RSS expands shunter fleet

WITH its fleet of Class 08s stretched to the limit to service all of its contracts, Railway Support Services has added seven Clayton CD40 4w diesels numbered CD1-CD7 (works numbers B4618.1 – B4618.7) to its roster.

These are not new-builds, but were constructed in 2016 for the London Crossrail project and since completion of the main parts of the project have sat idle in the yard at Plumstead (Greater London) awaiting a new owner. The 40 tonne locomotives are powered by a Deutz 500hp engine which was the first to be rated EU Stage IV for emissions. With modern electronic controls and digital displays, they are a huge step up from the '08s' normally employed by RSS. With purchase of the locomotives completed, all were quickly moved from Plumstead to the Midlands.

CD6 went to the Chasewater Railway for driver training, while the remainder went to the Wishaw workshops of

RSS, with CD5 receiving immediate modifications for a new LU contract. In a departure from normal RSS practice, the locomotive gained a vinyl wrap on the cab side with RSS details, rather than a repaint, saving a lot of time and money, although the remainder of the locomotive remains in Clayton yellow.