It became the de facto Remembrance locomotive before there was an official one in the shape of a 66. I'm sure some people would see it as disrespectful if it were scrapped.
My point was that there is nothing specific about 91111 that makes it preservation worthy. 91110 and 91131 both have merits about them whereas 91111 just carries a special (and overrated imho) livery.
The livery deserves preservation as one of the cleverest designs to grace our trains, but all previous "remembrance" locomotives have previously gone for scrap so 91111 is no different in that way.
Surely the main factor is the locomotives themselves ? Those two deltics will inevitably remain preserved because of what they are. Some years ago Harry Needle made a "threat" that "Gordon" would be dismantled and the engines flogged to the NYFD. Obviously it was a windup and the loco has been tarted up and sent to Margate for display indoors. That to me is preserved, even if the Napiers are still in bits at Crewe.
Assuming you are talking about 91111 I disagree with the part in bold; the Harry Patch livery and 91110's Battle of Britain guise are both superior designs in my view. A side view of 91111 looks great but the odd shape of the yellow panel on the front end is not particularly clever in my opinion. A high-resolution photo of 91111, viewed bang-side-on, stuck on a wall scaled so the loco is at actual size would be a good way of preserving that livery I feel.
I would be glad to do without the yellow end, but as an ECML regular until March, I always found 91111 a powerful and moving sight.
Scrapping a DVT seems to be a bit short-sighted. Reduces the opportunities for future use of more Mark 4 sets.
With 16 DVTs now spare/off-lease, no sign of anyone else taking them beyond the TfW and Grand Central use and an economic crash that we have not seen the like of in our lifetimes, I'm not understanding that view. It costs to store vehicles - if there is no prospect of re-use then scrapping them is going to avoid the cost.
Of course, most Manchester - Birmingham services carry on beyond Birmingham New Street, to destinations without OLE (Bournemouth; no OLE from Coventry to Didcot, and from Southcote Jn onwards, and Bristol TM; no OLE via the Camp Hill Line, from Bromsgrove to Westerleigh Jn, and south of Bristol Parkway).
They won’t sell you one. It’s a controlled disposal.
Ah yes. I don't think Arriva would be too enamoured to alter any diagrams in New St just to use more LHCS under OLE though - platform capacity at BHM is a real premium!
125 was withdrawn around February I think, but was reprieved temporarily following a few failures. I believe the only two left to go at the moment are 91119 & 91124, are there any others?
111 has not been in traffic for a while, neither has 110. But both were on the list of 91s to be retained, unlike 91119 & 91124
In bounds green?!
