Coaching Stock News
Southall departures
With the acquisition of Steam Dreams by Locomotive Services, further coaches owned by the charter company have been collected from Southall, this time using road transport. On August 4, Mk.1 Super GUV 94222 was brought north from London to LSL’S Crewe depot, while the same week saw Mk.1 BSK 35453 and Mk.2f RSS 1800 moved to Rowsley for further storage. The latter is the unique Restaurant Self Service buffet car conversion, which has not seen main line use for a number of years.
Worksop Mk.4 barriers
The two Mk.4 barrier coaches located at Worksop for more than 18 months were collected by D6817 (37521) on August 4, it working back to Locomotive Services’ Crewe depot with 6352 and 6353. The duo was originally brought north from Bounds Green by road in September 2020 and January 2021 respectively to assist with shunting the stored Mk.4 stock that had accumulated at Worksop. However, they are believed to have seen little, if any, use, HNRC preferring to use Mk.4 TOE coaches and more recently DVTS to give the necessary coupling compatibility.
Both 6352 and 6353 were built as Mk.2a First Corridor (FK) coaches before being downgraded to standard class and renumbered as 19465 and 19478 for their final years in passenger use. It remains to be seen what LSL has planned for the pair. Meanwhile, HNRC is understood to have purchased DVTS 82210 and 82218 for continued use at Worksop now that the other Mk.4 stock has departed, as they are still used to shunt the various EMUS stored at the site.
Eastleigh arrivals
Continuing with the Locomotive Services fleet, three more coaches have arrived at Eastleigh for overhaul. Mk.1 FO 3091 was retrieved from storage at Peak Rail in mid-june, heading briefly to Crewe before continuing to Eastleigh Yard in the second full week of July. At the same time, Mk.3 buffet 40808 was collected from store at Kidderminster on the Severn Valley Railway, as was newly-acquired 40902 from Long Marston. All three were tripped over to Eastleigh Works from the yard by 66748 on July 25. At Crewe, recently-acquired Mk.3b FO 11082 is also now finished in 1980s Scotrail colours after a trip across the WCML to Arriva Traincare for repainting.
Scrapyard transfer
An unusual road move in the last week of July saw Mk.3 TGS 44089 retrieved from EMR’S Kingsbury scrapyard and taken instead to the Stafford yard of J Watson & Sons for disposal.
The latter has been the scrap merchant of choice for recent Eastern Rail Services disposals after the problems delivering Mk.2e FO 3240 to Kingsbury earlier in the year.