Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway secures an ‘ED’
Class 73 No. 73130 has been acquired by a new company, signalling the start of the disposal of the COVES collection at Bicester.
CLASS 73 No. 73130 arrived at the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway (L&MMR), Cynheidre on November 4, having been collected from the Coulsdon Old Vehicle & Engineering Society (COVES) at Bicester the previous evening. It has been purchased by a new company, 73130 Ltd, set up for the purpose of owning, restoring, and operating the electro-diesel (‘ED’). This has been formed and funded by members of the L&MMR and Class 73 enthusiasts from further afield who have joined forces to create the new venture. This includes Peter De Lacey who worked on No. 73130 when owned by European Passenger Services (EPS), operator of the cross-channel high-speed rail service. He said: “Having worked with this loco on and off for over 40 years, it is great to be reacquainted with it. My last contact was when it was one of two rescue locos purchased by EPS and I conducted driver training with it for the EPS train crew. We would use both locos to haul a Eurostar set from Waterloo to Dollands Moor.” The project came together quickly when various parties learnt that the loco was for sale as COVES is having to vacate its Bicester site and is disposing of all its heritage railway collection. The company is independent of the L&MMR and is selffunding, but the railway is fully supportive and recognises the value the ‘ED’ will have for the operation of line. It is the biggest loco ever to be based there since the project took over the site in 2001.
Plans
No. 73130 will go through safety checks and any necessary remedial work carried out for use on the L&MMR next year. Having been well maintained and kept in a shed for a few years, it is in good condition and it will continue to be kept under cover. It will retain its present appearance with Scharfenberg coupling adaptors used for coupling to the original Eurostar sets, and the two-tone grey Eurostar livery. Also to be kept are the cast metal tunnel roundels on the bodyside from its time at North Pole International depot in West London, the home of Eurostar’s UK fleet from 1994 to 2007. However, it will regain the City of Portsmouth name carried from 1988 until 1996, prior to its Eurostar years. Together with No. 73118, modifications for use by EPS included rebuilding the buffer beams and loco ends to accommodate the coupling adaptor which could be lowered into position to connect with Eurostar units. They acted as rescue locos if required on the UK side of the tunnel, or if vehicles needed to be shunted at North Pole depot. They never operated within the tunnel or worked away from UK metals.