The Warwickshire-based hire company has put its latest shunter acquisitions from DB Cargo immediately into use as more duties are taken on.
JANUARY proved to be a very busy month for Railway Support Services, as no less than four of its new acquisitions from the DB Cargo clear-out made an immediate return to use.
The month began with No. 08460 making a welcome return to service after exactly six years of inaction, it having failed back in January 2011 while working at Felixstowe.
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Recent months have seen the shunter overhauled at Wishaw (Warwickshire), culminating in a repaint into RSS grey and naming as Spirit of the Oak. With work completed, it departed the firm’s haulage yard for Stoke on January 4, taking over the newly-won Axiom Rail contract. This allowed hired-in No. 08652 to be returned to Mendip Rail, it departing for Merehead the same day.
The second week of 2017 saw the first of the company’s new additions, No. 08752, depart Bescot to strengthen the shunter resources available at Bombardier’s Derby Works, it being deleted from the WQDA pool soon afterwards. January 19 also saw No. 08703 depart the West Midlands depot, it heading north to Wigan Springs Branch, where it was unloaded the next day. This is the second shunting contract to be picked up by RSS in the wake of DB Cargo’s withdrawal, the Wigan depot housing Network Rail’s breakdown crane fleet and some Multi-Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) amongst other stock. Previous incumbent No. 08605 was still awaiting removal at the end of the month.
Read more in the March issue of RE – out now!
