No main line locomotives are allocated to Norwich for the first time since the 1840s, after 13 Class 90s left for a new career with Freightliner at the start of May.
After replacing them with Stadler Class 745 electric multiple units on the Norwich-London Liverpool Street route, Greater Anglia withdrew its fleet of 15 electric locomotives at the end of March. Two transferred to Locomotive Services Ltd, with the rest moving to Freightliner. All 15 were sold by Porterbrook to their new operators.
The ‘90s’ were moved in three convoys, with 90003/010 and 90011 East Anglian Daily Times Suffolk & Proud the first to leave on May 7, running light to Crewe Basford Hall.
They were joined the following day by 90005 Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, 90006 Modern Railways Magazine/Roger Ford, 90007 Sir John Betjeman and 90008 The East Anglian.
The last to leave, on May 15, were 90004 City of Chelmsford, 90009, 90012 Royal Anglian Regiment, 90013 and 90015 Colchester Castle.
FL will use the ‘90s’ on intermodal trains, with their entry into traffic likely to be from July at the earliest.
The 1700 Norwich-London Liverpool Street and 1930 return on March 24, powered by 90001, were the final locomotive-hauled trains on the Great Eastern Main Line. Since then, all services have been in the hands of ‘745s’.
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For the FULL story, read RAIL 906, published on June 3, and available digitally from May 30.
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Laurence Collins - 21/01/2024 23:32
that was a sad day on Greater Anglia when the class 90,s finished working Greater Anglia Services the end of another era
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