RMweb Gold TravisM Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 19, 2021 I just discovered on a Facebook group that the first Class 91 has gone for scrap. There’s a picture of 91132 at Sims Group, Beeston scrapyard. Comes as a surprise as I would have thought 91108 would have been the first to go as it’s been picked of bits at Wabtec. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBRJ Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Crikey! I now feel officially Old! Though I suppose if it is not that far off 25 years since I first saw them at Leeds/Wakefield/ Donny on the ECML I am old I wouldn't say I was jealous as I stood on my Pacer watin for action but they did look new n shiny..... Luckily The siren call of the WR came and called me to go and do things on a proper railway 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black and decker boy Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 maybe an indicator of their future. Covid may well reduce passenger numbers enough that LNER can cope with just the Azuma fleet. 91132 was still serviceable by all accounts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 7 hours ago, LBRJ said: Crikey! I now feel officially Old! Less young, sir, less young ............... you're entitled to call yourself old - nope, even less young - when your first, brief, footplate ride was on a ninety two : - 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 It's an age thing. Compared to the 9Fs the Class 91s have had a long life. 4 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Very true ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 Elderly, perhaps, but never old. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted March 19, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 19, 2021 These are probably the first trains I can remember thinking "new" when first seeing them that are now being scrapped (although there are others that are also going that weren't around when I was small, but I wasn't really paying any attention then). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coldgunner Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I wonder if she's going partly because of her history as number 23 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 It's only 5 minutes (OK, about 33 years) since I saw the 91s pulling test trains past my house over the newly electrified ECML. Anyone else remember this documentary on their gestation: 7 6 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomag Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 10 minutes ago, Coldgunner said: I wonder if she's going partly because of her history as number 23 A bit like 40 126 and M30204M 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Just now, Bomag said: A bit like 40 126 and M30204M I was thinking exactly the same, lack of demand for class 91's might have been a big part of it but I think the history of this loco has a part to play. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
'CHARD Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 10 minutes ago, 37114 said: I was thinking exactly the same, lack of demand for class 91's might have been a big part of it but I think the history of this loco has a part to play. Agreed. I can't claim to know the precise workings at the leasing company concerned, but the opportunity to remove from circulation equipment that can attract the 'ghoulish' element has long been a feature of rolling stock disposals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37114 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 1 minute ago, 'CHARD said: Agreed. I can't claim to know the precise workings at the leasing company concerned, but the opportunity to remove from circulation equipment that can attract the 'ghoulish' element has long been a feature of rolling stock disposals. Having seen the pic it looks barely stripped so unless it had a major fault there does seem to be a strong sense of "destroy it and all parts" come in to play here. There was a plan to ship a load of class 91's to Eastern Europe by Europhoenix so maybe that has fallen through and the plan is to scrap them instead and it just so happens 91132 is the first to go.... 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
balders Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Courtesy of Bantam61668 on the Flickr Regards Guy 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 5 hours ago, Wickham Green too said: Less young, sir, less young ............... you're entitled to call yourself old - nope, even less young - when your first, brief, footplate ride was on a ninety two : - ^^^ That's the first loco I can remember seeing as a child. I was probably 3-4 years old, it was coming along platform 7 at Nottingham Victoria, which had a slight curve at the north end so the loco seems to come straight towards you before swinging away to pass alongside. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 2 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said: Anyone else remember this documentary on their gestation: Yes, including the bit where they showed livery sketches of ideas of how not to look like APT. That might well be the model I photographed in a showcase at InterCity21 (Bounds Green) back in 1987. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
50002Superb Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I went to see her today, she’s easy to view from a public walkway 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TravisM Posted March 20, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2021 According to a post on wnxx.com, 91132 is to be used as a template for dismantling Class 91’s, so it seems that apart from the few soon to be preserved examples, their days are numbered. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted March 20, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 20, 2021 A template? What on Earth do they need a template for to scrap a loco? Just a gas axe and a grabber is all that is needed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wickham Green too Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 Shouldn't be any need to suss out where the asbestos is lurking on something of that era !! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Saunders Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 45 minutes ago, John M Upton said: A template? What on Earth do they need a template for to scrap a loco? Just a gas axe and a grabber is all that is needed. How can you break them for spares if you don’t have a plan! 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TravisM Posted March 21, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 21, 2021 13 hours ago, Mark Saunders said: How can you break them for spares if you don’t have a plan! It might be cheaper in the long run for the leasing company to ask Sims to carefully remove certain items as they dismantle the loco rather than to take it to Wabtec, spend several thousands of pounds to do exactly the same thing. Seems the great idea of exporting a large number of the class to work in pairs, in Europe has come to zero. Hardly a surprise given the catastrophic economic damage to the world’s economies during this pandemic. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black and decker boy Posted March 21, 2021 Share Posted March 21, 2021 (edited) According to WNXX, the export plan is still live but was never the whole fleet. LNER have plans to retain a small, overhauled fleet (subject to COVID impacts). As the 91s aren’t really suited to any other work, it seems sensible for the ROSCO to quickly cut their losses on storage & recommissioning costs by sending the off lease ones for spares recovery & dismantling. There seems to be less willingness to store off lease stock (presumably as a consequence on the COVID impact on future passenger numbers) with some Greater Anglia EMUs pretty much meeting the giant shredder within 48hours of passenger service. Edited March 21, 2021 by black and decker boy 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted March 22, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 22, 2021 Did I read correctly somewhere that the Heathrow Express stock is heading for the cutters torch as well? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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