ADIEU LES ‘BONES’: Here is a sight expected for a number of years, but which is still a sad one to actually see happen, as cutting up begins of the Class 58s stored at Alizay in Normandy, France. The fleet of 50 ‘Bones’ were the last diesel locos to be built at Doncaster Works, entering service between the end of 1982 and the start of 1987. By 2002, however, they had all been withdrawn by EWS – but a new life abroad followed for many, helping to build high-speed lines in Spain and France (along with various Class 37s and 56s). When the French work ended in 2010, 23 Class 58s were stored at Alizay. This view on May 2 shows No. 58034 in the process of being dismantled, with the photographer noting that Nos. 58001/013/026/032/040 plus several other unidentified locos were also present. A number of cabs from already-dismantled ‘58s’ can also be seen.
DEAN PARSONS