Railway attraction gets new loco

CLASS 73 locomotive, 73 130 has a new owner and a new home.

It was delivered to the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway (L&MMR) on Friday November 4th 2022 having been collected from its previous home with the Coulsdon Old Vehicle & Engineering Society (COVES) at Bicester the previous evening.

The locomotive has been purchased outright by a new company set up expressly for the purpose of owning, restoring, and managing the continued operation of the locomotive, 73 130 Ltd which has been formed and funded by both members of the L&MMR and also class 73 enthusiasts from further afield who have joined forces to create this new venture.

One of the latter type of members is Peter De Lacey who worked on 73 130 when it was owned by European Passenger Services, operators of the cross channel high speed rail service, he said:

‘Having worked with this loco for over 40 (years on and off) it’s great to be reacquainted with it. My last contact was when it was one of two rescue locos, along with 73 118, purchased by European Passenger Services and I conducted driver training with it for the EPS train crew. We would use both locos to haul a Eurostar set from Waterloo to Dollands Moor.’

The project came together in a matter of a couple of months when various parties learned that the locomotive was to be put up for sale as COVES were vacating their Bicester site and disposing of all theirheritage railway collection. Mark Thomas, a director of the L&MMR, was one of the first to recognise the value of such a loco to the railway and worked to get like-minded enthusiasts together and make a bid for it. He said:

‘The arrival of Class 73 locomotive to the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway is a significant moment in the history of the project. Such a versatile and economical locomotive will play a vital role in the continuing development of the railway and in achieving the short, medium and long term aims of the project. The LMMR is delighted to be a part of this new organisation as am I personally.’

The project is being run independently of the L&MMR and will be self-funding, however, the railway is fully supportive of the project and recognise the value that 73 130 will have to the heritage line. It is the biggestlocomotive ever to be based there since the project took over their site in Cynheidre in 2001. L&MMR Director and Press Officer, David Mee said:

‘The Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway are delighted to welcome 73 130 to its new home. It will no doubt prove a huge asset, both as an attraction in its own right, and in support of infrastructure projects as we plan to extend the line.’

73 130 Ltd will be spending the next few months putting the loco through safety checks and

carrying out and necessary remedial work with the hope it can operate at Cynheidre during the 2023 season. In the longer term the team will make the locomotive available for hire to other railways on an occasional basis to appear at both galas and operating events, Mark Thomas said:

‘We also hope that the loco can become a roaming ambassador for the railway and represent us around the UK’

Initial signs are that the locomotive is not in bad condition, having been subjected to an inspection by the team prior to any sale being agreed. Peter De Lacey, who has engineering experience was one of those who carried out the inspection, he said,

‘I arranged with a colleague (who has worked for many years maintaining Class 73s) to carry out an inspection of it prior to purchase. It was found to be in pretty good condition. Yes, there are a few things that need attention, but driving it up and down, it made all the right noises I have been accustomed to throughout my railway career and – more importantly – didn’t make any unusual noises. There did not appear to be any major work needed on it. Some spare parts are available, but it would be prudent to obtain others.’

The good condition of the locomotive is a testament to the care shown to it by its previous owners, COVES, who were able to keep it inside a shed for the last few years to protect it from the elements. The L&MMR has also offered the loco space in its loco shed to ensure it remains in the best possible condition.

The team has stated their intention for the locomotive to remain in the condition it is now with the Scharfenberg coupling adaptors used for coupling to the original Eurostar sets and it will retain the two-tone grey Eurostar livery with the cast metal tunnel roundels on the bodyside from its time based at the North Pole International depot in West London which was the home of Eurostar’s UK fleet from 1994 to 2007. The team will be looking at replacing the name plates worn by the loco prior to its Eurostar years when it was named ‘City of Portsmouth’, a name it carried from 1988 until 1996; the loco had been named at a ceremony held at Portsmouth & Southsea station on July 2nd 1988. The loco will be a slice of railway history that represents the very beginnings of international cross-channel rail travel. There are several class 73s still in existence but amongst them 73 130 is utterly unique.

The L&MMR railway is to hold a static open day at their Cynheidre site on Saturday November 26th where the new arrival will take centre stage and be on display for the first time. This will be a free admission event but no train rides will be on offer to visitors.