Rail Express – September 2019

78 RAIL EXPRESS September 2019

POWER BY THE HOUR Gareth Bayer

LNER stands down first Class 91

Having travelled almost eight million miles in its three decades of service, No. 91108 has become the first

of the GEC/BREL-built 'Electra' locomotives to beretiredfromEast Coast duties.

HAVING spread their wings onto Anglo-
Scottish services from August 1, the
continuingroll out of the Hitachi-built
‘Azuma’IETshas allowedLNER to
withdraw the first of its 31-strong
Class 91 fleet, the unnamed No. 91108.
The electric locowascompleted
at BRELCreweWorksfor BR’s InterCity
sector in July1988 as No. 91008,
bei ng renumbered into the Class
91/1 series in November 2001 after
‘Project Mallard’ refurbishment and
reliability modificationsby Bombardier
at DoncasterWorks. Like the rest of the
fleet, it has beenowned by Ev ersholt
Leasin gsince therollin gstock
companie s(ROSCOs )wereprivatisedin
November 1994.
Due anexpens iveGexam,
No. 91108 drew the short straw and
will becomeasparesdonor to assist in
keeping therest of the fleet running.

Stayofexecution
Originallyexpected to be stopped on
July22, the locoworked its planned
final threeservices betweenLondon
andEdinburghWaverleyonthat day,
which included the 1E01/05.40 up
‘Flying Scotsman’, beforerunning light
engine to Doncaster on the 23rd. It
wasthen scheduled towork astock
transfer back to Bounds Green depot,
whereitwould be stripped of urgently
needed parts, after which itwould
return toWabtec Doncasterfor full
componentremoval.
Before thiscould takeplace,
however, it wascommandeeredfor

areturn to action and whatwould

becomeafinal three-dayfling after

classmate No. 91129failed on the

1Y38/14.20 Newcastle-King’s Cross

on July28. St arting the train from

York afterworkinglight engine from

Donca ster,itwas busy forthe next

No. 91108 passes Helpston, north ofPeterborough on July23asthe 0X91/11.55 Bounds Green-Doncaster.This should have been

its last dayint raffic, but itwasreprievedand carried on untilthe month end. It is nowatWabtec, Doncasterforcomponentrecovery

befor ethe remain sare scrapped.Murray Brown

couple ofdays befor eworking its

very la st train, the1D28/18.33King’s

Cross-BradfordForster Squareand

5D28/21.50 empty stock move to Leeds

Neville Hill on July30. The next daysaw

it runlight engine as the 0Z12/11.17

Neville Hill-DoncasterWest Yard.

In anotherchangeofplan, the l oco

will no longermove to BoundsGreen

butwillbestripped of all usefulparts

at Doncaster beforegoing forscrap.

More withdrawals ar eexpected soon,

butnol ocomotives have beenpublicly

identifiedyet.

‘TUG’ DEPARTS CREWE:It is reported theswap of No. 60038forNo. 60029 in the Class 60 upgrade programme, currentlyunderway at DBCargo’sworkshops atToton, has
nowbeen cancelled, despite theformer arriving at the Nottinghamshiredepot on June 11. No. 60029wastakenby road fr om Crewe IEMD (picturedreadytodepart) toToton to
takeits place in the programme.Bob Pain