37403 'Isle of Mull' the next chapter
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Today marked the next chapter in the brilliant history of mainline registered type 3, 37403 'Isle of Mull' when its English Electric power unit was reunited with the loco huge praise must go to the srps diesel group for their dedication and commitment
to see an excellent photographic history by David Horne of Class 37403 dating from 2008 to the present day please visit
realrail.smugm...
A bit more 37403 history
Type 3 Class 37/4 CoCo locomotive, British Railways No.37403 (D6607)
SRPS Core Collection. Under restoration to main line standard.
Built by English Electric, Vulcan Foundry, 1965. 1,750 BHP.
Named Ben Cruachan, previously Isle of Mull, then Glendarroch.
The locomotive was delivered new to Landore depot, Swansea. It was renumbered 37307 in 1974, and was selected in 1984 as one of twenty five locomotives which were converted to work passenger trains in Scotland. Refurbishment for this role required the replacement of the main generator by an alternator and the provision of electric train heating (ETH). Thus modified as a class 37/4, the locomotive was renumbered 37403, and transferred to Glasgow Eastfield depot. From Eastfield, 37403 worked the West Highland and Oban lines, and was appropriately named Isle of Mull in January 1986. In November 1988, the name was changed to Glendarroch, a fictional place from the then current STV series Take the High Road.
Increasing use of diesel multiple units on passenger trains and declining freight traffic reduced the need for locomotives, and Eastfield depot closed in 1992. 37403 was transferred to Motherwell. It was renamed Ben Cruachan in February 1994, and continued to work the west highland routes. The locomotive was transferred to Toton in 1997 and resumed duties in South Wales. Other than a spell from November 1998 to June 1999 when it returned to Motherwell to haul the ScotRail Fort William sleeper trains, 37403 remained in England and was put into store in 2000. It was subsequently sold to Bedale Railway Engines Ltd. (BREL). SRPS bought the locomotive from the BREL liquidator in 2008, and it was moved by rail to Bo'ness, where it arrived on 14 November 2008.
30/04/2021 update
The replacement engine parts for 37403 the engine block is formally from 37194 which was lovingly rebuilt to zero hours condition by the SRPS Diesel Group, using many parts from 37403 and 413 as well to complete it.