NEWS ROUND-UP

BEACON RAIL

NEWLY-completed No. 18003 was released from the Clayton Equipment workshops at Burton on April 20, the low-loader delivering it to Wolverton Works, seemingly for trials.

FREIGHTLINER

THE company’s Basford Hall maintenance depot is currently without a shunter after the stay of No. 08891 came to an end after just five weeks. Delivered back on April 4, the orange machine was removed from Crewe on May 12 and taken to the new servicing facility at Ipswich Yard. Unloaded directly on site, it was subsequently put to work alongside No. 08785, although the presence of both

Class 08s is not expected to last for long as the latter is due a D exam.

HNRC

NEWLY-resurrected No. 08706 became the latest HNRC Class 08 to be made available for passenger haulage on May 22. Side-lined for exactly a decade, it was purchased from DB in December 2016, initially going to Wishaw for storage before moving to the Battlefield Line back in February for attention by Heritage Transport Restoration and Supplies (HTRS). Working from Shackerstone, No. 08706 top and tailed two Mk.1 coaches with No. 33201, running for around a mile along the line on each of its three trips. Separately, former Ministry of Defence ‘Vanguard’ No. 01543 was collected from the WH Davis wagon works at Ferrybridge, where the fleet of Drax biomass hoppers is maintained, and taken to Barrow Hill on May 12.