SINCE Privatisation in the mid-1990s, the distinction between the ‘departmental’ and‘normal’ fleets has become blurred to the point of irrelevance as traditional non-revenue earning roles – like maintenance and renewal of the permanent way, track testing and rolling stock commissioning – have become money earners for freight operators, infrastructure specialists, and locomotive owners.
Although Network Rail retains a small group of dedicated locos for special duties, the 1970s and 80s were the quintessential era of the departmental locomotive. Barely a depot or works open day went by without one or more of the famous red/blue-liveried fleet being there. The eclectic list of 97xxx and ADB, RDB and TDB-prefixed machines at the rear of our dog-eared stock books, often the final survivors of long-withdrawn loco types, was guaranteed to provoke a deep fascination.
This story is from the April 2020 edition of Rail Express.
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This story is from the April 2020 edition of Rail Express.
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