Naming Update
Following repair work at Toton depot in Nottinghamshire, GB Railfreight’s 60085 returned to traffic in mid-february, complete with small Snowdon nameplates applied on the bodysides. The nameplates are of a similar style to those previously carried by Class 44 Peak locomotives, with Snowdon being the name once applied to 44009. As already reported in our news pages, LNER has named 801225
Eleanor in recognition of the train operator’s new television advertising campaign, with the train carrying the name in prominent lettering on the driving vehicle of the Azuma, with vinyl images of the puppet character also displayed on the exterior of the train. The naming of 801225 follows similar initiatives carried out by LNER in recent months, which has seen 801226 named Together, 801228
Century, and 800106 You Belong. With a number of Great Western Railway Class 43 Castle Class high-speed train coming off-lease in recent weeks, work has begun on removing the nameplates from the off-lease power cars, with 43027 shorn of its Acton Castle nameplates before it departed from Laira depot on a low-loader for movement to Eastern Rail Services Vauxhall Carriage Sidings facility at
Great Yarmouth. It is widely expected that the power car will be included in the next batch of HST vehicles to be exported to Mexico.
The Bob Paisley nameplates applied to Merseyrail’s 507004 were removed at Birkenhead North following its removal from service, with the withdrawn EMU sent for scrapping at Sims Metals, Newport, on February 5, alongside last-withdrawn Class 508, 508104.