HNRC weighs up options for more main line Class 20s

Harry Needle Railroad Company could return two Class 20s to its main line fleet, to join eight of the Type 1s that are on hire to GB Railfreight.

Speaking to RAIL on May 23, HNRC Managing Director Harry Needle said that there was a possible need in the future to return two more ‘20s’ to the main line to join 20096, 20107/118/132, 20311/314, 20901/905.

These are on hire to GBRf until 2020, and are used to haul London Underground trains between the Midlands and the capital. They have also been used on National Supply Chain infrastructure trains for Network Rail.

Needle said that two ‘20s’ were likely to be selected by painted number, as the necessary safety Withdrawn 1991: 20069/088, 20166 Withdrawn 1992: 20121 Withdrawn 1993: 20081 Withdrawn 1994: 20092 Withdrawn 1995: 20016/087 Stored 2003: 20903/904 Stored 2016: 20056, 20110 Note: 20056/069/087, 20110/121/166 have all been used since withdrawn by BR. 20056, 20110 were on hire to Tata Steel at Scunthorpe. equipment was already fitted to locomotives not yet on the main line.

HNRC owns 20056, 20121/166, 20903/904, which could be returned to traffic fairly quickly. The company also owns 20087 and 20110, which are operational but on hire to the East Lancashire Railway for 12 months, and 20069, which it has recently bought but is not operational.

One ‘20’ that will not return is 20092, which is to be broken up for spares. It has moved to Barrow Hill from Long Marston for component recovery.

The ‘20’ has never worked for HNRC, and has been stored since Transrail withdrew it in December 1994.