NEWS ROUND-UP

ALSTOM

ON site since February, the repaint of No. 08451 into a fresh coat of BR blue was completed at Eastleigh Works in early September. Shortly afterwards, it was noted sporting the vinyl, and possibly temporary, name of Loopy Lou on the battery box covers while stabled in the works yard.

BEACON RAIL

THE latest Class 18 to be completed by Clayton Equipment at its Burton upon Trent workshops is No. 18006, the machine departing for Wolverton Works on August 31 to join its classmates in awaiting deployment. A few days later, No. 18004 was noted moving around the Gemini Rail site, having been at Wolverton since May.

HNRC

DURING the Barrow Hill 150th anniversary gala in late August, No. 08943 was glimpsed outside the HNRC workshops with its overhaul nearing completion and freshly repainted in the company’s all-over orange livery with a black roof. Previously, it had carried HNRC’s original orange and light grey colours and has been out of traffic since November 2019, when it departed from Central Rivers in need of engine repairs.

RMS LOCOTEC

AT Wolsingham, No. 08523 is the latest RMS Class 08 to receive heavy repairs, with a power unit change taking place on September 13. The loco has been out of action since August 2019 after a generator failure while based at Inverness. Also at the Weardale Railway workshops, No. 08613 has seen its

RMS Locotec livery modified with PD Ports logos now applied across the bonnet doors. This suggests a return to traffic at Teesport is imminent, the shunter having left the Middlesbrough terminal for Wolsingham in July 2019.

RAILWAY SUPPORT SERVICES

FRESH from an exam, No. 08511 was quickly redeployed from Wishaw on September 16, heading to Felixstowe in order to replace No. 08460. With the latter having been out of service since the spring, it was duly returned to the company’s Midlands base for repairs.