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 2011/2012 committee.

Click here to view the Class 56 Group constitution.

In December 2005, after nearly 13 years of hard fundraising, the group was advised it had been successful in it’s bid to purchase it’s first loco, 56040 ‘Oystermouth’ from EWS. The engine was withdrawn from front line service with EWS on 21st October 2000 with 8647 engine hours on the clock, and was moved to Immingham C&W for storage with other members of the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 served the group well for a number of years, working on the Mid Norfolk and Battlefield Line Railways, as well as Barrow Hill Roundhouse. In early 2011 the group were presented an offer they could not refuse. This resulted in the purchase of 56301, the former 56045, a loco that had been overhauled for use by Fastline Freight in 2006. To provide the bulk of the finance required, 56040 was retired and stripped for spare parts before being sold for scrap.

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, 56101 and 56301 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, Feb 2011