I was doing the third rail journey chapter, first "mission" (6H72), in the Class 70 on WCML: Crewe to Milton Keynes and I usually try to play with the speedometer HUD off most of the time, while occasionally pressing F5 if I'm in doubt of my speed (though I try not to cheat). While going by one of the speed limit signs for 75 (just 75, no divider for freight/passenger) I checked my HUD out of curiosity and saw it was actually saying the speed limit was 60. Is this the actual speed limit for the new Class 70 (even though the cab says a max of 75), or is this a bug? I'm hauling empty MLA wagons, are those wagons only rated for 60 or something?
Freight services are usually limited in speed. In this class, since you're using a class 6 service (with a headcode that starts with 6) you're limited to 60mph.
Class 9 also used to apply to unfitted freight trains which IIRC were restricted to 25 MPH. Long banished from the network, of course!
Thanks, that list is very helpful. I'm still surprised that's limited to 60 for this rail journey headcode considering they're empty freight wagons, especially after trying the Class 70 on some other routes. I used the Class 70 as a stand on GWE (just the timetable, not journey) on an intermodal which actually weighed more than the one where I was limited to 60, and the speed limit on that was limited to 75, not 60 (despite being more weight). Not sure if that's normal and supposed to be like that, and the headcode was 4L08, but just a bit confusing and inconsistent seeming coming from someone who regularly runs German freight and being used to my top speed being limited by the weight of the freight I'm pulling.
Maximum train speed in UK is dictated by the available brake force in relation to the train weight using table E1 of the working manual for rail staff (or was - maybe document called something else these days) and also the max speed of the slowest vehicle in the formation. Headcode class is determined by this.
Another great chart, and I see that speed limit confirmed for the weight of the wagons on WCML: Crewe to MK, but that also seems to support that some of the speed limits are incorrect for freight on other routes, as I'm seeing loaded wagons with a weight well over 1000t that are still allowing a max speed limit of 75 for routes like GWE and WCML: LE to MK on the UI.
