CLASS 25/9s TODAY

AFTER withdrawal by BR, the last in March 1987, Class 25s proved themselves useful to heritage lines as a small but powerful diesel, and 20 of them have been preserved on lines stretching from the South Devon Railway to the Caledonian Railway (Brechin).

Unsurprisingly, due to their relative youth and the recent work that had gone into them, four machines were preserved from the Class 25/9 fleet: Nos. 25901 (25262/ D7612, currently at the South Devon Railway), 25904 (25283/D7633, in store at a private site in Stoke-on-Trent with a view to returning it to main line under HNRC), 25909 (25309/D7659, at Peak Rail) and 25912 Tamworth Castle (25322/D7672, at the Churnet Valley Railway).

The latter was also famously reactivated long after the rest of the fleet was withdrawn, at first simply as a training loco for apprentices to work on. But after a move to Holbeck depot in Leeds, it was eventually returned to working order and then to main line condition, becoming a railtour celebrity in 1990 and 1991.

Financial constraints once again saw its demise, but not before going out in a blaze of glory on March 30, 1991 when it worked the ‘Rat Requiem’ railtour solo from Leeds to Holyhead and back.