IN ITS most anticipated tender announcement yet, Direct Rail Services has unveiled plans to divest itself of a further 13 locomotives, which comprises all 12 remaining Class 37s on its books, along with its final Class 57/0. In a previously revealed move (see Headline News last issue), the operator will sell Nos. 37218, (recently repainted back to its original DRS livery) 37401, 37402, 37407, 37419, 37422, 37423, 37424, 37425 and 37716 under a leaseback arrangement, although the specific details of this, understood to be for around two years, have not been revealed.
Of these 10, Nos. 37402 and 37407 at Carlisle Kingmoor and No. 37423, on display at the Crewe Heritage Centre, are all stored XWSS, while the remainder are all in the active XHSO pool.
The remaining three machines, No. 37069, recently reinstated to XHSO after gaining new wheelsets at Eastleigh Works, No. 37602 (XSDP, also at Eastleigh) and No. 57002 (XHSO), are advertised as being for sale outright as per previous tenders. Bids
