In 2009, Direct Rail Services (DRS) ordered a small fleet of locos designed to remain in service until at least 2036 and futureproof its core business, transporting nuclear flask traffic. The new stock was designed to replace the company's heritage diesel fleet and, since DRS was moving into loco hire, its chartered services have since been employed on mixed freight and passenger routes. In total, 34 locomotives were built based on manufacturer Vossloh's Eurolight. Now built by Stadtler Rail, the Class 68 has found a niche on many networks including with Chiltern Railways, on the Wherry Lines in East Anglia, along the Cumbrian Coast and on the TransPennine route, to name a few. A detailed technical specification of the locomotive is included in this book, together with a review of DRS's chartered services of recent years, including on railtours. Illustrated with more than 100 photographs, this visual guide presents a comprehensive overview of the role of today's Class 68. AUTHOR: Andy Flowers has been a freelance railway photographer and journalist for over 25 years. He has worked for a wide range of UK-based railway magazines including The Railway Magazine, Railway World, Traction, Railways Illustrated, Rail Express and Todays Railways. He also worked for railway publishers Platform 5 as a news editor and features writer and has prepared a number of articles for foreign railway magazines.
