Happy New Year to everyone.
56301 worked another Class 707 transfer trip to Dollands Moor on Friday 5th January and returned in the early hours of Saturday.
8/1/18 – 56301 worked 6T02 Wembley to Barrington and is doing the same trip this morning (9/1/18).
9/1/18 – 56096 & 56113 are working 6M32 Lindsey Oil Refinery – Preston Docks (Ribble Rail) tanks in place of the usual class 60. The return working is booked to leave Preston at 0855 and passes Wakefield at 1211, arriving back at Lindsey around 1400.
56301 has worked the Barrington spoil trains each day Monday 8th to Friday 12th January. On Friday, the return train didn’t run and 56301’s first trip on Monday should be 6T02 1128 Barrington – Wembley.
Friday 12th January – 50008 & 56104 ran to the West Country from Derby / Leicester to collect a rail grinder from Oakhampton. 56104 went along for a test run following repairs and as the type 5 is too heavy for the RA5 route to Oakhampton, the 56 stayed at Exeter whilst the 50 went to collect the grinder.
13th January – 56104, 50008 & rail grinder returned north but 56104 is reported to have failed at Eckington Loop, just north of Cheltenham, where the 50 took over for the remainder of the run.
20 January – 56104 is still at Derby RTC and 56301 is currently at Wembley Yard, awaiting transfer back to Leicester for an A exam and attention to parking brakes and wheel sets.
The current locations of the 56 fleet are as follows:
DCR Fleet:
56091, 56103, 56303, 56311 * 56312 are all at Leicester
UKRL Fleet:
56104 Derby RTC, 56301 Wembley, the rest at Leicester
COLAS Fleet:
56049 Nottingham Eastcroft Depot
56051 Washwood Heath
56078 Grangemouth
56087 Carlisle Yard
56090 Washwood Heath
56094 Whitemoor
56096 Crewe Basford Hall
56105 Doncaster Belmont Yard
56113 Crewe Basford Hall
56302 Whitemoor
Of these, the locos at Whitemoor, Belmont and Crewe should see some use on engineering trains over the weekend, with the Crewe pair likely to head for North Wales at Shotton.