90034

[alexl92]

Just a bit confused by something with this one.

As I understand it, before they returned the pretendolino set, Virgin wanted to hire a Class 90 to run with it for a bit, seeing as they'd returned their 57s.

What happened next was that they hired 90034, sub-let from DRS who borrowed it from DBS for the purpose. The loco was painted into DRS compass livery.

My questions are:
1. Why didn't Virgin just hire the loco direct from DBS? Where did DRS come into this in the first place?

2. Why was it painted in DRS colours rather than Virgin's livery? DRS didn't have any other work for it and it has since returned to DBS, still in blue. At least if it had been in Virgin's colours the red would have been closer to that of DBS's livery than DRS blue.

Cheers

 

[fgwrich]

I know the contract to provide the Loco had changed hands a few times over the length of the operation of the Pretendolino, with EWS/DBS, then Freightliner before DRS finally won the contract.

Also, the initial reason for not repainting a DBS class 90 into Virgin Trains' own Silver/Red was I believe a Virgin Trains reason owing to DBS not being able to guarantee that the loco would always stay on the Pretendolino set and not wonder off onto other DBS, ScotRail or Anglian services - as per the ScotRail Caledonian Sleeper liveried 90019/21/24 which have appeared on anything from DBS Car trains to 'ONE Anglia / NXEA. Whereas the majority of the 57/3 Fleet stayed on the WCML, until the slightly mixed fleet when 57313-316 became ATW one's and occasionally made it onto the West Coast duties.