Anglia 86s, to be three...
Whilst 86235 has soldiered on alone in recent weeks 86234 sidelined at Norwich has now been admitted to the shed at Crown Point for attention, this was under consideration in the new year, whilst 86232 which hasn’t seen much use since initially being returned to working order in January is also undergoing repairs. Spares for the repair of 86232 and 86234 are being sourced as required from 86260.

Disposal…
The demolition of 47223 at Booth’s Rotherham has been completed. 47156 should be the next Class 47 for the chop whilst a start has been made on 86634. 47223 was stored from Stratford’s EWRS pool back in December 1995, RIP.

Repaints…
At Bristol Barton Hill the application of Fertis grey to 56065 (WZGF) has been completed whilst Willesden’s most recent handy-work in the shape of 87012 (IWCA) out-shopped in NSE colours was on display at Euston this afternoon.

WGAI hire ins…
The hiring of a number of locomotives to the WGAI pool is connected with a new EWS accounting and diagramming ploy for controlling the active fleet.

Work in progress…
The demolition of 47223 recently moved to Rotherham from Glasgow Works is well underway at Booth’s.

37165…
It has been established that the stripped shell of 37165 at Carnforth has been sold for scrap so is consequently re-listed pending its disposal.

WGAI…
For some reason EWS have hired 71 locomotives of various Classes to the defunct WGAI Class 56 pool. Hired to the pool from mid day today for 48 hours are 7 Class 37s, 16 Class 60s, 34 Class 66s and 14 Class 67s.

Immingham congestion…
With a number of recently stored Class 60s being despatched to Immingham for secure storage, ‘not to be robbed’ instructions have been issued, space at the Humberside depot is getting tight. Consequently it has been indicated that a number of stored Class 56s, there are currently 34 stored ‘grids’ on site, are to be removed from Immingham to free up space. Whilst several Class 56s are yet to be identified for addition to the French hire fleet the rest will probably be moved out to such places as Healey Mills for further storage.

Fertis greys…
56105 has been out-shopped in Fertis grey at Toton, its place in the paint facility being taken by 56106.
It is understood that the next batches of locomotives to go out to France are due to go early next month. For these shipments we have several candidates, 56096 and 56105 at Toton, both painted, 56106 at Toton being repainted, 56065 at Bristol Barton Hill in undercoat and 58016 at Eastleigh which was in undercoat some days ago.

47114…
It would seem that the attempts to secure this locomotive, originally a Class 48, for preservation are not to come to fruition and 47114 will almost certainly now be dismantled. Booth’s have been holding 47114 back pending developments but with only the recent arrivals from Glasgow, 47156 and 47223, in front of it in the scrapping queue time is running out.

Tug reduction…
60031 60035 60039 60051 and 60064 have been stored WNTR. Of these five, the latest losses from an apparently ever decreasing fleet, 60051 and 60064 are still out and about in traffic but 60031 at Thornaby, 60035 at Margam and 60039 at Immingham have been stopped and stored. Only 78 Class 60s now remain allocated to the WCAN and WCBN operational pools.

Disposal…
The disposal of 86611 at Crewe Works can now be recorded as all its superstructure has been removed laving just the frame with its transformer in situ to be dealt with. 86631, its partner from the October 2003 Norton Bridge collision, remains as it has for the last few months, frame, transformer and almost one cab. 86611 was stored from Freightliner’s DFNC pool in November 2003, RIP.

Disposal…
The cutting of 47353, stored from Freightliner’s DFLT pool in July 1999, has been completed at Booth’s Rotherham, RIP.

Tugs in trouble…
A look at the Class 60s facing storage on the 21st. At 09:45 they were...

Disposal…
At Hull’s Rotherham the carcass of 31549 has been demolished on arrival from Tyseley. By mid afternoon only a cab and frame, grounded, remained. 31549, which has been renumbered to 31449 on the system although not physically so, was stored from Toton’s ENTN pool in March 1996, RIP.

www.wigancrdc.co.uk
The old site address ( wigancrdc.co.uk ) has been rescued from the site’s former hosts and is back in use. For the moment though it is simply a forwarding page to the main site but there is a plan...

More Tugs in trouble…
EWS have pre assigned four more Class 60s for store. 60035 is assigned for N ONE at Margam by the 21st whilst 60039 60051 and 60064 are assigned for N ONE at Immingham, also by the 21st.

Deliveries…
Former Kingmoor resident 37902 has been delivered at Sims Beeston whilst 47547 has completed its move to Hull’s Rotherham from Tyseley. Both having being transferred by road. Next up for movement are 47156 and 47223 from Glasgow Works to Booth’s Rotherham.

Work in progress…
The demolition of 47574 recently delivered to Hull’s Rotherham has begun whilst at Booth’s Rotherham the dismantling of 47353 is at a fairly advanced stage.

Class 87s...
87003 (IWCA) has been returned to frontline duties, it was stand by at Euston this morning. Ominously though a fleet survey taken early today had only two Class 87s diagrammed for traffic, 87002 and 87019, the rest were either stand by / spare, 87001 87003 87004 and 87033, or on exam / repairs, 87010 87012 and 87030.
Marking a welcome return to pairs of Class 87s on West Coast freight flows DRS duo 87022 and 87028 handled the 4M20 to Daventry service last night and are, after being stabled at Rugby today, booked to work back north tonight. In the days prior to the implementation of full sectorisation during the late 1980s, Class 87s in pairs or in multiple with Class 86s would often be seen plying their trade on the WCML with, mainly, steel traffic from Scotland or on Freightliner workings.

Another green Skoda…
90016 (DFLC) has been released from the paintshop at Toton in Freightliner livery.

RSG / 55022…
The owner of 55022 ‘Royal Scots Grey’ is after anything to do with this locomotive, pictures, video etc. If you can help please get in touch via the (new) web site at www.royalscotsgrey.com

Disposal…
The demolition of 47339 at Booth’s Rotherham has been competed. 47339 was stored from Freightliner’s DFLT pool in September 1999, RIP.

Troubled tugs…
60019 (WNTR) is still at Crewe so it can be assumed that it has now been retired pending a drag across to Immingham whilst 60043 (WNTR) has arrived at Immingham for store. 60079 (WNTR) is still at Colnbrook but is booked to work to Immingham later today whilst 60089 (WNTR) was dragged from South Wales to Warrington yesterday in the consist of the 6M75 from Newport behind 66100. It has since been despatched east to Doncaster Belmont en route to Immingham.

Work in progress…
The cutting of 47339 at Booth’s Rotherham is well underway whilst 47353 has been placed in position behind it so will be next in line for the chop.

Eastleigh bones…
Although a few weeks ago it appeared that four of the WZFF Class 58s, 58006 58010 58011 and 58018, were being prepared for movement away from Eastleigh it has now been confirmed that they are staying where they are, for now anyway. The transformation of 58016 into a Fertis machine is progressing well with only a few mechanical details to be attended to and a top coat of Fertis grey and logo’s to be applied.

Toton report…
Noted in and around Toton yesterday: Stored but still in traffic 60043 en route to Immingham was noted on the depot mid afternoon parked in the holding sidings for active locomotives. Observed in a line at the front of the depot were 37685 37706 37717 and 37517 along with recent arrivals from Motherwell, 37410 and 37676, which were parked nearby. Also dumped at the front of the depot were stored Class 60s, 60006 60092 and 60095, along with 67001. 56105 was on the load bank whilst ‘Royal Skip’ 67005 was in the paint shop being touched up. Stored 08480 is still located in the Wagon Shop across the mainline from the depot, presumably still being the pilot there.
The Training Compound is as was except for the disappearance of 47702 cut up on site at the end of January but it was noted that several Class 58s in there are in a very sorry state, namely 58003 58008 and 58048, which along with 58019 on the depot, all appear to have undergone or be undergoing varying degrees of component recovery.

Tug troubles…
The EWS Class 60 fleet has been further reduced with the transfer to WNTR today of 60019 60029 60043 60079 and 60089. All five are still out and about but assigned to Immingham for storage. This reduction leaves 83 Class 60s allocated to the operational pools, WCAN and WCBN.
It is understood that obtaining spare parts for the Class 60s power units is becoming a problem which if so, will undoubtedly result in a number of locomotives being stripped for spares to keep the rest of the fleet in traffic. Re-engineering, which would include replacement of the Mirrlees engine, is still an option but although feasibility studies have taken place no decision has yet been reached.
With regards to the hours accumulated for Class 60s the five stored today all had over 13,000 hours accumulated. 60019 13,700, 60029 14,200, 60043 13,480, 60079 13,930 and 60089 13,690. The highest hours Class 60 is 60095, currently stored serviceable at Toton, with 16,150 on the clock whilst the lowest is 60071 which was reportedly fitted with a replacement power unit last summer, with only 1,300 to its credit. Of the locomotives remaining in traffic several have high hours, 60002 13,470, 60008 12,690, 60014 12,930, 60030 13,450, 60037 13,180 and 60038 12,690. Ominously only 27 of the 100 Class 60s are currently recorded as having under 10,000 hours on the clock.

Disposals…
Three to report, all Class 47s. At Booth’s Rotherham the disposal of 47258 has been completed, 47339 is next in line for processing, meanwhile down the road at Hull’s the demolition of 47471 is complete whilst very little of 47285 was visibly evident this morning. So its RIP for 47258, stored from Freightliner’s DFLM pool in November 2001, RIP for 47285, stored from Bescot and WHBF in January 1999, and RIP for 47471 stored from Crewe’s PXLH pool in June 1996.

Work (back) in progress…
After cessation of activities at Crewe Works back in November 2004 the demolition of 86611 and 86631 has resumed in the last couple of days. Although 86611 was reasonably complete very little remains of 86631 which had been reduced to some frame and part of one cab when work was stopped whilst the Works took delivery of a crash damaged HST set.

VT mainline…
A fleet survey of the VT mainline fleet this morning…

XH / HN group pool changes…
DRS have put through quite a number of changes to the XH pool group, mostly transfers out, but the three Class 37s acquired from (still pending an official announcement) HNRC, 37087 37194 and 37515, have been added to the XHCK pool.
The XHSS pool list has been decimated with the transfer away of several Class 20s, several Class 33s and a handful of Class 37s to the HN pool group, HNRS, and in the case of the four Class 20/9s still registered, to HNRL. 37384 at Loughborough has been de-registered along with scrapped 37144 37223 and 37262, three of those mentioned in the ‘ghosts on the system’ survey only a couple of days ago. These changes leave only 47484 at Glasgow Works, DRS are retaining 47484 as its ’historical importance’ has been recognised, allocated to the XHSS pool.

Hull’s Rotherham, a reminder…
The photographer who supplied the recent picture of a partially dismantled 47471 at Ron Hull’s Rotherham has requested that it be pointed out that he has access to the site during the course of his employment and that Hull’s are not able to cater for casual visitors.

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