INDUSTRIALS ROUND-UP

TATA STEEL

SINCE the explosion at Port Talbot in April 2019 any major work on the fleet of industrial shunters there has had to be undertaken off-site as the servicing facility was seriously damaged. On June 24 Tata No. 07, a 1993 Hunslet rebuild of Brush Bagnall Bo-Bo DE 95/3140 of 1957, was moved from Port Talbot to the LH group workshops at Barton under Needwood for repairs. The previous day No. 903 (Brush Bagnall Bo-Bo DE 3065 of 1955) had returned from Llanwern, where work had been undertaken at the workshops there. Its place in the workshops was taken by No. 906 (Brush Bagnall Bo-Bo DE 94/3139 of 1957), which was transferred to Llanwern for attention. The work at Llanwern involves installation of a new engine with remote control to enable one man operation for shunting, coupling, uncoupling when required.

CLAYTON EQUIPMENT

FOLLOWING on from the two CBD90s ordered by Tata Steel for use at Port Talbot, Clayton is now building four hybrid battery trolley CBT 30-tonne emission-free mining locomotives for a Russian customer.

PRESERVATION

THE Plym Valley Railway celebrated the 60th birthday of its BR-liveried Sentinel 4w DE No. 10077 on July 8, when it operated an all-day service, ‘top and tail' with Class 08 No. 13002, itself no spring chicken at 69 years old, having been built at Derby in 1952.

John Fowler 0-6-0 DH 4240017/ 1966 has finally entered preservation, being rescued by the Yorkshire Wolds

Railway at the end of June. The Fowler used to be owned by Portland Cement and then Omya UK at their Melton site near Kingston upon Hull. Omya took over the site (and locomotive) after Portland Cement left and whilst rail traffic ceased around 1991, the Fowler remained onsite ever since, eventually being sealed up inside the locomotive shed, still wearing its Portland Cement colours.

The Yorkshire Wolds railway currently operates around 100m of the former Malton & Driffield Junction Railway based at Fimber, just outside Wetwang off the A166 York to Driffield Road. They have one operational locomotive, Sir Tatton Sykes, a GECT 0-4-0 DH (5576/1979), one of three originally built for High Shotton Steel and acquired by the

YWR in 2013. Although there is no passenger stock, cab rides are offered when the railway is open.