UK Railtours "Class 56 Farewell" - 17/09/22

[TrainTrackJack]

UK Railtours have just announced a farewell tour for the GBRf Class 56s before they are re-engineered into Class 69s, on Saturday 17th September.

THE CLASS 56 FAREWELL – UK Railtours

www.ukrailtours.com

Class 66 Hauled to Leicester from Finsbury Park before the 56 takes over, and then via the Erewash Valley to Barrow Hill where the stock will be serviced. The 56 then takes the tour north before coming off at Peterborough for a Class 66 to take the stock back to Finsbury Park.

Of course, this is for the GBRf Class 56s. The examples with Colas and DCR remain as they are.

 

[Trackman]

How many are left now, FOC/plant mainline wise now?

 

[TrainTrackJack]

How many are left now, FOC/plant mainline wise now?

56006 at Barrow Hill, 56049/51/78/87/90/94/96/105/113/302 with Colas,
56081/98/312 with GBRf at Leicester (I believe 312 is stored)
56091 with DCR
There are several 'demics' still left at Leicester / Longport.

Pictures emerged of 56098 in BR Large Logo, presumably for the run down of the GBRf fleet and tour pending conversion.
Not my photo, credit to whoever took it.

 

[O8yityityit]

56006 at Barrow Hill, 56049/51/78/87/90/94/96/105/113/302 with Colas,
56081/98/312 with GBRf at Leicester (I believe 312 is stored)
56091 with DCR
There are several 'demics' still left at Leicester / Longport.

Pictures emerged of 56098 in BR Large Logo, presumably for the run down of the GBRf fleet and tour pending conversion.
Not my photo, credit to whoever took it.

56006 is at Bury on the ELR.

 

[Skymonster]

56006 at Barrow Hill, 56049/51/78/87/90/94/96/105/113/302 with Colas,
56081/98/312 with GBRf at Leicester (I believe 312 is stored)
56091 with DCR
There are several 'demics' still left at Leicester / Longport.

Pictures emerged of 56098 in BR Large Logo, presumably for the run down of the GBRf fleet and tour pending conversion.
Not my photo, credit to whoever took it.

Don’t forget 56097 at Ruddington which is up for sale and potentially might go back mainline (if you’re going to list 006, then 097 counts too!). DCR also has 103 at Leicester which will be sorted eventually.

 

[Trainspotter43]

Don’t forget 56097 at Ruddington which is up for sale and potentially might go back mainline (if you’re going to list 006, then 097 counts too!). DCR also has 103 at Leicester which will be sorted eventually.

Isn’t 56301 mainline certified as well, it’s owned by the Class 56 Group along with 56006 but I believe it’s been having some work done for a few years or so now. I think it still counts as it’s still around, I was hoping 56098 would attend the Barrow Hill event as it’s well timed today but I don’t think it is, I’ll go and see the tour though. I believe DCR also own 56303 (At Wembley with collision damage) & 56103 and GBRF own class 56311 as well I think. Hope this helps.

 

[Richard Scott]

Isn’t 56301 mainline certified as well, it’s owned by the Class 56 Group along with 56006 but I believe it’s been having some work done for a few years or so now. I think it still counts as it’s still around, I was hoping 56098 would attend the Barrow Hill event as it’s well timed today but I don’t think it is, I’ll go and see the tour though. I believe DCR also own 56303 (At Wembley with collision damage) & 56103 and GBRF own class 56311 as well I think. Hope this helps.

56311 is 69002, I believe.

 

[trainmania100]

56006 at Barrow Hill, 56049/51/78/87/90/94/96/105/113/302 with Colas,
56081/98/312 with GBRf at Leicester (I believe 312 is stored)
56091 with DCR
There are several 'demics' still left at Leicester / Longport.

Pictures emerged of 56098 in BR Large Logo, presumably for the run down of the GBRf fleet and tour pending conversion.
Not my photo, credit to whoever took it.

Are those white bits around the windows tape for further painting or is it part of the livery?

 

[D365]

A farewell tour? I'm curious how many hours GBRf's collective 56 fleet actually worked in their service. Can't be that many!

Isn’t 56301 mainline certified as well, it’s owned by the Class 56 Group along with 56006 but I believe it’s been having some work done for a few years or so now. I think it still counts as it’s still around, I was hoping 56098 would attend the Barrow Hill event as it’s well timed today but I don’t think it is, I’ll go and see the tour though. I believe DCR also own 56303 (At Wembley with collision damage) & 56103 and GBRF own class 56311 as well I think. Hope this helps.

I've seen 56301 out-and-about. DCR's 56303 probably won't been seen again. GBRf's 56098 is one of the few that were in a serviceable condition.

56311, as above, is now 69002.

 

[Cowley]

Are those white bits around the windows tape for further painting or is it part of the livery?

Yes part of the livery. Quite a few of the large logo ones had the same treatment in BR days:

56101

Large Logo liveried class 56 locomotive 56101 is seen passing through the town it was built in on the ECML, Doncaster on a mgr train. New to Tinsley on the 21/12/81 withdrawn from Immingham 03/00 Exported to Hungary 06/12 12th October 1989

www.flickr.com

Although I think with some of them it was an aluminium surround. Maybe someone could confirm that?

 

[ExRes]

I've seen 56301 out-and-about.

Happy to be proved wrong but I believe 301 has been out of service for some considerable time now, I'll have a look at when it went out on a test run which failed but otherwise I think it's not been able to escape Leicester



Quicker than I thought, 301 worked a rake of JNAs from Chaddesden to York Holgate in March 2021 with 60055 for insurance, the 56 failed with a loss of power en route and had to be brought back by the 60

 

[fgwrich]

Yes part of the livery. Quite a few of the large logo ones had the same treatment in BR days:

56101

Large Logo liveried class 56 locomotive 56101 is seen passing through the town it was built in on the ECML, Doncaster on a mgr train. New to Tinsley on the 21/12/81 withdrawn from Immingham 03/00 Exported to Hungary 06/12 12th October 1989

www.flickr.com

Although I think with some of them it was an aluminium surround. Maybe someone could confirm that?

That painting style was one of Tinsley Traction Maintenance Depot's specialties, they seemed to like "blinging" up their locos in this particular style.

 

[Trainspotter43]

A farewell tour? I'm curious how many hours GBRf's collective 56 fleet actually worked in their service. Can't be that many!

I've seen 56301 out-and-about. DCR's 56303 probably won't been seen again. GBRf's 56098 is one of the few that were in a serviceable condition.

56311, as above, is now 69002.

Oh sorry, I forgot which ones have already been converted

 

[31160]

RMT strike now on the 17th, so will it be redated or caped, i suspect caped as the bodyshells are needed to be cucked

 

[XAM2175]

i suspect caped as the bodyshells are needed to be cucked

... what does this mean?

 

[Tubeboy]

The plan is for it to be 081 and 098, but I think the strike will mean it is unlikely to run now. Shame.

 

[TrainTrackJack]

The plan is for it to be 081 and 098, but I think the strike will mean it is unlikely to run now. Shame.

UK Railtours are aspiring to redate the tour if they can.

 

[Tubeboy]

I’m sure they will.

 

[Kite159]

I guess it will depend how long before those 56s are due to visit the workshop to become 69s as I suspect that's a fixed deadline.

 

[1Q18]

The Severn Valley Railway have announced that a GBRf 56 will appear at their ‘Autumn Diesel Bash’ at the end of the month, so at least one of them will get a passenger outing in the new livery before being stripped.

 

[D365]

... i suspect caped as the bodyshells are needed to be cucked

... what does this mean?

I would deduce that it's the opposite of "shucking".

Given that 081 and 098 are in a serviceable condition, I suspect they're at the back of the 69 queue anyway.

 

[XCTurbostar]

Any ideas if this will now happen given the strikes are cancelled?

 

[philjo]

The new date has not been announced yet

 

[ac6000cw]

Any ideas if this will now happen given the strikes are cancelled?

It's not running on the 17th - I was booked on it, and had phone call from UK Railtours this morning to check I'd received the cancellation email (I had, but their system thought I hadn't). No mention of a new date yet.

 

[E27007]

Their website confirms postponement for 17th September, a revised date for the tour to be advised

 

[D365]

confirms my suspicion that 081 and 098 will be among the later 69 conversions

 

[Tractor37]

confirms my suspicion that 081 and 098 will be among the later 69 conversions

They are the last two to be converted

 

[ExRes]

Update from UK Railtours on Class 56 Group facebook

" ....... We can confirm the tour will definitely not take place in October or November due to RHTT taking resource priority ..... rest assured we're doing everything we and our partners at GBRf, Barrow Hill and Network Rail can to get a new date arranged ...."

 

[3973EXL]

THE CLASS 56 FAREWELL
Saturday 7th JANUARY 2023
https://www.ukrailtours.com/product/the-class-56-farewell/

 

[Kite159]

Starting from Wembley Central and going via the WCML towards Bletchley & then towards Leicester via Bedford. (Rather than from Finsbury Park towards Peterborough then across to Leicester).

Makes sense using Wembley even if a bit unusual.