Former ‘Grid' No. 69002 dedicated to GBRf director Bob Tiller
AFTER its main line tests in the second half of June (see August issue), No. 69001 Mayflower (ex56031) was returned to Longport for further work on July 4, the loco being moved north from Tonbridge as 0M69 to Bescot on July 4 behind No. 66776.
The same pair completed their journey to Progress Rail the following day (5th). The Class 66/7 returned south with No. 69002, transferring the large logo former No. 56311 south as 0O69 to Eastleigh Works.
On No. 69002's previous visit to the Hampshire facility in May it was little more than an empty shell with no power unit, cab control desks and other equipment, but this time the repurposed ‘Type 5' was complete and ready for action. It made its maiden run under its own power just a few days later on July 10, working 0Z69 from Eastleigh to London Waterloo, rather appropriately with large logoliveried cousin No. 66789.
The reason for the trip to Platform 19 at Waterloo was to dedicate the locomotive to Bob Tiller CM&EE, the engineering director at GB Railfreight, who is planning to retire at the end of 2021. In his 45-year railway career that began on the Western Region in 1976 he has overseen many major engineering projects, including the reworking of Classes 47, 73,
HSTs and, most recently the Class
69s themselves.
After the naming, Nos. 66789 and 69002 made the 0Z70 trip down to Tonbridge West Yard, although surprisingly there were no test runs for the latter, which returned to Longport behind Nos. 66716 (0M69) on July 18 and 19 via a layover at Bescot. On arrival at Progress Rail, the two ‘69s' again made a swap, No. 69001 behind hauled south back to Tonbridge by
No. 66716 (0O69) on the same day. The following day (20th) Mayflower was back on test, working an 0Y70 circular run with Nos. 73962 and 73965. Earlier that month, both active Class 69s had been reallocated to the new GBRG pool (GBRf Class 69) from GBGS (GBRf stored Class 56).