NEWS ROUND-UP

RAILWAY SUPPORT SERVICES

IN late October, RSS moved No. 08703 from the HS2 Willesden Hub site to the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway to make use of the pit there to fix an oil leak, Wembley not having any such facility (see Preservation, December 2021 issue). Whilst at Chinnor it was hoped to use the locomotive on public trains on the Sunday (October 31), in what is believed would have been its first ever passenger workings. However, contractual issues with HS2 late in the day scuppered this and, despite the best efforts of all involved, the use of the ‘08’ had to be cancelled. RSS have advised they will be providing a suitable ‘Gronk’ to the CP&RR in 2022 to make up for this. After the work was completed, No. 08703 was returned to Willesden via a stop-off at Tyseley, arriving back on November 11.

In Mid-November RSS’s Clayton CD40 No. 4618-4 was moved from the Melton RIDC to Whateley Quarry, arriving there on November 12. This left CD40 No. 4618-3 and No. 08922 on site. The latter was to have been replaced by No. 4618-4 but that will now remain at Melton for a little longer.

Meanwhile, CD40 No. 4618-1, now resident at Boulby mine, has been named Polly, following a competition involving local schools. This is a direct reference to the polyhalite mined at Boulby.