DISPOSAL of the 46 Class 455s retired by Southern was completed on August 16, when the last two sets, Nos. 455804/819, were dispatched to South Wales for scrapping.
Their transfer, running as the usual 5Q55 10.38 Stewarts Lane-Sims, Newport, was handled by No. 69001Mayflower, the first time one of GB Railfreight’s former Class 56s has been used on a rolling stock scrap move.
Preceding the last Southern disposal movement were several other similar runs from Stewarts Lane to Newport Docks. July 28 saw Nos. 455833/834 hauled to South Wales by No. 66734 Platinum Jubilee, while No. 66726 Sheffield Wednesday was supplied for the final runs involving Nos. 455801/807 (August 9) and 455812/836 (August 11).
August also saw the disposal of the first member of the Class 455/9 sub-Class. No. 5907, which had been handed back to Porterbrook (along with No. 5918) the previous month, was hauled from South West Trains’ Wimbledon Park depot to Sims, Newport by No. 37884 Cepheus on August 5. No. 5918 is expected to make the journey to the scrapyard by road as, having been used as a spares donor at Wimbledon Park, it is unfit to travel by rail.
Two other sets sent by road from Wimbledon Park have been Nos.
