British Rail Class 68

British Rail Class 68
A DRS Class 68 locomotive
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Vossloh España (2013–2015) Stadler Rail Valencia (2016–2017) Model Stadler UKLight[1] Build date 2013–2017 Total produced 34
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC Bo′Bo′  • Commonwealth Bo-Bo Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Wheel diameter 1,100 mm (3 ft 7+1⁄3 in) Loco weight approximately 85 t (84 long tons; 94 short tons)[2] Fuel type diesel Fuel capacity 5,000 L (1,100 imp gal; 1,300 US gal) Prime mover Caterpillar C175-16[3] Traction motors Four ABB 4FRA6063 (600 kW) MU working Within class and with Class 88.[4] 68008-68015: AAR system (Classes 59, 66, 67, 69, 70, and 73/9) Train heating Electric, HEP inverter up to 500 kW (ETH index 96[5]) Loco brake Blended: Rheostatic braking (2,100 kW); electropneumatic.[2]
Performance figures Maximum speed 100 mph (160 km/h) Power output 3,800 hp (2,800 kW) at 1,740 rpm Tractive effort 317 kN (71,000 lbf)
Career Operators Direct Rail Services Chiltern Railways TransPennine Express Numbers 68001–68034 Official name UKLight Axle load class RA 7[4] Delivered 2014 First run 2014 Current owner Beacon Rail Direct Rail Services [6]
Sources: Technical parameters.[7] (except where noted)

The Class 68 is a type of mainline mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotive manufactured by Stadler Rail Valencia (and previously by Vossloh España) for Direct Rail Services (DRS) in the United Kingdom. The design is derived from the Stadler Eurolight, and Stadler's product name for this variant is the UKLight.

On 5 January 2012, DRS announced the placement of an order for fifteen Class 68 locomotives, the first of which arrived in the UK during January 2014. The first batch of Class 68s was quickly followed by a second batch, also intended for DRS and the first batch to be built by Stadler. The delivery of these locomotives was completed during April 2016. A third batch of Class 68s was also ordered, deliveries of which were completed during July 2017. The Class 68 has since been followed by two related locomotives, the Class 88 and Class 93.

Since its introduction in 2014, the Class 68 has been used on numerous passenger and freight operations, including DRS's nuclear flask trains. In addition to DRS's freight operations, the operator has also used the type to haul various charter trains. Several units have been subleased to other operators, including Chiltern Railways, Abellio ScotRail, and TransPennine Express, for passenger services, hauling various rakes of carriages to do so, in some cases being outfitted with Association of American Railroads (AAR) push-pull apparatus.