CLASS 20
REJUVENATED Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) Type 1 No. 20901, hired to Rail Operations Group (ROG) travelled from Derby to Didcot on June 5, to collect the Eurailscout measuring wagon for onward movement to Bristol Kingsland Road (see Wagons). Both the locomotive and wagon returned to Didcot four days later prior to venturing to London Paddington on the evening of June 12. Further trips with the wagon included HNRC (hired to ROG) Nos. 20901/905 passing Maidenhead at 20.20 on June 26 forming the 5Q73 19.39 Didcot-London Paddington. After a spell at Barrow Hill, Class 20189 Ltd Nos. 20007+20205 visited Leeds Midland Road for tyre turning on June 11, and two days later were back on shunting duties at Peak Forest.
CLASS 37
Early on June 8, Scottish Railway Preservation Society No. 37403 Isle of Mull piloted Caledonian Sleeper No. 73966 on the 1A25 04.39 Edinburgh Waverley-Aberdeen sleeper before travelling from Bo’ness to Keighley on June 19, ready to pull in the crowds at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway diesel gala. Another visitor to the West Yorkshire event was Steve Beniston’s No. 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach which arrived at Keighley atop a Branch Line Society tour on June 25 (see Class 50). The following day Nos. 37418+37901 Mirrlees Pioneer moved JNA wagons on the 6Z37 10.48 Derby Railway Technical Centre-Toton. Locomotive Services Nos. 37521+37688 Great Rocks, ‘top and tailing’ with D05 Ltd (but hired by LS) No. 47828, took the 1Z27 05.50 Shrewsbury-Kingswear to Taunton on June 24, and later replaced the steam locomotive on the return journey.
The trio of West Coast Railways Type 3s spending the summer at Fort William, Nos. 37516, 37518 and 37668 have been regularly used to ‘assist’ in rear on both morning and afternoon ‘Jacobite’ services during the hot weather. WCR classmate No. 37706 accompanied ‘Black 5’ No. 44932 on the ‘Dalesman’ between Hellifield and Carlisle on June 8, and two days later the same pair left York with the 1Z68 07.32 Cleethorpes-Morpeth. In both cases WCR No. 47746 was the diesel replaced by the steam engine and this occurred for a third time on June 13, when Nos. 35018 and 37706 (in rear) left Hellifield with the 1Z52 07.34 Chester-Carlisle. Finally, on June 22, WCR Nos. 37685 and 37706 ‘top and tailed’ the 1Z41 08.25 York with No. 37706 remaining on the tail.
