Shunter News
AV Dawson
Former Penzance resident 08410 was finally noted in use at the Middlesbrough terminal of AV Dawson during March, two years after its purchase from GWR. The intervening period had seen it stabled out of use at the site and it still retains GWR green.
Freightliner
Newly overhauled and reinstated 08891 was released from LH Group Services on April 4, the orange shunter heading for Crewe Basford Hall rather than the originally planned destination of Southampton Maritime, to replace 08691. The latter had been collected from Crewe three days earlier and after a weekend layover at the yard of Reid Freight Services, it was delivered to Burton Wetmore to undergo maintenance by Nemesis Rail.
Hunslet
By late March, 08401 was back at LH Group Services undergoing repairs, it having caught fire at Hams Hall back on February 19. The incident was serious enough to close the intermodal terminal to all traffic while the fire brigade attended.
HNRC
The last Class 08 to be located at Long Marston was finally removed on March 24, 08653 ending its stay of more than six years with transfer to the Battlefield Line. The shunter has not worked since July 2010, when it was stopped at Bescot for engine repairs that were not authorised.
Railway Support Services
The latest addition to the RSS fleet is 08899, which has been acquired from East Midlands Railway but remains at Derby Etches Park for the moment. Meanwhile, the hire of privately-owned 08922 has reached its conclusion with the loco being returned to Ruddington from Wishaw on April 7 to rejoin 08784. March 29 saw 08580 briefly depart the automotive terminal at Garston for the Ribble Steam Railway to undergo a brake block change using the railway’s inspection pit. It was back on Merseyside the next day.
RMS Locotec
March 24 saw 08762 end its seaside residency at Great Yarmouth with transfer to the Rossington site of Eco-power Environmental (formerly Attero Recycling) on the outskirts of Doncaster. The company has seemingly replaced HNRC as the shunter provider as the latter’s 08527 was collected on April 12 and taken to Burton Wetmore.