Johnson Street IEMD - loco fleet update - Barbie (90021) lands - Bachmann class 90 number seven

Entry posted by Johnson Street IEMD in Loco fleet update May 1, 2021

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Saturday 1st May 2021

Having thought my 90 pool was going to remain at six for the foreseeable future, I underestimated one key consideration, "desire"... :-)

Having seen a couple of 90s which had wetted my taste buds, a Grand Central liveried one and also a Scotrail liveried one, this was the inevitable sign of things to come.

The latter of these two really interests me as Johnson Street IEMD is going to become a centre of excellence for the maintenance of not just the Class 90s but there will be 92s, 86s, and others too.

There will also be long term maintenance works going in with some locos, 90s in particular being readied for service. One of my current fleet of 90s is in that position, 90018 Pride of Bellshill, is in the long term store pool at Crewe. It will take on that role at Johnson Street IEMD too.

The intention was to also have a loco which was warm stored and the more I thought about it, the more I thought Barbie (First Scotrail Barbie liveried 90, 90021 - the last of the three surviving 90s in this livery) made sense.

It was maybe fate that the wonderful world of Squirrel Rail was just about to showcase the latest in 90 liveries being, yes, first Scotrail. It probably a little more pristine than what I had in mind for my project - seeing this really got my mind racing and having had some dialogue with the main man, the deal was done, Barbie was coming to Johnson Street IEMD, not the one I had seen but a more tired Barbie.

Well, having been given a headcode and clearance to leave the Squirrel Rail painting facility, Barbie proceeded on 1J90 up the GEML across the London outer connecting lines and up the WCML to Johnson Street IEMD, making good time as she went. She even took time to call in at Topp Trains holding sidings

before meeting up near the depot with classmates Malcolm, DB Blue and Jack.

Kat@johnsonstreetIEMD