NEW MOVES AND CHANGES

As planned, 40106 worked the first of the post-Christmas diesel days at the Severn Valley Railway on December 26, 2020 and was scheduled for the next two on the 31st and January 3. However, it fell foul of the new lockdown implemented on December 31 and had to be cancelled. Likewise, being placed in a higher Tier level saw the cancellation of the Epping Ongar Railway’s planned diesel days with 31438 and 37029. The 31 had been in use on the ‘Santa Specials’ but the raising of the Tier levels just before Christmas saw all further running cancelled.

Class 20 D8098 and Class 45 D123 were in ‘Santa Special’ action at the Great Central Railway, while 37294 was performing similar duties at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway. Even the West Somerset Railway finally managed to run some trains in 2020, with the ‘Santa Specials’ from Bishops Lydeard to Williton, featuring Class 33s D6575 and occasionally D6566 topping and tailing with steam. Another 33 in use was 33035 at the Chinnor & Princess Risborough Railway. The East Lancashire Railway was hoping to get in a weekend of ‘Santa Specials’ just before Christmas, and was all ready to go in the hope a change in the COVID-19 Tier levels would enable them to run. Sadly, there was no change and the railway had to cancel its plans.

2021 should see Class 31 D5631 returned to service at the North Norfolk Railway. It has been undergoing an overhaul that has seen the reinstatement of the boiler and the wrap around skirts at the cab end. Completion of the overhaul was originally planned for 2020 but the pandemic caused the work to be delayed, as it has with so many things, and it wasn’t until November that the loco was complete enough to undergo test runs. With no major issues found, a return this year is on the cards.