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The Leicester 56s.

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Mugby

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As we enter another winter, the collection of Class 56s stand huddled together in the yard of the old Leicester depot, silently rusting away, some of them look too far gone to have any chance of returning to traffic.

Does anyone know who is responsible for them? Do they have any future? It's a shame to see these once capable engines reduced to such a state.
And who exactly was Fertis?
 
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Peter Mugridge

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Fertis was a contractor to whom they were hired on the Continent.

UK Rail Leasing is their current owner.
 
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Roast Veg

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UKRL have already returned several to spot hire duties, but the demand isn't there for more than one or two more right now. Not disposing of them has worked out in UKRLs favour, as the cab from one was recently sent to Hungary to replace a collision damaged unit out there.
 
Peter Mugridge

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Which one was scrapped to provide the cab? ( Though presumably the rest of it is actually still intact in case it needs to donate the other cab or anytrhing else? )
 
cactustwirly

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There's a lot of decomposing everything at Leicester atm.
There's some wagons, obviously 56s, 47s and 37s in various states.
 
DarloRich

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Mugby said:
As we enter another winter, the collection of Class 56s stand huddled together in the yard of the old Leicester depot, silently rusting away, some of them look too far gone to have any chance of returning to traffic.

Does anyone know who is responsible for them? Do they have any future? It's a shame to see these once capable engines reduced to such a state.
And who exactly was Fertis?
Click to expand...

Is it possible, I wonder, if some might have been bought as spares donors...............
 
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Intercity Exec

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whhistle said:
Either.

Is that 58 that was around for decades still there?
Click to expand...
I believe the HST locos moved on quickly although MK3s remain. The 58 you speak of (I do not know its identity) is the one sat through Mainline freight and EWS days? It left years ago, although I know not where to, and the one there now is 016 owned by the CL58LG. It is due for refurbishment but is probably a fairly low priority at Leicester. On to topic, the 56s were acquired for reengining, although some were unlikely to be converted and would probably only have relinquished spares. The whole project was supposedly ready to go but no orders came in. Would have been a type 5 equivalent of the class 57 conversions. Back off topic again, was the EPS carriage ever restarted as had been planned for static coaching stock heating (location unknown)?
 
mushroomchow

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Where HSTs Still Scream. Kind of.
A good number of them are there for spares, but they've done a pretty fine job of turning out the locos they have refurbished so far - and it's great to finally see Leicester depot return to being the hub of activity it once was. There's also the 58LG's loco sitting in a siding, which reminds me of the days when a "Bone" in Mainline livery was dumped there for a number of years (58005? 006?) Given the traction on show and the lines of locomotives, squint and it could be any BR depot in the mid-1980s - I recommend a visit if you're basher-inclined.

Coincidentially, I "copped" one of their 56s towing a Europhoenix 37 in a blizzard at Cossington on Sunday. It turned out to be a silver lining, as it was only after a further 40 minutes of standing in a blizzard that I realised that it was in fact the 10th, not the 9th, and the Vintage Trains charter to York that I'd trudged miles and tiptoed around a jack-knifed lorry en-route to see had already been and gone a day earlier. Realtime Trains threw me with a Leicester - York service passing precisely 24 hours on from the actual service's due passing time! :oops:
 
E_Reeves

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I didn't know there were 43s there? When was this? I hope they didn't pass through Nuneaton, but knowing my luck they probably did...
 
RingingEars66

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This is copied and pasted, but relevant.

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gb-railfreight-in-locomotive-acquisition-talks.149967/page-10

GBRf can't get 60's, I believe they tried but wanted to overhaul them at Brush. DB wouldn't let anyone take them away without DB doing all the overhaul, like they did for Colas. I was told that GBRf realised that they couldn't get the loco's away by road because they're too heavy for a nearby road bridge and DB won't let anyone take the engines out unless they're being overhauled on site at Toton. So I was told that GBRf walked away from the table, which I think is fair if DB are going to be that ridiculous over an asset which is seeing it's last chance at overhaul.

So the other story is that GBRf are going to overhaul some 56's and put 66 engines in them, re-engineering the whole loco. The other day I could see that there's been a massive shuffle about at Leicester and a whole rake of 56's has been put together with a 47 at the front ready to take them off somewhere! So that looks like it will be coming off. Personally, I think it's throwing good money after bad and that those 56's should be run as they are, without the re-engineering. Not because I'm any sort of great lover of the 56, but because they aren't a perfect bed for this overhaul. Something that rides badly and has poor traction controls isn't going to be any better with a GM power unit...
 
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Roast Veg

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RingingEars66 said:
This is copied and pasted, but relevant.

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gb-railfreight-in-locomotive-acquisition-talks.149967/page-10

GBRf can't get 60's, I believe they tried but wanted to overhaul them at Brush. DB wouldn't let anyone take them away without DB doing all the overhaul, like they did for Colas. I was told that GBRf realised that they couldn't get the loco's away by road because they're too heavy for a nearby road bridge and DB won't let anyone take the engines out unless they're being overhauled on site at Toton. So I was told that GBRf walked away from the table, which I think is fair if DB are going to be that ridiculous over an asset which is seeing it's last chance at overhaul.

So the other story is that GBRf are going to overhaul some 56's and put 66 engines in them, re-engineering the whole loco. The other day I could see that there's been a massive shuffle about at Leicester and a whole rake of 56's has been put together with a 47 at the front ready to take them off somewhere! So that looks like it will be coming off. Personally, I think it's throwing good money after bad and that those 56's should be run as they are, without the re-engineering. Not because I'm any sort of great lover of the 56, but because they aren't a perfect bed for this overhaul. Something that rides badly and has poor traction controls isn't going to be any better with a GM power unit...
Click to expand...
Where can they source those engines from? Is this another loophole in the emissions regulations, to put them in an ancient unit?
 
43096

43096

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E_Reeves said:
I didn't know there were 43s there? When was this?
Click to expand...
Earlier this month - two pairs (43032/168 and 43169/183) were there before moving to Brush. 43127/145 have also arrived today...
 
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