POWER BY THE HOUR
The virus timetable reductions and collapse in passenger numbers have enabled the East Anglian passenger operator to remove its final loco-hauled trains from service earlier than expected.
GA stands down Class 90 fleet.
WITH the Greater Anglia Mk.3s already having received a three-month extension to the January 1 deadline for removal from traffic, due to lack of passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) compliance, March 31 was then planned to be the final day of operation for the Class 90s after 17 years in East Anglia. However, the impact of the coronavirus crisis brought this forward by a week.
The locos and coaches were first introduced on the Great Eastern Main Line between Liverpool Street and Norwich with the newNational Express ‘One’ railway franchise on April 1, 2004, in the form of 15 locomotives and stock cascaded from Virgin Trains’ West Coast operations.
Nos. 90003 and 90004 were the first to make the move and the transition into the much derided ‘refresher’ livery, the former being tasked with working the launch train – the former The Herald being renamed Raedwald of East Anglia on the same day.
RAPID DECLINE
As February ticked into March this year, seven of the 11 traditionally loco-hauled GEML diagrams were still in the hands of Class 90 locomotives, with new Stadler Class 745 ‘Flirt’ EMUs handling the other four duties. Nos. 90002, 90003, 90004, 90005, 90006, 90007, 90008, 90009, 90011, 90012, 90013 and 90015 were all observed on these services into the middle of March, with No. 90004 even acting as a ‘Thunderbird’ locomotive on March 10 to assist ailing Rail Operations Group Class 37 No. 37608 to take No. 745008 from Ipswich to Harwich Parkeston Quay
(revised from its original destination of Bounds Green, North London).
By March 21, there were just three Class 90 diagrams in operation, with the locomotives being progressively stopped ahead of the end of the month deadline.
However, the introduction of a reduced one-train-per-hour timetable on March 23, in the face of the coronavirus crisis, brought the class’ domination of the London-Norwich route to an abrupt end. No. 90008 was the sole representative of the type in operation that day, with the
1P68/21.30 Liverpool St-Norwich initially expected to be the last train.
LAST DAY
However, the actual final day was
March 24, with No. 90008 being replaced by No. 90001 for the last workings. The absolute final scheduled loco-hauled train out of ‘The Street’ was the 1P60/19.30 to Norwich, with the Class 90 and Mk.3s then being replaced by No. 745004 on its first day in service for the run back to London.
Despite this, No. 90005 was recorded propelling a 5P04/09.30 Harwich
Parkeston-Norwich empty stock move on March 31 (with Mk.3 DVT No. 92136 leading), but it was not clear at the time of writing if any further Class 90-powered stockmoves would be taking place.
Nos. 90001 and 90002 have been claimed by Locomotive Services Ltd, while Nos. 90002-90015 will go to Freightliner to allow it to make inroads into its now 55-year-old fleet of Class 86/6s. It is likely that No. 90014 will be among the first to be revealed in G&W orange livery having been at Crewe
EMD undergoing an F exam since late January.