DEVELOPMENTS
■ DB CARGO: Having departed the former Marcroft Engineering site on August 12, WIA car carrier No. 85 70 4971 038-0 returned to Stoke-onTrent just two weeks later on the 26th, swapping places with No. 85 70 4971 042-2. Its stay was brief and it left for Arpley – again – on August 31.
■ GB RAILFREIGHT: The period under review has seen the completion of the order for 84 Ecofret2 wagons commissioned from WH Davis at the end of 2019. On August 10, the set formed with Nos. 83 70 4520 358+83 70 4521 115+83 70 4520 359 was the sole delivery to Doncaster Down Decoy following brake problems with the other planned departure. This left ‘outers’ Nos. 83 70 4520 360-365 and ‘inners’ Nos. 83 70 4521 116-118 on site, and these left on September 7, behind No. 66771 as a 4D21 13.15 departure, also to Decoy Yard.
■ NETWORK RAIL: With the leaf fall season here, attention is also turning towards the winter months and the testing of snowploughs. On September 6, Nos. 37218 and 37419 were in charge of Beilhacks Nos. ADB 965580 and ADB 965581 on a 7Z98 11.49 DoncasterKnottingley and return. The following day (7th) the same pair of Type 3s were sandwiched by independent ploughs Nos. ADB 965217 and ADB 965240 on a 7Z98 10.27 run from York Skelton Sidings to Malton and back. Separately, in Cheshire, Nos. 57307 and 57312 worked Beilhack ploughs Nos. ADB 965576 and ADB 965577 on a 7Z98 07.23 Crewe Coal Sidings to Crewe Gresty Bridge test via Chester on the 9th, the same formation working in the opposite direction under the same headcode (10.42 departure) on the 12th. Finally, Nos. 66108 and 66429 worked ZZAs Nos. ADB 965208 and ADB 965219 as a 7Z97 12.19 Norwich Jubilee Sidings to Lowestoft and return on September 19.
■ VTG RAIL: The 50-strong former NACCO IIA-C biomass hopper fleet that operates between the Port of Tyne and Lynemouth will now be maintained by Mandy Rail. Established in 2019, this is the first long-term contract to be won by the North East-based company.
■ DISPOSALS: EMR’s Attercliffe site received an eclectic selection of obsolete wagons for destruction during September. Arriving from Toton were MFA Nos. 391077/105, MHA/MPA Nos. 394157/210/47/ 359/580/5/688/902/55, MTA Nos. 395030/62/7/202 and MHA/MPA
Nos. 396002/55. Later that month the following were accepted from Neville Hill via Doncaster: ZCA No. 110251, OCA Nos. 112031/326,
ZCA Nos. DC 200286/662, VGA Nos. 210435/64/75/530, MEA No. 391570, SPA Nos. 460247/615/791, SSA No. 470008, YVA No. DC 950848, YWA
Nos. 996413/519.