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News

For up-to-date news on class 37's please visit www.class37group.co.uk

If you have any news on class 37/4's please submit to news@class37.free-online.co.uk

    The Class 37/4 Preservation Project has been established by the project Co-ordinator, Matt Kitchin with the assistance (and continual nagging!) of Phil Lynch, Richard Tuplin, Jon Starkey, Nigel Stanley, the Class 37 Locomotive Association lads and many more. The idea was borne out of the realisation that over half of the popular 37/4 sub-class had already been taken out of traffic and a bleak future faced the rest as dedicated passenger and freight duties were given over to more modern locomotives and units.

    The bare bones of the project have been established, a website has been established and press releases sent out. Next comes the formation of a committee to move the project forward to our ultimate aim, the purchase and preservation of a member of the 37/4 sub-class. An announcement will be made in the near future for the inaugural meeting of the Class 37/4 Preservation Project to elect and establish a committee. Please visit the website regularly for announcements and news on the 37/4's or join the 37/4 Project Discussion List.

    In the mean time the website will be regularly updated with progress reports on the Preservation Project, news on class 37/4's and updates on the remaining active members workings.

Remaining Diagrams

The following are the Class 37/4 diagrams on the North Wales Coast. The locos are usually sourced from the WKCD pool based at Crewe Diesel although 37428 from Motherwell's WKMB pool has been a regular visitor of recent months. See the news item below for info on the future of the diagrams... 

North Wales Coast - the end is nigh!

From Saturday 13th November the Coast will be reduced to one diagram. Diagram 2 is due to go over to "Hippo" (Class175) operation if enough of them are in service at that point. The remaining diagram will stay until the end of December unless something happens to the Hippo fleet in the meantime.

"Royal Scotsman" Timings

The following Royal Scotsman Timings have been acquired, more to follow. This train is one of the few in Scotland where you can virtually guarantee a 37/4 for haulage. Although the locos do not provide ETH to the train as it has its own on board generator 37/4's appear to be favoured traction after displacement from West Highland works by the Red Death.

37075 on the move

OK, not a 37/4 but news on the rest of the class will appear from time to time! 37075 is due to make the short trek from the GCR(N) at Ruddington to the Great Central Railway at Loughborough on Thursday 26th October. A number of repairs will be carried out on the loco over the winter together with an intensive training program ensuring the locomotive is available for service next Spring.
For more info on 37075 visit http://www.corporateblue.co.uk

The Recent Past...

Up until the end of September 2000 the 18:23 Holyhead to Birmingham international and 21:12 return to the head was, on Sundays only, the only passenger train on the national Railtrack network booked to be worked by a pair of locomotives in running in multiple. Sadly this train is now operated by 175's but the 20:12 Crewe to Holyhead can occasionally produce a pair depending on requirements at Holyhead.

Photo: 37429 and 37426 resting at Birmingham International with the 23:12 Birmingham International to Holyhead
service on Sunday 14th May 2000. Matthew Kitchin