LSL expands with HST power cars
Three former East Midlands Trains Class 43s have joined the Locomotive Services fleet.
WITH a growing fleet of InterCity Swallow-liveried motive power that includes Classes 47, 86, 87 and 90, there was an obvious gap in the Locomotive Services Ltd roster that has now been filled with the acquisition of three MAN/Paxman VP185-engined HST power cars.
These have been sidelined by
East Midlands Trains following the reallocation of MTU R41-engined exLNER power cars from the East Coast to the Midland Main Line.
The first to arrive at LSL’s Crewe depot, just a stone’s throw from its BREL Crewe Works birthplace, was
No. 43083 on June 10 (built February 1978 for ECML set No. 254014). The former Porterbrook machine was hauled from store at Long Marston by
No. 47593 (as a 5Z22 move), before moving again the next day (11th) to Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh for a repaint behind No. 47712.
Two weeks later on June 25,
Nos. 43046 and 43055 (built at Crewe in March and June 1977 for Western Region sets Nos. 253023 and 253027 respectively) moved under their own power, working an 0Z43 Neville Hill (Leeds) to Crewe transfer to their new owner.
LSL would just need a Class 91 now to complete the late BR InterCity era main line ‘set’.
LSL REPAINTS
Clarifying the story in the May issue (RE288), LSL has actually acquired Class 20s Nos. 20096 and 20107 outright from HNRC, the pair being transferred into LSL ownership in February. The former has now been repainted into BR green livery and given its original number No. D8096.
Ex-Greater Anglia Class 90s
Nos. 90001 and 90002 have also been completed at Eastleigh, both being outshopped in InterCity Swallow livery to match Nos. 86101 and 87002 and LSL’s newly-repainted Mk.3 coaches being released from Arriva Traincare at Crewe. The two Class 90s were returned to Crewe by ScotRail
No. 47712 on June 11 (0Z37).
ROG ‘91s’ ON THE MOVE:
ENo. 57312 was tasked with delivering ROG Class 91s Nos. 91128 and 91122 to Wabtec at Doncaster for attention on June 14, the same locomotive collecting them and returning them to Leicester depot six days later on the 20th. The following week
(June 26), No. 37884 was in charge of a similar duty dragging Europhoenix’s mainland Europe-bound Class 91 pair
Nos. 91117 and 91120 to Wabtec for testing and any modifications that are required ahead of their export. This latter move is pictured leaving Leicester.