NEWS UPDATE
DIRECT RAIL SERVICES
GWR continues to hire a Class
57/3 from DRS, and the period under review saw an exchange of locomotives as No. 57305 was dispatched from Norwich to Reading Traincare depot on September 9 for secondment to the GWML. This allowed No. 57306 to head to back to East Anglia to take up RHTT duties, the pair also swapped between their respective XHSO and XHAC pool. In related news, No. 57303 was placed in store during September, as was Crewe Gresty Bridge stablemate
No. 37424, both moving from XHSO to XWSS.
Moving away on a more permanent basis were the five former Fastline Class 66/3s Nos. Nos. 6630166305, which were all to be handed back to Beacon Rail at the end of September, ahead of their transfer to GB Railfreight (see Headline News, August issue). Nos. 66302, 66304 and 66305 were the first to leave, heading off DRS property on the 26th and a new allocation to GBLT. Meanwhile, Nos. 66301 and 66303 had been returned to the active XHIM pool earlier in the month for a last fling. As the month ticked over to October, No. 66303 had also departed, but
No. 66301 was still on DRS property. Before moving to their new operator, the locos have been denuded of any logos and nameplates, including the Rail Riders 2020 name on No 66303. All four transferees had already begun work for GBRf within days of their move.
LNER
TWO further Class 91 locomotives, Nos. 91106 and 91130, have swapped their tired Virgin East Coast vinyls for the new Inter-City-inspired ‘oxblood’ scheme, with both being recorded back in traffic before the end of September.
LORAM
NOW hired direct to Loram to provide motive power for Network Rail saloon No. 975025 Caroline, No. 37418 has been transferred away from COTS (Colas Rail locomotives) to the MBDL private owner pool. The same owner’s other Class 37, No. 37606, has also made the same move. The latter is currently undergoing reactivation work at Nemesis Rail, Burton-uponTrent, and is now finished in primer and showing off recently backdated nose ends with its DRS-era WIPAC light clusters removed.
UKRL
DESPITE Wabtec’s Brush Traction subsidiary having departed the famed Falcon Works at the end of 2021, Brush-built and rebuilt motive power is continuing to migrate back to the Loughborough site. As well as the 13 long-stored Class 60s reported in the August issue and the four DATS HST power cars Nos. 43050, 43054, 43066 and 43076, DC Rail’s No. 60029 has become the first operational locomotive to return. With UKRL taking over maintenance of the DCR fleet from DBC at Toton, Ben Nevis was dragged from Leicester LIP by
No. 56091 on September 5. The next to move was No. 43052 – again from Leicester – the DATS power car arriving by road on the 13th. Two days later (15th), GB Railfreight’s No. 92018 and 92038 also returned to their birthplace for attention by UKRL, the pair being moved from Doncaster by No. 47749.
While these developments are very positive, the result maybe to deemphasise Leicester depot, which UKRL has clearly outgrown. Until recently, the site was almost bursting at the seams, but space has now opened up with most of the Class 56s departed as part of the Class 69 programme and the recent transfer of Europhoenix Class 37 work to Loram at Derby.
WEST COAST RAILWAYS
ACQUIRED from DRS in January 2022, recently repainted No. 57010 has debuted in service for its new owner WCRC after nearly seven years out of use. One of five Class 57/0s to move over from the ‘blue’ team, it is only the second to commence work after No 57012 and gives the operator four working examples, along with Nos. 57001 and 57006, and four stored: Nos. 57005, 57008, 57009 and 57011. No. 57010 made an initial Carnforth to Hellifield shakedown run on September 1, partnering with No. 57012, before the same pair were let loose on a ‘real’ train two days later. This was a 1Z87 14.22 Carlisle to Bristol Temple Meads ‘Cumbrian Fells Express’ charter, the pair taking over from ‘Battle of Britain’ 4-6-2 No. 34067 at Preston.
GB RAILFREIGHT
AS well as the departure of No. 56106 (see main story), Nos. 56104 and 56312 also left Leicester LIP in September, the pair being dragged west on the
21st to take their place in the Class 69 programme. Recently repainted BR blue No. 56081 did the honours, powering the 5M56 11.18 to EMD/Progress Rail at Longport ‘top and tail’ with
No. 47749, with two Mk.1 coaches also inside for brake force.
In other Class 69 project news, the bodyshell of No. 56032 was returned to Longport on the back of a low-loader after around seven weeks of shell preparation work at DB Cargo’s Marcroft site. Meanwhile, No. 69006 – the former No. 56128 – was outshopped from Eastleigh Works in the same ‘standard’ GBRf livery as No. 69003, albeit with repositioned cab repeater logos. It left Eastleigh on September 13 as a 0Y69 to Tonbridge West Yard with No. 73107 in tow.
Also now in the classic blue and orange is No. 60085, which has finally lost its debranded Colas livery some four years after joining the GBRf fleet. This leaves Nos. 60047, 60056, 60076 and 60096 still awaiting the call to the paintshop.
Finally, after repairs at Eastleigh Works, which reportedly included gaining the running gear from No. 67027, No. 67023 was back in Scotland on September 26 after working a 0Z67 Doncaster RMT-Edinburgh Craigentinny. No. 67027 will receive new wheels and other rectification work as well as a repaint before being released. Although not officially announced, the pair also still require the fitment of Dellner couplers before they can take up Caledonian Sleeper duties without the use of a Class 73 to interface with the CAF Mk.5 coaches.