NEWS UPDATE
DB CARGO
FOLLOWING the arrival of Nos. 66010, 66028 and 66190, three further Euro Cargo Rail Class 66s have returned to the UK from the continent. Nos. 66032, 66073 and 66205 all made the trip through the Channel Tunnel in the first week of July before moving north to Toton, via Scunthorpe and Doncaster on the 9th. The final stage of the journey (6M67 from Belmont Yard) was undertaken behind No. 60040, leading a mega convoy of seven EMD ‘Type 5s' with Nos. 66060, 66061, 66075 and 66154!
Meanwhile, Nos. 66055 and 66088 have both been stored WQAA at Toton, while Nos. 66017, 66037, 66057, 66100 and 66207, all stopped in April, have all been demoted from WQAA to WQAB suggesting they won't be returning to traffic any time soon.
At the end of July DBC released
No. 66004 in a leafy green ‘I am a climate hero' livery, celebrating the latest Class 66 to be converted to 100% HVO operation.
FREIGHTLINER
STORED DHLT in May, Nos. 66955 and 66957 were reactivated in July – despite remaining in the storage pool – and dispatched south to Westbury, via Crewe Basford Hall, along with No. 66594 on the 25th.
A fourth member of the ex-Greater Anglia Class 90 fleet has emerged in the G&W orange/black/yellow scheme,
No. 90003 departing Wolverton after the attention of the paintshop on July 23.
LNER
TWO further Class 91s returned to traffic during the period under review bringing the active fleet of ‘Electra' locomotives up to 10. No. 91107 – still named Skyfall – was the first to be resurrected from Neville Hill, being recorded working a 1A01 Leeds to King's Cross on June 30. This was followed just a week later on July 7 by No. 91109 – famously the final Class 91 to leave Bounds Green earlier this year – which was placed on a similar diagram. This leaves just Nos. 91114 and 91127 in the IECA pool yet to be reactivated.
LSL
NOW wearing Rail Charter Services livery, HST power cars Nos. 43058 & 43059 and Mk.3 trailers Nos. 40804, 41160, 41166, 41187 and 44081, departed Eastleigh Works on July 12, the train working 5Z64 to Crewe Diesel. The green and silver formation was sent north on a shakedown and demonstrator run on the 15th, running 1Z80 from Settle to Carlisle and 1Z81 return before heading back to Crewe. No. 43058 deputised for No. 43055 the following day (16th) on a Preston to Cardiff ‘Heart of Wales Pullman' after a shunting incident at the DMD left the Midland Pullman power car requiring significant nose end repairs. This substitution was not without issue as No. 43058 was failed at Cynghordy, resulting in a three-hour delay. Fortunately, the issues were repaired in time for the Staycation Express set to move north on July 18, ready to work its first passenger service on the 19th.
As for No. 43055, it was taken to Neville Hill for repairs on July 22 by
No. 37667, where it joined the other Midland Pullman power car, No. 43046, which was at the Leeds depot receiving mechanical attention. It had been moved to West Yorkshire on July 18 by No. 43049, undertaking its first job for LSL after joining the operator in May.
Finally, completing a difficult month for LSL's fleet, No. 47501 (which wears D1944 in service) returned light engine (0Z21) from Eastleigh Works on July 13 after several months of repairs, only to fail at Nuneaton. It was rescued by No. 37667 on the 14th and dragged the remainder of the trip to Crewe.
DIRECT RAIL SERVICES
IT was a problematic month for the surviving members of the DRS Class 37 fleet with multiple locomotive failures, three of them taking place over several days on the same series of railtour!
No. 37419 was the first to fall by the wayside, expiring in a cloud of acrid smoke (apparently due to the radiator fan expiring) at Culgaith on July 2, the first day of the Branch Line Society's four-day ‘Summer Syphons' tour. It was left at nearby Kirkby Thore, while Nos. 37423, 66044 and 66053 took the heavily delayed train forward. Day three of the tour (July 4) was named ‘The Primary Colours', but there were only red alarms for Nos. 37422 and 37423 which were declared failures at York with low coolant pressure and electrical issues, respectively, after the 1Z43 run from Crewe.
No. 37716 recovered Nos. 37422 and 37423 from York, returning them to Gresty Bridge for attention on July 6, while No. 37419 was rescued from Kirkby Thore the following day (7th) by No. 68006 and moved back to Kingmoor. The Mainline-liveried Class 37/4 was back in service just a few days later and was sent north to Scotland on the 13th to replace No. 37069 which had broken down while on RHTT route learning duties between Inverness and Aberdeen. Sadly No. 37419 disgraced itself again and was returned south dead behind
No. 66421 working the 1H11 Inverness to Mossend on July 20.
NEMESIS RAIL
CLASS 31 No. 31454, which had been one of the locomotives mounted on track panels (along with Nos. 37503, 60050 and 60086) at the Shires Removal Group yard in Kinsley, West Yorkshire, since March, has been on the move once again, being roaded to Nemesis Rail's site in Burton upon Trent.
NETWORK RAIL
NEVILLE Hill has completed the overhaul and ERTMS upgrade of a second Network Rail HST power car, No. 43062, which returned to Derby on July 8 under its own power (0Z44). The previous day, Michael Owen's Class 20 duo, Nos. 20205 and 20227, were the traction for an opposite 0Z43 Derby RTC-Neville Hill working, with the third and final NR Class 43, No. 43014, in tow.
RAIL OPERATIONS GROUP
CLASS 57 No. 57310 was on hire to GWR during July, working from Derby RTC to Reading to assist the operator on the 1st. It was recorded in charge of the 1A50 Penzance to Paddington ‘Night Riviera' and the 1C50 return multiple times throughout the month, covering for unavailable Class 57/6 locomotives.
WEST COAST RAILWAYS
NOW unnamed, No. 47270 made a return to the main line in July, partnering with No. 57601 for a circular 5M50 tour of the North West with four ‘Queen of Scots' coaches in tow on the 6th. The BR blueliveried Class 47/0, owned by WCRC boss David Smith and previously named ‘Swift’, has barely worked in the past decade after requiring major repairs in November 2012. Unsuccessfully released into traffic in April 2017 it has now, finally, been given another chance. Its first job with the paying public on board was on July 13 when it worked a 1Z54 Carlisle to Chester ‘The Fellsman railtour in ‘top and tail' formation with No. 47237.