DC Rail moves newly acquired Class 60s to Loughborough
Just weeks after completing the deal to purchase all 14 Brush Type 5s from DB Cargo, Cappagh subsidiary DC Rail has wasted no time in removing the remainder of the heavily stripped shells from DB’s Toton traction facility, where they have been variously stored for between seven and 18 years, to the former Wabtec and Brush Traction Falcon Works at Loughborough, part of which has been taken over by UKRL and DATS. As reported (see June issue) the first to move was No. 60099, considered to be the best of the group. Notably this was moved by rail to UKRL at Leicester on April 14.
The next member of the DCRS pool to escape the Nottinghamshire depot was No. 60022, which was transported the short distance south to its birthplace on the back of an Allelys low loader on June 6. Having kicked off the Allelys shuttle, it was followed by Nos. 60075 and 60098 on the 7th, No. 60013 on the 8th, Nos. 60008 and 60038 on the 9th, No. 60080 on the 10th, Nos. 60009 and 60061 on the 11th, Nos. 60070 and 60090 on the 14th, No. 60064 on the 15th and No. 60057 on the 16th.
While Nos. 60013, 60022, 60075 and 60098 are inside the works undergoing evaluation, eight of the remaining nine Class 60s have been neatly positioned outside on track
Seven Class 60s (four visible, from l to r: Nos. 60038, 60008, 60080, 60061) sit on short track panels outside the front of the former Brush Falcon Works at Loughborough on June 15. INSET: No. 60057 has been unloaded on to track forming part of the complex’s internal rail network. panels on the concrete pad that for many years was the home to longstored Class 92s Nos. 92040 and 92045. The remaining example,
No. 60057, was parked on the actual internal railway tracks outside the main building after being unloaded.
The DCR exodus leaves 45 ‘demic’ Class 60s at various locations within the Toton depot and yard confines. This includes ‘super 60’ rebuild No. 60079 and LS’ No. 60081, which has yet to see any cosmetic work undertaken for
its planned residence at the One:One Collection in Margate. The only other long out of use member of the DBC fleet is No. 60082, which remains at Crewe EMD, although No. 60039 – officially stored WQAA in June – and Nos. 60054, 60063, 60091 and 60100 – all stopped between September 2021 and January 2022 – were also present at a DBC ‘family’ event on June 18 (see DB Cargo right).
Notably, DCR was making use of DB Cargo’s No. 60019 during the period under review, with the former Wild Boar Fell covering for ‘Tugs’ Nos. 60046 and 60055, which were both undergoing maintenance at UKRL Leicester during May and June. Happily for DCR, the pair were both back in traffic by the month end.
COLAS RAIL
THE orange team’s motive power shortage was alleviated somewhat in June with the return to service of Nos. 37421 and 56105. The Class 37/4 had undertaken a test run from Boden Rail at Nottingham Eastcroft in April, but was not let loose on a revenue-earning train until June 8, when it was partnered with No. 37612 to work a 1Z37 Derby RTC to Crewe LNWR, from where it powered a 1Q43 circular Network Rail test train around the north Manchester area. This was just under a year since it was last recorded with a similar formation. While out of action Colas has been relying on a variety of other motive power, including most recently Direct Rail Services’ No. 37419 – on hire throughout much of April and May – with Nos. 37218 and 37425 also being called upon to work various trains in the first week of June.
Meanwhile, the Class 56 returned south under its own power on June
19, working back to Eastcroft as a 0Z65 from Grangemouth. Although it was initially planned to remove the locomotive from Bo’ness by road for
rectification work at Nottingham, in the end the required double bogie change was performed by Boden Rail fitters at the SRPS workshops over June 15 and 16. The replacement bogies were delivered by road, with the damaged sets being removed by the same Allelys road vehicle.
DB CARGO/GB RAILFREIGHT
THERE were duelling repaints to celebrate HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June, with both GBRf and DB Cargo unveiling commemorative locomotives. GB Railfreight was the first to release its version, with
No. 66734 (the second) finally being outshopped from Eastleigh on June 1 in purple and white with Union flag, ‘GBRf 100th Class 66’ plaque and Platinum Jubilee accoutrements, albeit all rather disappointingly applied in vinyl form. While proper cast nameplates are promised for the future, these have yet to appear on other recent named GBRf machines. Its first service train for its new operator was the 6M76 00.44 Margam-Dee Marsh loaded steel on June 4.
Two weeks later on June 18, DB
Cargo released No. 67007 in its own take on the official Platinum Jubilee colours at a ‘family & friends’ charity event at Toton depot, giving the operator a third royal locomotive after Nos. 67005 and 67006. The purple and white Class 67, which is surprisingly not named, was first deployed in its new look for a run up to Edinburgh Waverley on June 27, partnered with No. 67006 with the Royal Train with HM The Queen on board, along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
FREIGHTLINER
FOLLOWING a disagreement with some cement tankers at West Thurrock on December 16, which led to a damaged cab, No. 66605 has been released from Brodie Rail, Kilmarnock, after repairs and a repaint into G&W house colours. It had been north of the border since February and transferred back to
Leeds Midland Road on June 8.
GWR
THE three GWR HST power cars sent for scrap, as reported in last month’s issue (see Headline News), were broken up in June. GBRf’s No. 56081, with Mk.1
barrier coach No. 6393, collected Nos. 43069, 43193 and 43197 from Laira for onward movement under a 5U56 headcode, departing at 10.56 to
Sims Metals, Newport, on May 31.
No. 43069 was outshopped by BREL Crewe in November 1977 as part of ECML set No. 254007, while the other pair were delivered in May and August 1982 to NE-SW (later MML/ECML) sets Nos. 253056 and 253058 respectively, the latter being the last HST set delivered to British Rail, along with the final power car No. 43198 (still operational with GWR).
All three spent the early years of privatisation at Virgin Trains before moving to Midland Mainline’s ‘Project Rio’ service in 2003-4. When this ended No. 43069 went into store at the NRM, York, before gaining a new MTU power pack in 2007 for a new life at First Great Western. It was joined in the same year by re-engined No. 43197, which had spent a year or so with GNER, with No. 43193 – coming off hire to Cotswold Rail – the following year after its own visit to Brush at Loughborough. All were stored by GWR during March/April 2019, all still in blue.