The Class 56 Group
Founded in 1992, the Class 56 Group hopes to recruit people across the country who are interested in the class and would like to see one or more of these locos preserved. The two main aims of the group are to promote interest in the class and to preserve one or more locomotives in full working order.
The group offers news, details and information about the class and the group in it’s quarterly newsletter GRIDIRON. Members are invited to take a keen interest in the group by submitting material for the newsletter, and attending meetings and spreading the details of the group, so others with similar interests join the cause.
Click here to meet the 2009 – 2010 committee.
Click here to view the Class 56 Group constitution.
56040 at Wymondham station on the MNR, working its first train in preservation. Photo courtesy Martin Reeve.
In December 2005, after nearly 13 years of hard fundraising, the group was advised it had been successful in it’s bid to purchase 56040 ‘Oystermouth’ from EWS. The loco was withdrawn from front line service with EWS on 21st October 2000 with 8647 engine hours on the clock, and was moved to Immingham C&W for storage with other members of the ill fated class. 56040 now resides at Dereham on the Mid Norfolk Railway where members of the C56G have restored the loco to operational condition, complete with a pretty dashing Large Logo Railfreight Grey paint job.
Please find your way around this website using the links in the top bar, and also links inside each page. The group are always very interested to receive photos of 56040 both in preservation and in service with British Rail/EWS. If you have any photos, please get in contact and we’ll put them on the website.
Oli Smith
C56G Webmaster, July 2009
