GB Railfreight unveils its latest Class 69 in rail blue
Class 69 to be completed by Electro Motive Diesels at Longport – 69007 – has entered service with GB Railfreight following painting into BR blue at Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh.
The bodyshell used for 69007 was originally 56037, and the locomotive is one of 16 Class 56s being converted into Class 69s by EMD for GBRF.
Following completion of its rebuild, it undertook a test run on November 14 from Longport to Hams Hall and back. Two weeks later, on November 29, it undertook a light engine move from Longport to Trafford Park.
The following day it was moved to Eastleigh for repainting, where it remained throughout December and over the festive period for work on its cosmetic transformation.
On January 10, and with a repaint into BR blue livery complete, a visiting group of visitors to Eastleigh from Cardiff Canton were treated to the sight of the locomotive carrying its former 56037 identity, complete with BR arrow beneath a Richard Trevithick nameplate – the same name once carried by the locomotive during its BR operating days when it had been based at Cardiff Canton. Shortly afterwards the BR embellishments and numbers were removed, with the locomotive gaining its new 69007 numbers, with GB Railfreight branding applied in white lettering directly below the nameplates, which are being retained. The locomotive has become the fourth Class 69 to be painted into GBRF’S interpretation of an obsolete British Rail livery, with 69007 emerging in rail blue, joining 69002 Bob Tiller CM&EE, which carries Large Logo blue, 69004 in Research Department blue and red, and 69005 Eastleigh in BR green.
The other three completed Class 69s – 69001/003/006 – all carry GBRF livery with blue whiskers on the cab fronts.
Later on January 10, 69007 moved light engine from Eastleigh to Tonbridge West Yard and has since entered service out of Tonbridge alongside the other Class 69s. Work on the eighth locomotive is now also nearing completion at EMD.
The bodyshell for 69008 was originally 56038, and the newly completed locomotive is due to be the first Class 69 fitted with translator equipment and Dellner couplings to allow it to be used for hauling multiple units for GBRF Rail Services division.
Unit transfers carried out by GBRF are currently done using their small fleet of Class 47s – 47727/739/749, which are based and maintained by UK Rail Leasing at Leicester.
The GBRF Class 69 project should eventually see 16 locomotives enter service from the donor Class 56s.