NEWS UPDATE
CROSSCOUNTRY
THIS issue’s cover star, outshopped in InterCity ‘Executive’ livery, is
No. 43184, renumbered back from No. 43384, which is the fifth HST power car to be repainted back into a version of the classic ‘raspberry ripple’ paint scheme in recent years (see also Powerscene). The only other active main line member of this elite group is LS’s No. 43049, which wears the later ‘Swallow’ scheme. The others are ‘Executive’ No. 43044 (125 Group at the GCRN) and ‘Swallow’ Nos. 43012 (NRM at Locomotion Shildon) and 43185 (Kilmarnock, spares for ScotRail, ex-Great Western).
No. 43184 (also wearing set
No. 253051) undertook a 0Z43 10.40 Laira to Exeter St Davids and return shakedown run with No. 43303 on
July 5. It returned to active duty the following day (6th), and debuted on the 1S51 12.27 Plymouth to Edinburgh, again partnered with No. 43303.
DB CARGO
THE last week of June saw No. 60039 sidelined at Toton and stored WQAA. Meanwhile, Brush-built colleague
No. 60062 has been released wearing a new ‘steel on steel’ promotional livery. This is the latest DB Cargo UK locomotive – after ‘backbone’
No. 90039 – to receive a full vinyl wrap that first debuted on a German locomotive, this direct translation riffing on the ‘Stahl auf Stahl’ livery given to TRAXX electric No. 185 077-5.
Separately, Nos. 66007 and 66143 have been repainted in standard DB red at Toton. The pair were joined at the Nottinghamshire depot on July 7 by
No. 66100, which had been marooned at Didcot Parkway on a wheel skate since at least the middle of May. This returned north on the back of an
Allelys low loader.
EUROPHOENIX
FOLLOWING its main line return after 24 years on June 9, No. 37901 ticked off two further milestones during the period under review. On June 30 it partnered with No. 37608 (with
No. 37800 on the rear) to work a 5Z47 09.47 Derby RTC to Sheffield loaded test run with a set of six ROG barrier vehicles. Unfortunately, the ‘Slug’ developed some ‘field divert’ issues en route and had to turn back at Chesterfield with No. 37800 leading on the return.
Happily, the electrical issues were resolved and No. 37901 made its debut on revenue-earning duties on July 14, doubling up with No. 37800 to run to Wolverton to collect a set of TransPennine Express Mk.5s and work them north as a 5Q42 11.13 to Crewe South Yard. Two days later the pair headed to Eastleigh to collect ex-Grand Central and LNER Mk.4 stock to work a 5Q79 10.43 to Swansea Landore, although this trip was not without issues (for more details see Coaches, p31).
EVERSHOLT RAIL/DATS
FORMER Rail Operations Group/DATS Class 91s Nos. 91122 and 91128, the latter notable for receiving the name InterCity 50 in July 2016, have both been disposed of for scrap. The pair were moved from Crewe South Yard behind Nos. 37601 and 37608 as a 5Q78 09.49 to Sims Metals, Newport Docks, on June 29. No. 91128 was cut up within three weeks of arriving, but No. 91122 was still extant as of the end of July. Also still around at this time were Nos. 91103 and 91104 at CF Booth, Rotherham, both managing to dodge the gas axe for another month.
FREIGHTLINER
No. 59205 is now back in action following repairs at Eastleigh, required after the DB red survivor had an ‘earth fault’ not far from the Arlington Fleet Services’ facility in March. It returned to Merehead to take up active duty on June 27. Surprisingly it did not receive G&W orange during its extended stay, although Class 66/5 No. 66502 was outshopped in these colours during the month, courtesy of Wolverton.
GB RAILFREIGHT
THE first Crewe-built member of the class to be included in the Class 69 rebuild programme, No. 56128, now renumbered 69006, has undertaken its first shakedown run. Still young at just over 38 years old (delivered in December 1983), in its former life it clocked up just 15-and-a-half years of service before being stopped at Immingham in July 1999. Almost exactly 23 years later on July 25, it returned to the main line after its facelift and heart transplant, running under a 0G69 headcode from Longport to Hams Hall with No. 66739 in tow, before returning solo as a 0M70.
In other Class 69 news, the bodyshell of No. 56032 has been dispatched to DB Cargo’s Marcroft Engineering site on the other side of the Potteries for sandblasting and a coat of primer. Meanwhile the bodyshell of No. 56037 (which will become No. 69007) has been reported sitting on refurbished running gear. Finally, No. 56077 – one of the recently authorised second batch of six conversions – has now entered the works at Longport for stripping down.
As reported in last issue’s Headline News, just one week after visiting London Victoria on a special (see Wagons, p30) with recently repainted GBRf/Wascosa No. 66720 (June 28), No. 66729 was involved in a serious incident at Lovershall Carr Junction. On July 5, the GBRf-powered 4E11 01.55 Felixstowe North to Masborough N&W did not stop at a red signal and ran into the back of Freightliner’s 4E82 00.36 Felixstowe North to Tinsley, powered by No. 66420. No. 66729, which derailed and overrode at least one FLA ‘lowliner’ flat, was removed to Doncaster Roberts Road, by rail, on July 22. On the same day the RAIB announced it had launched a full investigation into the incident.
HST ROUND-UP
A THIRD RailAdventure Class 43 has made its debut under its own power after No. 43484 – one of the pair that toured Germany in 2021 – made a series of runs between Eastleigh and Fareham on July 14 with No. 43465.
After languishing at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway since April 2, No. 43066 was recovered by DATS’ Nos. 43050 and 43076 on July 20, the trio heading back as a 0Z44 to the former Brush site at Loughborough.
There is now another HST power car in Midland Pullman blue livery, with the release of Locomotive Services’ No. 43047 from Eastleigh Works. It worked north to Crewe DMD on July 26 under its own power (0Z43).