60001

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Mock-Up and Delivery

The one hundred Class 60s were all built at the Brush Traction factory at Loughborough, for Trainload Freight, and 60001 was the first to be delivered. After a formal handing-over ceremony on 30th June 1989, it left Loughborough light locomotive to begin testing in the charge of the Railway Technical Centre.

Works Number BEM 903/89 was allotted, BEM standing for Brush Electrical Machines. The design code for the class at the time of construction was 60-0AA. The only amended design code subsequently issued applies to those locomotives that have increased fuel capacity, up from 4546 to 5225 litres; 60001 has not received this modification.

60001 Cab Mock-Up at Ripple Lane Open Day, 17th October 1987. John N Smith

60001 made a number of walking pace runs up and down the works line before leaving, 30th June 1989. Craig Simmons

60001 goes onto British Rail metals for the first time; just visible on the left are the Traction drawing offices with several staff members watching the departure of the locomotive which they designed, 30th June 1989. Craig Simmons

60001 leaves Loughborough for Toton, running “wrong line” (possibly because of engineering work), watched by an appreciative audience, 30th June 1989. Craig Simmons Note that the light grey “cow catchers” were repainted black immediately after arrival at Toton.

Handover ceremony

Handing Over Ceremony Letters and Official Brochure. Thanks to Craig Simmons and George Toms for providing the letters and brochure.

Commissioning and Trials

The early problems with the class were well publicised, with numerous faults being reported in the early days. As a result, the first sixteen class members were used principally for driving and fitter training pending a recall to the Brush factory for retrospective modifications to be completed. Accordingly, 60001 was not finally accepted into traffic until August 1991, when it was allocated to Stewarts Lane depot (SL) in its FASB Construction Pool.

60001 between Tibberton and Oddingley, near Worcester, on 6E30 17.08 Margam to Hartlepool, 24th July 2003. Martyn Jennings On this occasion this train consisted solely of empty lime containers for Thrislington without any steel coil for Hartlepool.

60001 with Test Car 6 at Mickleover, 19th April 1990. Dave Campbell If you look carefully you can see instrumentation cables on the outside of the locomotive and connected to Test Car 6. They are also visible on the later photographs of the trials in Scotland.

60001 stabled at Inverness with Test Car 6, 8th June 1990. Peter Cresswell

60001 leads Test Car 6 and 60011 near Upper Broughton, heading north on the Old Dalby test line, 3rd March 1990. Dave Peachey

60002 leading Test Car 6, 60001 and a rake of Redland hoppers approaching Sloch’d summit, 10th June 1990. Robin Ralston

Test train after arrival in Inverness, 10th June 1990. Douglas Low

60001 on York avoiding line, en route to Highland main line trials, 4th June 1990. 53A Models of Hull Collection

Naming ceremony

60001 The Railway Observer at the ceremony held at Toton on 23rd February 2001. Brian Morrison
Each of the Society’s Branches was invited to send a representative to the naming ceremony; 18 were able to do so along with some members of the Management Committee.

EWS class 60 locomotive 60001 was named The Railway Observer at Toton TMD on 23rd February 2001, seven years to the day since The Railway Observer nameplates were unveiled on 37890 at Hither Green depot. The RCTS President and Chairman, together with 36 members, gathered for the ceremony. 18 branches were represented as well as the Management Committee and other Society Officers.

A full description of the naming ceremony is given in The Railway Observer (RO) April 2001, pages 188 and 189; the latter page also has a photograph of 60001 with its original livery and nameplates while it was undergoing trials prior to acceptance into service.

A photograph of the group attending the naming ceremony is included in RO March 2001 on page 107.

As in the case of 37890, 60001 has a secondary plate, which this time is fitted above the main nameplate; both plates were fitted at the same time. The secondary plate is inscribed

The Journal of the Railway

Correspondence and Travel Society

RCTS

www.rcts.org.uk

The text on this plate is all in upper case, using a smaller font except for RCTS which is in larger font, except for the final line which gives the society’s website address in lower case. 60001 is unique among EWS locomotives in having a website address on a nameplate and is also the only class 60 to have nameplates with pale blue background.

60001 at Toton TMD after being named The Railway Observer on 23rd February 2001. Brian Morrison

1990 - 1997

At the end of March 1994 this pool code was changed to ESAB Stewarts Lane Class 60 when the British Rail freight operation was split into three divisions prior to privatisation. Stewarts Lane was included in the newly established Trainload Freight Southeast Division, later Mainline Freight. In March 1996, ownership transferred to English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) on the privatisation of British Rail. 60001 remained at Stewarts Lane in pool ESAB. In September 1996, it was transferred to pool ENAN Class 60, Toton although still allocated to Stewarts Lane but was transferred to Toton in the following month.

60001 on up stone working, Acton Main Line, 13th September 1995. John N Smith The sector decal has now been replaced by Mainline logo.

60001 passing Kensington Olympia on 2nd October 1996 with the 12.00 Acton Yard to Angerstein Wharf. Rodney Lissenden

60001 passes Otford Junction with the 10.34 Hothfield to Acton Yard empty stone hoppers on 1st October 1996. Rodney Lissenden

60001 Steadfast passing Redhill station with an up freight of empty Brett stone hopper bogies on 14th May 1996. Michael Mensing

1997 - 2001

In September 1997, EWS centralised the allocation of class 60 locomotives at Toton, with other class members from Cardiff Canton, Immingham and Stewarts Lane transferred to Toton pool ENAN. The code of this pool was changed to WCAN class 60, systemwide in a reorganisation of the EWS pools in January 1999.

In November 2000, EWS moved back to the previous system of allocating locomotives to specific depots for maintenance purposes and 60001 was moved to Thornaby (TE) in pool WCAT, designated Class 60 North Eastern (North). This allocation still applied at the time of naming.

All members of the class were allocated names from the outset, and the plates were fitted by Brush before the locomotives were delivered. Those expected to go to the Construction sub-sector were to be named after British mountains but, as the first of its class, 60001 was an exception in being named Steadfast. After EWS took over, names were removed from many of these locomotives and 60001 was so treated in September 1996.

The standard Trainload Freight ‘triple grey’ livery was applied to 60001 when built, together with the correct Construction sub-sector decals, formed of blue and yellow squares. As a point of interest, it can be seen from old records that some of the class were allocated to duties differing from those envisaged at the time of ordering and, as a result, carried the ‘wrong’ names and sub-sector markings. Subsequently, these decals were replaced with Mainline Freight logos, this change being reported in the June 1996 RO. 60001 was then one of the earlier recipients of the now standard EWS red and yellow livery, in its revised form with the letters EWS on the yellow band and the EWS logo on the right-hand cab side. The change was reported in the April 1997 RO.

60001 at Redland stone terminal, Barham, 11th November 1998. Carl Rayner

60001 at Barnetby with loaded iron ore tipplers, 3rd September 1999. David Neville

60001 passing Barnetby East box with a loaded steel coil train on 9th August 1997. With the sun reflecting of the windscreen it suggests a late afternoon working. Keith Sanders

60001 approaches Cardiff with loaded steel slab, possibly Margam to Llanwern, 18th March 2000. Dave Campbell

60001 unnamed in EW&S livery with up loaded stone hoppers from Tunstead quarry one third of a mile west of Dove Holes tunnel on 19th May 1999. Michael Mensing

60001 near Langley Mill with 6M55 09.58 Lindsey to Rectory Junction loaded bogie oil tanks, 27th December 2000. Dave Peachey

60001 near Langley Mill with 6Z64 Corby to Lackenby empty steel coil wagons 6th May 1997. Dave Peachey

60001 passing its “place of birth” with down bogie oil tanks, Loughborough, 19th April 1997. Peter Kellett

60001 hauling 6S36 Dalston to Grangemouth empty bogie oil tanks, Ravenstruther, 3rd August 2000. Peter Kellett

2001-2012

60001 remained allocated to Thornaby (TE) until May 2004 when Immingham (IM) took over maintenance responsibility for the whole class.

60001 failed with a ‘burst’ engine on the evening of 24th February 2006 while working a loaded MGR on the Liverpool Gladstone Dock to Fiddlers Ferry coal circuit. It was hauled dead in tow to Warrington and subsequently moved to Toton where it was stored on 2nd March in pool WNTS – EWS tactical stored, depot code WQ. Damage to the engine is thought to be ‘terminal’ so 60001 is unlikely to work again unless a replacement engine becomes available.

In May 2007 most stored locomotives with depot code WQ were reallocated to depot code TO; 60001 remained in pool WNTS. After being stored in Toton depot sidings for almost two years, 60001 was moved into the Compound on 26th February 2008 and has since been joined there by other stored class 60s.

On 3rd September 2010 DB Schenker, formerly EWS, put 103 stored locomotives up for sale by tender. These included 60001 and 19 other members of the class, the first time that class 60s had been offered for sale. On 23rd September these 20 class 60s were all reallocated to pool WNXX – DBS stored unserviceable (the company was no longer using the more appropriate pool WNZX – locomotives for disposal). They were later withdrawn from sale; it is assumed that any offers didn’t meet the reserve price.

A large collection of photographs taken during this period is available to view in the Galleries section of this page.

After 2013

Things became more promising on 7th August 2012 when it was reported that 60001 had been added to the class 60 overhaul programme and reallocated to pool WNWX – DBS mainline locomotives stored for heavy repair, initially with an expected OK date at the end of March 2013. Then on 15th October it was moved from Toton Compound into the main depot area. 60001 was added to the class 60 re-engineering programme in 2013. Unlike other locomotives in this programme, which had their nameplates removed, 60001’s nameplates remained fitted until late February 2013 when it was taken inside the depot.

It was repainted at Toton in DB Schenker red livery, emerging from the paint shop in mid-August and starting loaded main line tests at the end of that month before returning to service in early September, about seven and a half years after what had appeared to be a catastrophic engine failure. The Schenker part of the logo was removed in 2019, after the company had rebranded itself as DB Cargo in Britain, with the small DB logo being retained.

Two photos of 60001, with the model of 60001 Steadfast in original livery on a trailer in front of it, at a Brush, Loughborough, Open Day 3rd August 2014 celebrating the company’s 125th Anniversary, one mainly showing 60001 and one focusing on the model; its builder David Moore is the one wearing a Brush shirt. George Toms

60001 at Edge Lane Junction working 6E14 16.10 FO Seaforth-Tinsley steel empties on 18th April 2014. John Cashen

Brush Open Day 03.08.2014 (the model) David Moore’s working model of 60001 Steadfast also appeared at the Great Central Railway’s model event in June 2016. Courtesy The Railway Magazine May 2016

60001 passing through what was the platform 4 at Rotherham Masborough station on 9th April 2014 with 6J94 a train of empty covered steel wagons from Heddon Road sidings (Hull Docks) to the DB Schenker Rotherham logistics centre. Phil Lockwood The station was closed on 3rd October 1988. The lines are the ‘Old Road’, the original direct line from Rotherham to Chesterfield. The other pair of lines visible through the bridge is the more recent Midland line to Sheffield.

60001 Logs

Following the naming of 60001 at Toton on 23rd February 2001, Bob Wallen, Dave Hinde and Andrew Lait attempted to maintain as complete as possible a record of the workings of the locomotive. Acknowledgements are due to those RCTS members, and many others, who have contributed the information that has enabled the following to be put together on behalf of the Society; also to Freightmaster and its editor Mark, without which many train descriptions would not be possible, and to 60gen, other e-mail groups and the Class 60 Data Site.

The logs are downloadable as .pdf files listing each year’s known workings.

Galleries

Coal

60001 at Hawkeridge Junction, north of Westbury, with 6B63 Westbury cement works to Margam yard empty MGR, 2nd August 2004. Mark Few By this time coal for power stations was only conveyed in bogie wagons. 4 wheel coal wagons were only used to take coal to cement works including Westbury, as in this photograph, Clitheroe and Penyffordd. Coal for Ketton was conveyed in megaboxes. 60001 conveyed coal at least once to each of these cement works.

60001 at Strand Road entrance to Liverpool Docks with 7F81 10.20 Liverpool Bulk Terminal to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station loaded MGR, 1st May 2001. Doug Birmingham (8A Rail)

60001 at Milford Junction 14.23 with 6D86 13.18 Selby Potter Group to West Burton flyash megaboxes empties, 11th February 2003. Tony Zayachkivsky

Engineering and Infrastructure

60001 at Berkley Marsh, near Frome, with 6W50 Taunton to Westbury engineers’ train, 10th February 2002. Mark Few

60001 at High Wycombe with 6E34 Calvert to Kings Cross freight terminal empty CTRL spoil megaboxes, 30th April 2003. Paul Davis, courtesy of GBRail website

60001 at Stewartby with 6Z74 Forders sidings to Kings Cross freight terminal empty CTRL spoil megaboxes, 11th April 2003. Note the semaphore signal. Don Brayford

60001 leaving Taunton with 6W29 engineers’ train to Exeter Riverside yard, now loaded with used ballast, 20th February 2005. Brian Garrett

60001 waiting to depart with 6W29 22.30 Westbury yard to Cogload Junction engineers’ train of at least 40 wagons loaded with fresh ballast, 17.29 on 19th February 2005. Brian Garrett

60001 at the rear of 8G01 engineers’ train, 2nd July 2005. Robert Brooks Both ends of this train have been included to show the composition of the train.

60001 passing Whittlesea signal box with 6E56 Whitemoor Yard to Tallington, going to collect new concrete sleepers, 3rd June 2005. Robert Brooks

60023 and 60001 top’n’tail 8G01 Whitemoor yard to Stevenage engineers’ train for work at Stoke tunnel, 2nd July 2005. Robert Brooks

Enterprise and Intermodal

60001 passes through Althorpe with 6D45 Doncaster to Immingham Enterprise, 30th September 2002. David Neville

60001 passing Cardiff Canton at 10.30 with 6B03 Margam to Newport ADJ yard Enterprise which started as 6B29 Trostre to Margam steel coil empties, 31st March 2005. Tony Allen The driver at the phone is the HST driver asking for the route to Cardiff Central to form the 10.50 to Paddington.

66082, with 60001 DIT, through Melton Ross on 6D65 Doncaster Belmont yard to Immingham Enterprise, 18th June 2005. Bob Wallen

60001 arriving at Tees yard at 18.15 with 6N55 Tees Dock to Tees yard Enterprise, to form 6M57 to Carlisle yard (worked by a different locomotive), 18th May 2005. Tony Allen

Iron and Steel

60001 with 6K22 Corus Santon to Immingham empty iron ore tipplers approaching Barnetby, 5th October 2005. Andy Middlemass The first of three shots of 60001 hauling iron ore in tipplers on the shuttle workings between Immingham docks and Scunthorpe steel works, the locomotive making several return trips during the day. There were similar shuttle workings for coal MGRs, see the Coal (insert hyperlink) page.

60001 with late running 6J03 Immingham Dock to Tinsley Avesta, nicely framed by the footbridge at Barnetby, 19th June 2004. David Neville After several transfer movements between Tinsley yard and Tinsley Avesta, 60001 returned later in the day with 6D03 Tinsley yard to Immingham Dock loaded steel slab for export. An efficient day’s working, loaded both ways!

60001 with 6T24 Immingham to Corus Santon loaded iron ore tipplers passes Barnetby East signal box, 5th October 2005. Andy Middlemass

60001 passing Besford with 10.30 Llanwern to Round Oak steel coil in covered wagons, 28th February 2005. Dave Padgett

60001 passing through Carluke station. The wagons would suggest that the working is 6E30, Dalzell - Lackenby empty steel, a regular Class 60 working in those days. 16th April 2001. Keith Sanders

60001 runs alongside the Stainforth & Keadby canal at Crowle with 6J47 Scunthorpe to Aldwarke loaded steel billets, 26th November 2001. Steve Batty

60001 departing from down loop at Gloucester (Horton Road) with 6V35 Lackenby to Llanwern loaded steel slab, 16th December 2003. Dave Padgett

60001 through Greatham, near Hartlepool, working 6N27 11.54 Hartlepool South Works to Tees Yard steel coil empties, 4th August 2005. Karl Sherman

60001 (The Railway Observer) heading west over the River Don at Long Sandall (nr Kirk Sandall station) with a loaded steel train (6J48) from Scunthorpe to Aldwarke on 02/03/04. The cooling towers of the disused Thorpe Marsh power station are in the background.

60001 with 6K24 Corus Santon to Immingham empty iron ore tipplers at Melton Ross, 5th October 2005. Andy Middlemass

60001 at Newcraighall on 6E30 Dalzell to Lackenby steel empties, 8th April 2005. Tony Zayachkivsky

60001 at Newport station on a wet day with 6M86 Margam to Dee Marsh loaded steel, 22nd November 2002. Brian Garrett

60001 at North Stafford Junction with 6V97 Beeston to Cardiff Tidal sidings loaded scrap with 2E23 13.11 Crewe-Skegness coming off the Stoke on Trent line, 24th July 2004. Scott Borthwick

60001 at Stenson Junction with 6V40 Lackenby to Llanwern steel slab, 9th November 2005. Bob Wallen

60001 reversing steel empties into Tees yard having arrived from the east, 5th November 2005. Jonathan Granger In the background 37417 runs round a Branch Line Society rail tour with 37416 at the far end of the train.

60001 arriving at Thornaby from Lackenby with loaded steel for south Wales, 12th March 2005. Jonathan Granger

60001 entering Worcester yard on a foggy day with 6M41 Llanwern to Round Oak loaded steel, 24th November 2003. Dave Padgett

Limestone, Gypsum, Stone and Sand

60001 passes Abbey Wood station on 31st March 2004 with the Tolworth to Cliffe empty stone hoppers. David Clark, courtesy Rodney Lissenden

60001 seen topping Ais Gill summit with 6E13 13.00 Kirkby Thore to Ferrybridge holding sidings empty gypsum containers, 14th February 2003. Alan Seymour

60001 through Cargo Fleet working 6N92 12.37 Redcar Mineral Terminal to Tees Yard empty lime hoppers, 26th August 2005. Karl Sherman

60001 approaching Castle Bar Park station with 7O78 Park Royal to Angerstein Wharf empty bogie sand hoppers, 14th July 2005. Nicholas Ling

60001 at Doncaster with 6E56 Tunstead to Drax power station loaded limestone bogie hoppers, 20th July 2004. Stanley Chandler Note the route indicator showing M for the ECML as far as Shaftholme Junction.

Durham 27th September 2004. Bob Wallen

60001 at Ely with 6M14 Harlow Mill to Bardon Hill empty bogie stone hoppers, 7th July 2005. Robert Brooks

60001 at Hellifield with 6M52 Drax to Kirkby Thore containerised gypsum, 23rd January 2003. Alan Seymour

60001 at Kirkstall (Leeds) on 6D72 11.18 Hull Dairycoates to Rylstone empty bogie stone hoppers, 24th July 2002. Pauline McKenna

60001 passing Lackenby with 6M46 Redcar to Tees yard empty limestone hoppers, which continued as 6M46 Tees yard to Hardendale (Shap) behind a different locomotive, 20th April 2001. Peter J Robinson

Our locomotive enjoying a day’s rest in the RMC yard at Peak Forest on Sunday 18th July 2004. Trevor Owen 60001 worked 6E52 Peak Forest to Peterborough loaded stone in megaboxes the next day.

This view gives a good impression of the Peak Forest facility, 18th July 2004. Trevor Owen

60001 approaching Tees yard with 6M46 Redcar to Hardendale empty lime hoppers, 9th January 2006. Ian Tunstall The Redcar portion is combined at Tees yard with another portion from Lackenby, the combined train then being booked to be worked forward to Hardendale by the locomotive on the Lackenby portion.

Oil, Fuel and Bitumen Tanks

60001 through Barnetby with 6E46 Kingsbury to Lindsey oil terminal empty bogie oil tanks, 24th June 2005. Marvin Peanuts

60001 pulls into Carstairs down slow line with 6S36 Dalston to Grangemouth empty bogie oil tanks, 15th January 2004. Andrew Lait

60001 at Coedkernew with 6B28 Westerleigh to Margam empty Murco bogie oil tanks, 26th March 2005. Garry Sparks

60001 at Craigenhill with 6S36 Dalston to Grangemouth empty bogie oil tanks, 13th June 2001. Peter Kellett

And a few hours later 60001 runs alongside the Stainforth & Keadby canal at Crowle with 6E32 Preston Docks to Lindsey empty bitumen tanks, 27th June 2005. Julie Knowles

60001 heading west at Croxton, between Immingham and Barnetby, with 6N04 Lindsey to Jarrow loaded bogie oil tanks, 21st May 2004. David Neville

60001 at Elford, north of Tamworth, 6E54 Kingsbury to Humber oil terminal empty bogie oil tanks, 22nd June 2001. Steve Jones

60001 approaching Hatfield & Stainforth station working 6M55 Lindsey to Rectory Junction loaded bogie oil tanks with the Old Hatfield Main (Stainforth) pit in the background, 30th August 2005. Rob Terrace

60001 at Jarrow oil terminal, waiting while the tanks are discharged after arriving with 6N04 Lindsey to Jarrow loaded bogie oil tanks, 17th June 2004. "Coppercap"

60001 leaving Kingsbury at dawn with 6E46 Kingsbury to Lindsey oil terminal empty bogie oil tanks, 24th June 2005. "A Driver"

60001 passing Lostock Hall with 6E32 Preston Docks to Lindsey empty bitumen tanks, 27th June 2005. Dennis Marsden

60001 crossing the River Usk east of Newport station with 6B28 Westerleigh to Margam empty Murco bogie oil tanks, 26th March 2005. Dave Campbell

60001 hauling two empty flat wagons and empty aviation fuel tanks at Paisley on 6Z75 Falkland yard to Grangemouth Enterprise, 12th November 2004. Euan Thompson The aviation fuel tanks had been tripped from Falkland yard to Prestwick Airport oil terminal. This Enterprise working also conveys cargowaggons for Irvine paper mill when required.

60001 at 07.08 waiting to depart from Preston Docks with 6E32 empty bitumen tanks to Lindsey oil refinery, 17th October 2005. Chris Horner

60001 with empty aviation fuel tanks at Shawfield on 6Z74 Prestwick to Mossend yard Enterprise, 13th November 2004. David Kirkwood This time the Enterprise was only aviation fuel tanks. 60001 waited at Prestwick while the fuel was discharged, then worked back from there to Mossend.

60001 passing under the GWR Badminton route approaching Westerleigh with 6B13 Robeston to Westerleigh loaded bogie oil tanks, 18th August 2005. John Chalcraft

60001 at Whitacre Junction with 6M04 Port Clarence to Bedworth loaded bogie oil tanks, 25th May 2005. "A Driver"

Rail Tours

60001 in the headshunt at Alresford, 9th October 2004. Steve Ollive

60001 stands at Victoria prior to departure to Alton hauling “The Alton Observer” rail tour, 9th October 2004. Steve Ollive A description of the rail tour is given in RO December 2004, pages 562-3.

Miscellaneous

Following a derailment, 60001 came to the help cautiously pushing eight of the recovered MGR wagons into the disused Bennerley sidings (37375 and the Thornaby breakdown crane are in the background), 23rd June 2002. Dave Peachey 60049 and the Toton re-railing train were also used for this recovery.

60001 hauls 6G33 Carlisle to Chirk loaded timber through Lancaster, 27th July 2001. Russell Moorhouse 60001 hauled this train as far as Warrington Arpley.

60001 approaching Northenden waste terminal with 6M05 Roxby Gullet to Northenden empty “binliner”, 22nd October 2005. Ian Tunstall

60001 at Northenden, Greater Manchester waste terminal; the first waste container being removed from the train, 22nd October 2005. Ian Tunstall