The Class 56 Group

Author: Keith Bulmer

  • Update – Gridiron 135 has gone to the printers

    C56G members will be relieved to hear that the next edition of Gridiron has finally gone to the printers and is expected to drop through letter boxes in the next couple of weeks.

  • Update-November 2021

    Update-November 2021

    Not much to report on either locomotive :- 56006 – following a successful three days at the ELR Gala the ELR opted to use the loco on the Sunday diesel turn. 56006 was removed from the first train with a low power fault. The locomotive could have completed all three trips but would have lost […]

  • East Lancashire Railway- 56006 availability

    4/7/2021 Unfortunately 56006 has set out on the 09:15 diesel turn this morning, but would appear to be suffering low power. The loco will come back to Bury where it will come off the train and retire to the shed. Problem isn’t known at the moment but hopefully it isn’t anything serious . We’ll update […]

  • 2021 CLASS 56 GROUP AGM

    The Class 56 Group AGM will take place as a real meeting (subject to Government Covid restrictions and guidance ** ) and will take place at the Alexandra Hotel in Derby on Saturday 31st July. The meeting will start at 12:30 and is expected to be over by 16:30 at the latest. As has become […]

  • 56301 feedback from test run on Friday 19/3/2021

    Update Sunday 09:13 21/3/2021 Unfortunately ,as I’m sure anyone following the progress of 56301 on Friday will already know , the test run was terminated short of its destination due to a fault on 56301. The fault was on the load regulator side of the control system and caused a loss of power . The […]

  • Update 28th February 2021 – 56301 start up

    First of all a belated happy birthday to 56006-  It was 25th February 1977, 44 years ago , when the C56Gs locomotive became the first Class 56 accepted into traffic by British Rail. Due to the restrictions little work has taken place on the loco but plans are being made for the resumption of working […]

  • 56301 Update (dated 19th September 2020)

    UKRL report 56301 is now sat down on the replacement set of bogies (with 56301s original traction motors refitted back under the loco) One traction pad is reported defective and is being replaced and then the loco just needs traction motor cables and bellows reconnected and 56301 should be moving about under her own power […]

  • Update – 56006 (Dated 19th September 2020)

    Several recent work parties have seen steady progress on the locomotive. Carried out under the Covid-19 guidelines a three day spell in early September saw several jobs completed. One of the main ones was the topping up of the traction motor gearcase lubricant. This has been checked previously and although there was lubricant in the […]

  • 56006 – one mystery solved, another unanswered.

    As you may recall 56006 was running around for a very long time a crazed cab quaterlight on the drivers side at No 1 end. Unfortunately this was broken a few summers ago when some vandals threw a stone through it. The broken glass was removed and a standard Romanian piece of glazing offered into […]

  • 56301 and 56006 update

    56301 and 56006 update

    Final work to reunite our mainline registered locomotive 56301 with its replacement tyres(ex 56007) and its original traction motors is underway at UKRL’s Leicester facility and the attached image shows the locomotive during these works. The photo is courtesy of UKRL. Please remember UKRL’s Leicester site is not open to the public although locomotives on shed can be […]