56006 – Out of traffic at Baron Street, Bury. The technical team are awaiting the purchase of a megger tester which allows the insulation to be checked on the locomotive’s cables and electrical equipment. We suspect the fault is due to damp in the system and we need the megger tester to trace the problem. We also need some slightly more pleasant weather to carry out the work. The meter will be on order today but the delivery on the better weather is yet to be determined!
56301 – Currently in ‘T’ status (i.e awaiting transfer to a maintenance facility). The loco is currently located at Bletchley Civil Engineers Sidings after triggering the Network Rail wheel check monitors while being towed from Wembley to Leicester for assesment of the wheel flats. The original plan was to put the loco on a wheel skate, but the cost and finding a path (even at night) on the WCML was thought to be unpractical. The plan is now likely to be a road move, probably direct to a wheel lathe facility.
While it is a fact that several class 56s were allocated to ‘Trainload Petroleum’ sector pools during the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was only one loco (56036) which actually carried the official sector symbols of this particular sector. The attached photograph shows 56036 at Old Oak Common depot, courtesy of Jack Resay.
For the record, the other 56s allocated to Petroleum pools during the sector years were:
56035, 56036 & 56048 – FPLW – Petroleum Sector, West Wales
56084, 56094, 56106 & 56126 – FPGI – Petroleum Sector/Contract Services pool, Immingham TMD
56104 & 56127 – FPCA – Petroleum Sector unspecified code
56003, 56008, 56012 & 56014 FPYX- Petroleum Sector- Stored (these locos were destined for fitter training at Immingham).
GBRf 2018 – “Out of the Ordinary” FULL PLAN
Rumours were that anyone wanting to join the class 56 portion of the trip would have to pay for the whole four day tour but this appears to have been incorrect.
First, watch this video before reading on… !
Individual Day Tickets:
For Day One, Two, Three and Four the fare per person will be £80 standard class, £120 first class.
For Day N (the overnight) the fare per person will be £65 standard class, £105 first class.
A guaranteed table for two supplement will be available in first class for £10 per person per day. (Day N is considered a seperate day for the purposes of this).
Whole Tour Tickets:
Standard Class – £320
Standard Class PLUS – £370
First Class – £480
First Class PLUS – £530
THE FULL WORKS – £730
Details of the 56 hauled portion are as follows:
– Saturday 22/09/18
Day Three is an early start from Motherwell heading into Mossend Reception lines where some remarshalling of locomotives will take place. On departure from Mossend a Class 56 (kindly supplied by Colas Rail) will be leading, with a single Class 73/1 tucked behind and operating in tandem where appropriate. We will pick up at Dalmuir then head down the West Highland Line to Fort William where we expect to arrive late morning for a break of around 1 hour.
The return from Fort William will feature the Class 56 working solo, back up the West Highland Line, through Glasgow, round the Hamilton circle and back into Mossend. A brief pause here to re-attach the second Class 73/1 to the rear, and then with the Class 56 still leading we head via Cumbernauld, Falkirk and the Forth Bridge to Rosyth Down Loop. Here we’ll reverse and the two 73/1s will then lead us over the Forth Bridge and into Edinburgh Waverley. At Edinburgh we will replace the Class 56 with an electric locomotive and head back to Glasgow Central via Linlithgow, Cumbernauld, Coatbridge and Stepps – rare routes for AC locomotives.
Sunday 11th February 2018.
Unfortunately, 56006 will not be available to work at this weekend’s diesel gala. During checks about three weeks ago, one of the electronic modules was found to be defective and the loco shut down as it could not recharge its batteries. A replacement module was obtained and tested the following week. However, this cured the shut down problem but one of the 3 auxiliary phase lights (which indicate all is well with each of the three phases output from the alternator) was extinguished. This was the same problem that occurred before the autumn gala last year, which we thought we’d cured by replacing a faulty choke on the auxiliary alternator. The technical team have visited Bury on four occasions recently, in efforts to get the loco ready but today’s visit was reluctantly called off as the investigation work will require a megger tester (which wasn’t available) and a couple of days work to check out the systems on 56006.
In addition to the site visits, many hours of telephone calls have taken place to try and identify the possible fault from schematic diagrams and our knowledge but unfortunately we’ve had to advise the ELR today that 56006 won’t be available.
Friday 9th February 2018
56006 has had some of the outstanding repairs completed, including replacing a leaking straight air brake valve and also resolving a low voltage relay which kept tripping out and shutting down the loco. The lost phase fault seems to have returned and the cause could be the cold, damp and wet conditions experienced recently. Work continues to get the loco warmed up and fit for next weekend’s gala.
Watch this space for updates. We should know by Sunday evening if 56006 will be fit for traffic.
Wed 14th Feb 2018.
56301 set out behind 56303 heading back to Leicester for repairs and wheel set inspection, following damage sustained to a wheel set. However, the loco triggered a wheel check sensor and Network Rail put the loco into the civil engineers sidings at Bletchley for inspection, after which the loco should go forward at a reduced speed (likely overnight) to Leicester.
56s on oil trains seems to be the flavour of the month so far in February, with the Grangemouth pair working to and from Prestwick and Dalston. Unusually, 56078 and 56096 paired up on the 3rd Feb to work the Dalston train.
56094 & 56105 have worked the Lindsey – Preston tanks on at least the 6th, 8th and 9th February.
The photo accompanying this web page was kindly provided by Class 56 Group member Gareth Yates and Gareth has also provided links to a couple of YouTube videos, featuring the pair at work on the 6th and 8th February.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OArJSWktvqk
https://youtu.be/kB4uOYYVFdg
The month started with the Colas fleet being the only 56s doing much work. The ex DCR fleet and UKRL fleets were all at Leicester except our very own 56301 which is still sat at Wembley awaiting a tow back to Leicester for maintenance.
On the 1st February, the Colas fleet was as follows:
Nottingham Eastcroft – 56049/051/087/090/302
Grangemouth – 56078 / Carlisle – 56096 (working the Prestwick and Dalston duties respectively)
Millerhill – 56113
Doncaster 56105
Bescot 56094
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.
14/12/17 – 56301 has worked the 0349 Wembley to Foxton and should work the 1228 return. 56301 is again working this duty solo and should also perform tomorrow.
No news on the 56 allocated for the Jolly Grid Railtour this weekend but watch this space.
11/12/17 – 56087 is reported on TOPS as working a 0600 Grangemouth – Rotherham Booths PS. Realtime Trains shows the working but has no reported passing times, so it’s not certain this has actually run. IF IT DOES RUN, A RETURN WORKING IS SHOWING AS 1914 DEPARTURE WITH A 07XX ARRIVAL BACK AT GRANGEMOUTH (TUESDAY).
10/12/17 – 56301 ran from Derby to Leicester, collected 47815 & 47813 and then worked a 1330 Leicester to Wembley. The 47s were being positioned to work the Barrington/Foxton train this week. A second train is expected to start at some point but traction is unspecified at this point.
09/12/17 – 56301 was summoned from Wembley to rescue 37608 which had problems in the Bletchley area whilst hauling the 5Q58 Leicester – Ramsgate EMU move conveying a class 375 EMU. 56301 took the train through to Ramsgate and returned with another unit to Derby.
9/12/17 Saturday – 56303 ran as 1030 Derby RTC to Washwood Heath to collect 56091 & 56103 and return as 1330 Washwood Heath – Leicester. That will see probably the largest gathering of ‘grids’ at one location in many years.
4/12/17 – 56096 should run as 6Z07 1028 Washwood Heath – Llanwern (attached photograph courtesy of and copyright Duncan Jennings)
56301 is back at Wembley awaiting further duties. The Bow – Calvert looks like it’s not going to be 56 powered but 56301 should find gainful employment soon.
56094 & 56302 are operating the North Wales RHTT circuit .
4/12/17 – 56128 has moved by road to Booth’s at Rotherham. 56311 & 56312 were delivered by rail to Leicester. 56303 is still active and was last reported in the North bay at Derby or at the RTC nearby.
25/11/17 – Reports elsewhere that DCR’s new owners are retaining 56303, 56091 & 56103 with 56128, 56311 & 56312 going to Booth’s scrap yard in Rotherham.
Given we’re approaching the deadline for clearance of Washwood Heath for HS2, movements should be taking place in the next couple of weeks and destinations should confirm or dispel the above info.
In the spirit of the approaching Christmas party game season, the C56G believe at least one of the above predictions is incorrect but can’t say too much at the moment. Work that one out!
A day at Bury on Monday 13th saw the defective auxiliary alternator coil replaced on 56006. The loco started first time afterwards, all three lamps on the control cubicle were lit and indicating output of all three phases was restored. A few other less serious faults remain outstanding but these should be fixed when availability of parts and labour coincide again. Hopefully this will be before Christmas, as 56006 has been allocated some ELR duties in February.
56301’s situation was made interesting with the recent announcement that all of the fleet DCR currently use (actually owned by RMS Locotec) have been put up for sale. 56091/56103/56303/56311/56312 & 56128 and a number of class 31s are all available for sale. Washwood Heath is being prepared for construction works associated with HS2 and it is believed the deadline is approaching for the site to be cleared.
A direct result was 56303 returning to Derby on Friday 10th November, leaving 56301 at Wembley. The 6Z16/6Z17 workings were reported as cancelled due to crew shortages. 56301 stood at Wembley until Tuesday 14th, before being loaned to ROG who operated the later running path to Barrington. 56301 worked the duty on Wednesday, hauling 21 bogie box wagons (1850 tonnes) and then worked the same train on the Thursday and Friday too.
56301 sat at Wembley until Wednesday 22nd when ROG used her to collect some barrier vehicles from Clapham Yard and position them at Dollands Moor, ready for the imminent delivery of Class 707 units (707013/707014).
The units were delivered to Clapham Yard during the early hours of Saturday 25th November (departing Dollands Moor at 2238 on the Friday evening).
56301 should run to Acton at some point over the weekend or Monday to take up duties on the Bow – Calvert spoil workings. The start of these anticipated workings is dependent on the availability of 56104 which is being readied for service at UKRL, Leicester. Unlike the Barrington train, 56301 can’t operate the Bow train single handed as Network Rail guidance for the route dictates that it must be 2x class 56s for the load/gradients involved.
A look at schedules for next week would indicate the trains will operate a daily pattern as follows:
2220 Bow Depot – Calvert (via Acton route)
1006 Calvert – Wembley (arr 1211) then 1553 Wembley – Bow Depot (arr 1734).