Shunter News
HNRC
Mid-December 2020 brought a flurry of transfers for the company’s shunters, beginning with the retrieval of 08630 from Cardiff Tidal on the 14th, it heading north to Barrow Hill for engine attention. A replacement on the Celsa hire duty had been provided the previous week with the return of 08924 to South Wales.
Next to move were two of HNRC’s former Ministry of Defence Class 01/5s, 01515 departing Barrow Hill on December 15, 2020 bound for the former National Power depot at Ferrybridge, where WH Davis now maintains the Drax biomass wagon fleet. The low-loader then headed to the Wensleydale Railway the next day to pick-up 01545 and transfer it to Worksop.
Worksop saw two further arrivals on December 21 and 22 with the movement of 08602 and 08682 from Derby Litchurch Lane. Both were sold to HNRC a year ago by Bombardier, having not worked for some time, particularly in the case of the multi-coloured 08682. All shunting at Derby Works is now carried out by Zephir road/ rail tractors, ending the long association of the Class 08s with Bombardier and its predecessors BREL, ABB and Adtranz.
Riviera Trains
After a stay of more than two and a half years, the Riviera Trainsowned duo of 08605 and 08704 both departed the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in early January. With DB Cargo having withdrawn from Knottingley TMD, where the traincrew building was being demolished during the month, both Class 08s have been relocated to the Yorkshire depot. They will be used to support Riviera’s ongoing programme to fit retention tanks to its Mk 1 and Mk 2 charter fleet, now there are no main line locos on site to do the job. Knottingley has not seen a shunter presence since March 2017, when 09106 departed for Ferrybridge following its sale to HNRC by DBC.