DB Cargo UK put 16 Class 60s up for sale, most of which have been stored within the past 12 months, as this column went to press. A second tender was issued a few days later (see Headline News).
The locomotives put up for tender are Nos. 60001/007/010/015/019/020/039/040/044/059/063/065/066/079/092 and 60100. The latter has been designated by the Railway Heritage Committee but is still up for sale.
This tender follows the conclusion of the drawn-out process of selling 12 Class 60s which had been put up for sale in January 2023.
All 16 locomotives put up for sale are currently stored at Toton and have been transferred to the WQDA disposal pool.
The most recent ‘60’ up for sale to be taken out of service is No. 60040 The Territorial Army Centenary, which was stopped on December 12, having run out of engine hours. Only four have been out of traffic longer, with Nos. 60019 Port of Grimsby & Immingham and 60039 Dove Holes both stored in 2022, No. 60063 in September 2021 and No. 60079 in August 2015.
The tender is also notable for putting the first ‘Super 60s’ on the market, although No. 60099, which was sold to DC Rail in 2022, was the prototype for several of the mechanical aspects of the life extension programme.
While DC Rail and is the odd one out having never been refurbished. Despite this, it managed to eke out a swansong as a ‘super shunter’ at Toton, with the odd run out on the main line, before it was removed from traffic in April 2023. The other six upgraded Class 60s remain stored at Toton (Nos. 60017/054/062/074/091) and Warrington Arpley (No. 60024).
