NEWS UPDATE
DIRECT RAIL SERVICES
THERE was a nice surprise at Peak Forest on October 26 when
No. 37716 was dispatched to Derbyshire to shunt the Cemex quarry sidings, which has been in the hands of DRS Class 66/4s since September 2020, when Victa Railfreight hired in more reliable traction to replace the temperamental Class 56s previous provided by GB Railfreight. Nos. 66422 and 66433 had been on site in October, with the latter being replaced by the celebrity ‘heavyweight’, making its second foray on the shunter job. No. 37716 had previously been outbased at Peak Forest from June-September 2018.
With the reorganisation of DRS under the new Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) division of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority from April 2021, the first locomotive has been rebranded with the company’s long-awaited new livery, No. 68006 being unveiled to the press on November 3. A week later (10th) it was named Pride of the North at an event at the PD Stirling railhead at Mossend.
COLAS RAIL
FOLLOWING the return to service of two members of the ‘Severn
Valley five’, Nos. 43272 and 43274, in September (see December 2021 issue), Colas Rail has reintroduced two further HST power cars,
Nos. 43251 and 43257, both branded for their new operator but otherwise still in VXEC livery. The other example, No. 43277, remains at Arley on the SVR. No. 43251 commenced operations with Colas on November 1, ‘top and tailing’ with No. 43272 on a 1Q46 08.52 Derby RTC-Derby RTC Network Rail test train via various East Midlands destinations formed around high speed track recording coach (HSTRC) No. 999550.
Two days later (3rd) it was still partnered with No. 43272, but had swapped the HSTRC for overhead
line test coach No. 975091 Mentor.
On the 5th it was the turn of Colas’ No. 43257 to debut on NR test train duties, the power car partnering with
No. 43272 with the Mentor formation. However, by November 7 it was partnered with Network Rail’s own VXEC-liveried
No. 43290 on the Mk.3-based New Measurement Train for a 1Q35 trip to Hull and then onto other Northern locations over the following week.
By the end of the month, Nos. 43251 and 43257 were working together with various test coaches, while No. 43290 was sharing NMT duties with Nos. 43272 and 43274 (ex-EMR livery).
FREIGHTLINER
THE Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary continues to operate a reduced electric service on its intermodal trains, with most days seeing three or four pairs of Class 90s in operation, although at least one day saw six different double-headers in service. No locomotives have been stored and Freightliner has been cycling the fleet in and out of service as demand requires. Only four examples failed to leave the confines of Crewe Basford Hall during November: Nos. 90003, 90009, 90015, 90044. Nos. 90004, 90006, 90007, 90008, 90010, 90011, 90012, 90013, 90014, 90016, 90041, 90042, 90043, 90045, 90046, 90047, 90048, 90049 were all recorded leading trains during the month.
This leaves No. 90005, which moved between Nos. 66509 and 66516 on a 0H89 Crewe-Wolverton on November 3, ready for a repaint. It replaced No. 90007 which moved in the opposite direction as a 0H90, gleaming after its transformation from Greater Anglia white to G&W orange, while No. 90004 did the same trip in its new colours on the 17th. Finally,
No. 90011 moved to Wolverton on the 22nd ready for its own image change.
Also newly repainted is No. 59204, which departed Toton on November 29 behind No. 66508, which worked a 0Z59 to
Acton Yard.
No. 70019 was stored DHLT during the period under review. It was replaced in the DFGI pool by newly repaired
No. 70009, which had removed itself from traffic as long ago as August 2016.
GB RAILFREIGHT
WITH Colas Rail’s HST fleet for the Network Rail contract now up to four operational examples, the two COTS
Class 67s, Nos. 67023 and 67027, will apparently be moving to GBRf courtesy of owner, leasing company Beacon Rail. While no official announcement has been made, the two former DB locomotives are expected to transfer over at the end of 2021.
Having completed its roundabout journey to Arlington Fleet Services, Eastleigh, on November 5 – which included hitching a lift behind its two classmates between Doncaster and Tonbridge – No. 69003 spent just 20 days on site before departing on the 25th after its visit to the paint shop. Outshopped in the same livery applied to No. 69001 – minus the flags and nameplates – it
worked a 0Y69 to Tonbridge West Yard, albeit still allocated to the GBGS storage pool. Its next colleague, No. 69004, still numbered 56069 on TOPS, is nearing completion at Progress Rail, Longport, and was undergoing load bank tests during the month.
There was one in one out in the GBRf ‘Type 5’ fleet as No. 60026 made its much anticipated return, while No. 59003 has been moved to Eastleigh for repairs after being damaged trying to recover Class 158 and 159 units derailed inside Fisherton Tunnel, Salisbury, on October 31. After its rapid overheating incident on September 23, 2020, No. 60026 had spent the past 13 months being fixed at Toton, before eventually being welcomed back on October 31. The loco’s first train back was a 6M51 12.03 Doncaster Down Decoy-Liverpool Biomass Terminal.
Dormant since 2013, the GBZZ stored locomotive pool now has three unlucky members following the reallocation of ‘EDs’ Nos. 73101, 73134 and 73139.
None have worked in revenue service for GBRf, all being acquired over the period 2012-2016 for spares or as possible donors for the Class 73/9 programme.
No. 73134 is stored at Brush, Loughborough, while the other pair are at Eastleigh Works, where they are stored with other ‘Christmas tree’ No. 73110. Meanwhile, No. 73966 has been sent from Mossend to Eastleigh by road after being recovered from Stirling by No. 66733 on October 30 after developing serious wheel flats while working the 1M16 Inverness-Edinburgh sleeper.
LNER
CLASS 91 Nos. 91114 and 91130 swapped locations on November 22, the former moving from Neville Hill to Wabtec Doncaster, while the latter went in the opposite direction, both behind
No. 67028. No. 91114 is the only member of the 12-strong IECA pool not to have worked since the fleet was returned to service from April 2021.