37683 Thornaby TMD 27 06 2006

Transrail liveried 37683 sits stored at Thornaby awaiting its fate.

 

Its rather long history is below.

 

It was built as D6887 by English Electric at their ex-Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Works in Darlington

 

D6887 was delivered to BR on 31/01/1964 (Works No. E3365).

In February 1972, it was renumbered to 37187 under TOPS.

 

It was allocated to the Western Region for many years at the following depots:

From delivery: Landore

22/11/1981: Bristol Bath Road

26/05/1985: Cardiff Canton

It was regularly on passenger services until October 1985, when its boiler was isolated.

 

After that it was usually on freight workings except a few summer passenger workings when steam heating wasn’t required.

 

37187 then transferred to the Eastern Region:

23/11/1986: Thornaby

18/01/1987: Tinsley

30/09/1990: Immingham

31/05/1992: Thornaby (again)

 

While at Tinsley, it was renumbered on 25/03/1987 to 37683, (with the sub class ETS and RCH modifications). This allowed passenger work again with the newer coaches.

 

With sectorisation, it was in the following pools:

01/01/1989: FAMT - Freight Aggregates Tinsley

30/09/1990: FABI - Railfreight Construction Immingham Locos

31/05/1992: FALY - Trainload Construction - Thornaby Locos

14/03/1993: IISA - InterCity Inverness Class 37

 

Allocated to Inverness on the Scottish Region from 14/03/1993, it became a regular on sleeper services between Inverness and Edinburgh for the next 2 years.

 

On 28/05/1995, it became a Transrail Division loco allocated to the Motherwell LGBM Pool - Transrail ML Class 37/0.

 

With the sale of Transrail to EWS, it again started moving depots and pools:

28/11/1997: Immingham Pool FDCI - EWS Immingham Class 37 North of England

27/11/1998: Toton Pool WKFN - EWS Toton Class 37/5 Systemwide.

 

It was then earmarked for the EWS TGV projects in France.

 

After modifications at Toton, it was allocated to the WKMF - EWS Headquarters Class 37 (Special Projects) on 13/07/1999.

 

It headed through the Chunnel to France 3 days later on 16/07/1999.

 

It returned from France on 22/10/2000, was taken to Thornaby on 03/11/2000 and was officially stored in the WNXX Pool on 07/11/2000 with 8,970 hours on its engine.

 

It did get inspected in August 2002 for possible re-activation, but nothing came of it.

 

EWS put it up for sale on 12/01/2007 in a big tender of 63 locos, including 12 Class 37s.

On 28/02/2007, it was announced that EMR were the winning bidder for 37683, who then on-sold it to HNRC on 29/07/2007.

 

A month later on 16/08/2007, it was confirmed that 37683 had been taken inside the now closed Thornaby shed.

 

The Thornaby cleanout continued on 14/03/2008 when 37683 was sent by HNRC for further storage at Long Marston, arriving on 17/03/2008 after a weekend stopover at Heanor’s Yard, Langley Mill.

 

It was deregistered from TOPS on 14/03/2008.

 

HNRC then decided to put 37683 up for sale for preservation on 25/04/2008, but then removed the sale offer a month later with no interest.

 

37683 was transferred to Barrow Hill 08/09/2008 and restored to working order for DRS.

 

On 07/10/2008 came the good news that 37683 had been registered again for the DRS XHHP Pool. It was then loadbank tested on 21/11/2008.

 

But instead of being activated, it stayed at Barrow Hill for another 2 years.

 

On 18/07/2010, it was noted that 37683 was to go Railway Heritage Centre at Crewe as a training loco. This happened by road 4 days later.

 

Its next moves were by road for stripping of parts and scrapping.

 

First to Derby RTC to supply parts to the Network Rail contract 37s on 11/07/2012.

 

Then on 12/02/2013 to the scrappers CF Booths, Rotherham.

 

It was then scrapped on 27/02/2013 (almost 13 years after it last worked).

 

Information all supplied with great thanks by Mick Parker on his great class37.co.uk website and Ian Furness on his WNXX site 🙏 🙏

Done