brighton top and tailed.
Sadly all the freight traffic has disappeared over the years,there was not that much anyway, As well as the class 33 hauled Fawley to Salfords aviation fuel
train, there was also a 0135 Westbury Ardingly and 0900ish return class 56 hauled, both trains were as far as I remember routed via Preston park, Hove and
along the West sussex coast line, We at Eastleigh only worked as far as Chichester bring relieved or relieving Brighton based crews. The class 56s were
56001 and locos in the 56031-56049 batch.
There was during the 1980s and early 90s the 0850SO Brighton Exeter and 1410 return double headed class 33/0 with the East Grinstead/Uckfield mk 1 stock.
Prior to that, it was worked by a 6L and 6B Hastings DEMU.
There was also a Sundays 1640 or there abouts Brighton to Plymouth via Portsmouth Harbour worked between Brighton and Pompey by class 33/0 or 73/1.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Andy