56097 set to leave Nottingham Heritage Railway
CLASS 56 56097 – which has been based at Ruddington on the Nottingham Heritage Railway (formerly the Great Central Railway Nottingham) since being preserved in 2005 – is set to leave the railway after the NHR board decided the locomotive was no longer required.
A statement released on the 56097 Facebook page in early April said: “It is well-known that the railway is not currently operational and has not operated for a very long time. Unfortunately, when services eventually resume it will be a very scaled-down operation indeed. Against that background, the NHR board has decided that 56097 is no longer required. “While it is obviously very sad that an operational loco is having to leave a non-operational railway, we want to thank everyone who has supported it during the 17 years it spent at the NHR/GCRN.
“The contributions of all of them are hugely appreciated.”
The post went on to say that the owners would be speaking to various people about options over the coming weeks, with the possibility of either seeking a new home for the locomotive or selling the Class 56 and spares to another operator.
56097 remains in an operational condition.
It was withdrawn by EWS in May 1999 and moved to the former EWS Component Recovery Centre at Wigan Springs Branch depot before being sold into preservation in summer 2005.
It returned to service in the autumn of 2008, resplendent into Railfreight triple grey livery with coal sector decals. The Class 56 has mainly been used at its home railway but has visited other heritage lines for guest appearances at diesel events.