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CLASS 20

‘POLAR Express’ specials between Birmingham Moor Street and Tyseley stations throughout December kept privately-owned English Electric Type 1s Nos. 20142 and 20189 (both in the MOLO pool) in regular employment along with Stanier ‘Black 5’ No. 45305. Generally operating four round trips between Thursday and Sunday (inclusive) in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Class 20s shared duties with the blue-liveried No. 20189 earlier in the month and No. 20142 (LT red) thereafter.

Since the cessation of RHTT duties, Nos. 20302/3/5, 20311/4 have been put to store at York, while the five XHSS examples (Nos. 20301/4/8/9/12) remain at Barrow Hill.

GBEE Type 1s Nos. 20096+20107 last worked a train in October, while Nos. 20901+20905 ceased working on the London Underground ’S’ stock transfers back in June. Nevertheless, the other pairing of Nos. 20118+20132 spent Christmas at Leicester after handling the 6Z20/13.28 Westbury-West Ealing on December 4, returning the three HOBC wagons they had taken to Wiltshire in mid-November.

CLASS 31

HAVING returned to main line use earlier in 2019, No. 31128 has been relatively active for the past six months. A further outing on December 3 found the blue-liveried Type 2 in charge of the 5Z31/09.50 Burton Wetmore-Eastleigh Arlington with ‘generator’ coach No. 6310, a vehicle with its own interesting history. Built by Pressed Steel in August 1958 as gangwayed brake (BG) No. M81448, it was converted in 1973 to agenerator van for use with HST coaches and renumbered No. ADB975325, before afurther conversion to work with locomotive-hauled coaching stock when it became No. 6310. No. 31128 ran light engine to Cardiff on December 18, returning to the East Midlands with a pair of Mk.2 coaches, Nos. 6054 and 9507,