British Rail Class 56 - Class 56s Today

Class 56s Today

Most examples were withdrawn by EWS on 31 March 2004. Some were subsequently reinstated for use on construction trains connected with the LGV Est in France, although all such locomotives have now returned to the UK. The rest work for Fastline or other private operators.

In 2006, two locomotives (56045 and 56124) were overhauled at Brush Traction and renumbered as 56301 and 56302 for Fastline, the British freight company launched by Jarvis. 56125 was returned to service after a less thorough overhaul by FMRail and numbered 56303. They were used on intermodal traffic. The small fleet never achieved particularly impressive availability, and there were significant problems with bogies, turbochargers, and low power. Fastline have now dispensed with Class 56 operation due to the loss of intermodal traffic and operate Class 66s on their coal traffic. 56301 and 56302 are stored while 56303 has been returned to RVEL (successor to FMRail) and sat out of use at Derby, but in September 2009 it was repainted into Great Western Railway green livery, to mark the 175th anniversary of The Great Western Railway in 2010. The loco was expected to move to the Severn Valley Railway in October 2009 to participate in their 2009 diesel gala, before being used as part of the GWR 175 celebrations next year, but its involvement was subsequently shelved. The loco is however in use with the freight spot hire market, having twice been hired from RVEL to Colas Rail in late 2009 to work the Boston to Washwood Heath steel train and return empties. 56303 is currently (2011) part of the BARS fleet, based at Washwood Heath.

Formerly preserved 56057 (renumbered 56311) and 56003 (renumbered 56312) are now operated by British American Railway Services (formerly Hanson Traction), these were frequently hired to Colas Rail to work their intermodal services between Dollands Moor and Hams Hall, steel diagrams between Boston and Washwood Heath and their Dagenham to Dollands Moor "Transfesa" workings in London, supplementing Colas Rail's own class 47/7 fleet. Now British American Railway Services use 56311 and 56312, along with 56303 on their own freights flows including scrap metal flows and for stock moves. During 2011, 56312 was repainted into the same grey livery as 311, but with advertising for the National Railway Museum's forthcoming 'Railfest 2012' event displayed on the bodyside (this has since been removed). 56128 (which was to become 56313) is also owned by British American Railway Services but it's use on the mainline is now uncertain, as it remains stored at Wansford (Nene Valley Railway; BARS' former base which they no longer use, instead favouring the former Alstom facility at Washwood Heath). 56114 was stripped of usable parts and dispatched for scrapping during March 2012 and was cut up immediately after arrival at EMR Kingsbury. BARS have collected 56091, still in Fertis livery, which it is currently being returned to service with 56103 undergoing restoration, following 56091 in the overhaul plan.