Powerscene
CLASS 20
ALTHOUGH the quartet of Type 1s Nos. 20132+20311 plus Nos. 20096+20107 powered the 7X10/01.28 Banbury to Derby early on November 1 (with LUL sets Nos. 21435/6), the latter pair had been replaced by Nos. 20314+20901 later that day on the 7X08/15.56 Derby-West Ruislip. From the afternoon of November 3, however, the pairings became colour co-ordinated, with the Railfreight grey duo of Nos. 20118+20132 at one end and Nos. 20901+20905 in GBRf livery at the other, and so it remained throughout the rest of November.
On November 1 and again the next day, the duo of Nos. 20007 and 20205 could be found on RHTT duties in Yorkshire, ending with the 3S15/19.50 Bridlington-York Works on November 2. Since then the DRS trio of Nos. 20302/3/5 have been regularly employed.
CLASS 33
HOPING to cover ground previously untroubled by a Class 33, No. 33025 only got as far as Dee Marsh Sidings on November 4 when its day out was rudely curtailed. The ‘Crompton’ was at the rear of the four-coach Branch Line Society ‘Ruby Vampire’ tour (1Z86/09.05 Crewe-West Kirby) hauled by No. 47826 when one of the coaches became derailed in the DB Cargo sidings. It transpired that the track had spread beneath the third coach No. 4940. No. 33025 later took the coach to which it was attached back to Wrexham, conveying some of the tour participants, and once matters had been resolved the two locomotives with three coaches formed the 1Z88/17.15 Dee Marsh-Crewe. West Kirby, and other points along the route of the planned itinerary, will have to wait a while longer to see a Class 33. ‘Cromptons’ have previously traversed the line from Birkenhead and Bidston to Wrexham via Dee Marsh Junction when, on January 18, 1986 Nos. 33051+33062 double-headed the ‘Wirral Withershins’
