Oystermouth Online

56040 Timeline

Build completed February 1978 at BREL Doncaster

Entered traffic February 1978 in Small BR Logo, British Rail Corporate Blue Livery.

Allocated to Toton 15/02/78

Reallocated to Cardiff Canton 02/09/79

Named ‘Oystermouth’ on 25th March 1982. 56040 was “conservatively” named amidst much publicity to mark the 175th anniversary of the Swansea & Mumbles Railway which is now approaching its bi-centenary. Oystermouth is part of Mumbles and one of the beauty spots, with a Norman castle overlooking Swansea Bay, where the railway ran. The Swansea & Mumbles Railway was also informally known as the Oystermouth Railway.Overhauled in March 1987 at Crewe Works.

Repainted into Railfreight Grey 03/87

Allocation to sector pool FAWC 07/12/87

Transferred to sector pool FAWK 22/01/89

Transferred to sector pool FASK (between 12/02/91 and 11/03/91)

Transferred to sector pool FMCK 07/04/91

‘Oystermouth’ nameplates removed circa 06/05/91

Transferred to sector pool FMHK 12/06/91

Transferred to sector pool FMCK 21/07/91

Overhauled September 1991 at Doncaster Works (Livery change to Two Tone Grey with Metals Decals)

Name reinstated 11/91 at Cardiff Canton

Transferred to sector pool LNBK 20/03/94

Livery change to Two Tone Grey with Transrail Branding (circa xx/07/95 carried out at ZF Doncaster Works)

Arrived ABB Crewe 01/96 Unclassified (engine) departed 04/96

LNBK pool now becomes Class 56 CF Wales & West EWSR pool (during 01/97)

Transferred to Immingham and Sector pool FDBI 27/09/97 (FDBI EWSR 56 IM EWSR)

Transferred to sector pool WGAN 15/12/98 (WGAN Class 56 Nationwide)

Transferred to WQ and Sector pool WNXX 27/02/00 (stored at Immingham)

Transferred to Crewe Diesel 17/03/00 for further storage

Moved to Chester Wagon Repair Shops for secure storage 28/03/00

Re-instated to traffic and moved to Immingham and sector pool WGAN 05/05/00

Transferred to WQ and Sector pool WNXX 31/10/00 (stored at Immingham)

Final withdrawal date 21st October 2000 at Immingham, final engine hours 8647

Moved to Immingham C&W on 12th November 2000 for store

Bought by The Class 56 Group in December 2005

Moved to Dereham on the Mid-Norfolk Railway September 2006

Returned to traffic March 2009, Dereham. (Repainted into 1987 Railfreight Grey)

Moved to Shackerstone for repairs, September 2009.

Sector Pools

FAWC Train load freight Construction allocated to Cardiff Canton 07/12/87 – 22/01/89

FAWK Train load freight Construction allocated to Cardiff Canton 22/01/89 – 29/09/91

FMCK Train load freight Metals allocated to Cardiff Canton 07/04/91 – 12/06/91

FMCK Train load freight Metals allocated to Cardiff Canton 21/07/91 – 20/03/94

FMHK Train load freight Metals allocated to Cardiff Canton 12/06/91 – 21/07/91

LNBK Train load freight West allocated to Cardiff Canton (south Wales) 20/03/94 – ??

FDBI Train load freight North allocated to Immingham (Humberside traffic) 20/03/94 – ??

WGAN System Wide pool (formerly FDBI)

WNXX EWS stored mainline locomotives

56040 at Wymondham Abbey on it’s first train in preservation. March 2009. Photo Martin Reeve.

Passenger Workings

Passenger workings by 56040 are relatively few and only one railtour appearance has been logged. The Hertfordshire Railtours “Faulty Tower” on 21st October 1995 ran from Paddington station to Tower Colliery via Bristol and Cardiff. From Tower, the tour ran to Cwm Bargoed before returning to Paddington as per the outward route. 56040 worked the tour between Tower and Cardiff, and Cwm Bargoed and Cardiff.

56040 at Cwm Bargoed during the Faulty Tower Railtour. Duncan Jennings.