magic_monkey09

saw 60096 working the Murco's through cardiff central tonight, rubbish shot though as it took me by suprise and had to capture it on a camera phone

37043 looks just the part Dave, The unrefurbished 37's look their best in Large logo I think B) Trains on time are selling quite a few re-numbered large logo 37/4 bodies that you might be interested in, they would certainly feel at home on Waverly MM

great pics jo B) glad the 60's have been having bit of a 'spurt' lately what with the repainting of 60099 and up to 15 examples active at one time all good news on that front of course with the exception of the ones on the tender list! Can easily see how engine hours and lack of maintenance has led to their downfall but not so long ago there was talk of their withdrawal being due to them being not very fuel efficient compared with 66/0's which certainly is a mystery as both classes do 1MPG with the Sheds only beating TUGS on actual fuel capacity rather than efficiency.

nice to see a Tug back on those HTA'S and a loadhaul one too!! what a bonus B) 60010 worked the Murco's tonight which was a nice change from seeing super shed 202 on them!

True, although apparently 60099 carries DB logo's on the front also. Cant wait to see a clearer shot of it outside Toton I just hope it isn't rushed back into traffic too quickly just to promote the new livery and end up failing on its first outing like 37419 and 67018 did!

whilst we're on the topic of lighting will the Headlights be White/yellow rather than the unprototypical Audi LED blue ?

18 Tugs back in service yet 59202 'Vale of Whitehorse' is still working the Murco's through newport every night

that looks great Dave B) despite being a modern image guy myself I quite like intercity swallow and regional railways can just about remember them from my childhood

Im told the release handle for the knuckle coupler often swings against the front of the loco chipping the paint, Also this area recieves the odd dent here and there from shunting accidents, this one looking like its been touched up recently hence the lighter shade glad to see 009 back though! the more Tugs the better B)

I doubt 66's need spares donors, They still make the class ableit a slightly later model. Probably a quick phone call to General Motors and the next thing you know the new part is in the post 59's are nearly as old as the Tugs but i expect that not only have they been well looked after and properly serviced but probably have less engine hours... I think they are serviced at Merehead by Mendip rail rather than by DBS themselves

while its upsetting for us enthuasiasts to see class 60's being run down I actually think that they have become more appreciated...if i rememember correctly back to circa 2002 when i used to visit Godfrey road SP down at Newport i didn't bother photographing 60's because they were modern and as common as seeing a 66 today! Im sure back in the transition era people regarded 37's as a menace as they replaced steam yet look at how appreciated tractors are today! as they say you don't realise what you've got until you lose it!

I would say that the stored unserviceable examples are literally un-repairable.. usually a standard overhaul consists of fixing worn parts or replacing them with the same parts albeit brand new ones... The Mirlees blackstone engines inside have effectively blown up due to massively excessive engine hours and reduced maintenance.. they are in no fit state to be fixed or 'botched' they need total replacement as they have well and truly had it.. perhaps some of the stragglers still going may still be worthy... as for the others they need total replacement engines if they are to ever work again.

class 59's seem to be the current back up for when a 60 is not available, 59202 worked the Murco Tankers last night (6/9/10) most unusually seeing as both 60010 and 013 have been active in the Margam area recently... 'Double shedding' is unlikely over the next few months due to 66's being required on RHTT's aswell as their usual duties however, more euro sheds have returned to give them a helping hand. class 70's seem fit for heavy haulage although they too have had a troubled entry to traffic similar to that of the 60. Re-engining enough 60's in a similar way to the HST's would probably be cheaper and "Greener" than buying new loco's surely...

probably because there would be a fight over the sale of 37/4's DRS especially would have a field day!! DBS ideally want the loco's condemmed and not falling into the hands of rival companies, DRS already have the upper hand when it comes to type 3 traction. If anything DBS are clinging onto them knowing that they will most probably be re-used if sold on... unlike the 60's class 37's are repairable and far more useful to other operators which means the Tugs are unlikely to attract anything other than scrap dealers

There is a public gate crossing down at Margam Knuckle yard which cuts across all the tracks including the maninline! , 60010 was stabled literally on the crossing! which enabled me to get quite a few nice close up's of it B) providing you behave yourself and stay off the track the yard staff generally don't mind you taking a few pics

correct old bank yard is now soley used for storage but not all of the 60's in old bank yard are on the tender list for example 60025, many still litter the depot in locations such as the training compound and on the headshunt. suprisingly some of the examples stored at Crewe are to be ditched as it was understood that these were put away specially in case of future requirement... it seems the recession hit that on the head too.... personally i'd describe it as 'taking out the trash' getting rid of the worst examples first that are fit for nothing but disposal, im just suprised not to see a couple more on the list 033 and 025 both have dead alternators and 005 has a busted crank shaft

Some sad news lately regarding the 60's I thought i better snap the ones that are still active while i can so i headed straight down to Cardiff central and then onto Margam Knuckle yard for a bit of Tug hunting B) here's what i got: 60013 working the Murco's (yes again) through cardiff central about 4:30pm Here it is a short while later at Margam Knuckle yard where it was removed from the train to take on fuel 60010 was also at Margam albeit shut down, this machine having worked the tanks thursday night close up of 60010, judging by its position in the yard it may have been on super shunter duties earlier in the day Although, 09022 and two other unidentified 08's were present in the yard.

DBS are wise to flog as many loco's now as possible with the price of scrap being so high they will probably end up getting a fair deal for them, they are too knackered/expensive to repair and are simply hogging much needed space on Toton, best thing to do is strip them of all remaining re-usable parts to maintain a sufficient spares pool for the few active ones and scrap the bodyshells.

they're not out until 2011 at the earliest mate so no need to worry about money just yet i'm glad that a manufacturer has finally decided to produce a FGW local lines liveried unit... rumour has it that manufacturers have stayed clear of this livery for some reason However, it will definately be an Arriva one for me living in Caerphilly after all

leon, now matter what Livery 56 you pick it will be a smashing loco the new Hornby ones are the dogs this grid is definately next on my workbench: http://philtpics.fotopic.net/p65837697.html got the Wolverhampton steel terminal nameplates already just gotta pick up Hornby's 56059.... should be a straight forward re-number from there B)

yes and no if its a blue Grid your after Hornby did release one (56013 to be exact) http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/images/reviews/r2645-br-blue-class-56.jpg Although, Sadly it is not suitable for renumber as 56004 was rebuilt in 1984 after a collision meaning it gained British style cabs despite being Romanian built... However it did wear BR blue its entire career right up until its eventual scrapping in 2005..... What a trooper

nice to see a shed on the layout leon B) just goes to show that south wales freight looks fabulous in both sector and EWS era keep up the good work mate