Preserved class 52 Westerns, status and updates (originally about D1048).

[JKF]

This image of D1013 Western Ranger & Class 56 No.006 (copyright of Martin Loader) at Bewdley during the Severn Valley Railway's Diesel Gala - dating from September 2000; 006 was still a EWS-owned machine at this time - should be of interest to some here. Two classes that had an incredibly small window of overlap in BR stock; 56006 was the first of it's class to be accepted by BR (on 25th February 1977, the day before the Western Tribute tour on 26th February & 3 days before the last Westerns were withdrawn wholesale on 28th February) and two types that consequently - thanks to both that small time window and the geographical seperation - had zero chance of being seen together under BR ownership. Of course, anything goes in preservation.

56006 & D1013 Bewdley 30 September 2000

Although only one would be under BR ownership, is it possible 1010 (masquerading as 1035) might have encountered class 56s when preserved at Merehead by Foster Yeoman? When did it move from there? I think class 56s started working in the West Country and South Wales in the early 80s (maybe 82-84 era).

 

[Strathclyder]

Although only one would be under BR ownership, is it possible 1010 (masquerading as 1035) might have encountered class 56s when preserved at Merehead by Foster Yeoman? When did it move from there? I think class 56s started working in the West Country and South Wales in the early 80s (maybe 82-84 era).

D1010 - or D1035 if you prefer. - left Merehead in May 1986 for Didcot (?) hauled by 59001. So there's every chance it encountered the odd 56 before it left. But of course, D1010 wasn't a BR-owned machine by then as you rightly point out.