The Noisy Class 66 Locomotive
The Class 66 locomotive used on UK railways is not a friendly beast as it makes a lot of noise and smell. There is a Wikipedia section on Cab Design Problems, which says this.
The British trade union ASLEF has complained that the locomotives are unfit and unsafe to work in, citing a lack of air conditioning, and poor seating and noise levels.
I’ve spoken to various Class 66 drivers and many don’t like the working environment, but like things like the reliability.
If you type “Class 66 noise” into Google, you find some interesting articles.
One interesting point about Class 66 locomotives is that they don’t meet the new emission regulations and so no more can be ordered. The details are all here on Wikipedia.
Because of this and the noise and smells the locomotives, I think that they should where possible, not work trains through built-up areas.
The Anonymous Widower 
[…] 1. More and more freight trains are going across Suffolk to and from the port of Felixstowe. At present all are diesel hauled, mainly by noisy and smelly Class 66s. […]
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[…] for some time, that they have little place on the electrified lines in built-up areas. I wrote The Noisy Class 66 Locomotive on the subject a couple of years […]
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