Naming Update

There are just two namings to report during this period. Freightliner named 66508 City of Doncaster ahead of an event hosted at Doncaster Railport Terminal to celebrate the 100th anniversary of legendary A3 4-6-2 steam locomotive 60104 Flying Scotsman, which was returned to its birthplace over the weekend of November 11/12. The naming of 66508 was organised in recognition of Doncaster being awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

The same event also saw 66623 unveiled as Lest We Forget, gaining the nameplates and crests that have recently been removed from 66413. Another Freightliner Class 66 to have lost its nameplates is 66526, which lost its Driver Steve Dunn (George) name at Leeds Midland Road depot in October. The locomotive was named in memory of the Freightliner driver who was tragically killed at the controls of 66521 in the Great Heck railway accident on February 28, 2001.

The nameplates from former Great Western Railway Castle Class HST power cars 43088 and 43160 have also been removed following the two Class 43s being taken out of service. Unlike the majority of the other recently stored Castle Class power cars, these two have remained at Laira Depot, as they are franchise assets of the GWR operation, rather than owned by one of the leasing companies.

The final de-naming to be reported is 323208, which had its Five Ways vinyl nameplates removed at Soho depot in late November, just before the electric multiple unit was transferred from West Midlands Trains to Northern.