CLASS 20
After a busy winter period, the use of Class 20s tailed off during April, when little was seen of the English Electric Type 1s. Nos. 20096 and 20107 took Type 3 No. 37405 from Crewe to Barrow Hill via Derby on April 13. Nos. 20007+20142 moved Railvac No. 5 on the 6X20 11.25 Toton Yard-Butterley (Midland Railway Centre) on April 25, before collecting classmate No. 20189 and hauling it to Tyseley. Matters improved on the final day of the month, however, when Nos. 20142+20189 were turned out for the 1Z20 07.55 Tyseley-Llandudno and 16.28 return.
CLASS 37
As a prelude to a busy month for the English Electric Type 3s No. 37425 moved empty container flats on the 4Z25 13.55 Doncaster Roberts Road-Motherwell on April 1. Paired with No. 37422 it replaced No. 67006 on the first day of UK Railtours’ West Highland weekend tour (April 8), setting off with the 1Z31 15.42 Skipton-Dumbarton Central. Next day the 37s took the train to Oban and back, before hauling the return tour as far as Edinburgh Waverley on April 11. Next up for Nos. 37425+37422 was another trip over the Settle & Carlisle line with 6K05 12.46 Carlisle Yard-Basford Hall on April 13, going forward to Bescot that evening and returning to Carlisle with the 6C02 04.19 from Basford Hall next day. Pathfinder Tours’ special gave Nos. 37422+37425 employment over the Easter weekend taking the 1Z12 15.41 Skipton-Paisley Gilmour Street on April 15 and working to Oban next day, prior to a return trip from Dumbarton to Aberdeen on April 17. After working back as far as York both Type 3s took up freight work on April 19, with No. 37422 heading to Scunthorpe and No. 37425 to Whitemoor, before handling HOBC wagons on the 6Z88 13.07 Ely-West Ealing.
A private weekend charter operated by Locomotive Services saw Nos. 37667+37688 replacing No. 47853 at York on April 14 and going forward with the 1Z19 09.39 Edinburgh-Lincoln. Later working to Orton Mere, the duo set off for Watlington next morning and took the train from on a test run from Crewe to Shrewsbury on April 14, while on April 25 it hauled Nos. 37603/4/9 from Crewe to Worksop before attracting further attention next day when tasked with taking A4 Pacific No. 4468 from the Severn Valley Railway to Crewe.
