Class 56s on Their Last Move Before Scrapping

DB Schenker, Britain’s largest freight company, has put the final nail in the coffin of its Class 56 fleet, “Grids”, as engines stored at Eastleigh are finally cleared out for scrapping.

Withdraw From Service

The class 56s were withdrawn from service with the former English, Welsh & Scottish Railway up to and including 2004, prior to many going to work abroad in the construction of High Speed railway links.

Eastleigh, a Diesel Graveyard

Eastleigh became a Graveyard for stored Class 56 and Class 58 locomotives when the Class 66 heavy freight locomotive was introduced. Locomotive numbers in the area have slowly declined, and most Class 56 locomotives have been transported to Crewe, where some were regrettably scrapped.

Final Trip for the 56s

On Sunday, October 30th, the final three Class 56 locomotives at Eastleigh were removed from their resting place, and moved forward to the main yard, where they will now be taken forward to Crewe. At present, none of the three locomotives have been confirmed as being sold for preservation, sold for scrap, nor have any parties expressed interest in taking them on.

The engines were moved on November 1st after dark for scrapping.

External Links

• DB Schenker