ALOCOMOTIVE which would have had anew lease of life had it not been for Covid, is being scrapped, writesAshleyButlin.
Hanson &Hall’s Class 31 No. 31106 was delivered to EMR’s Kingsbury scrapyard on November 29. Purchased before the pandemic, theType 2 locomotive was to have been overhauled and used by H &H for a specific project requiring a low-powered locomotive. Unfortunately, Covid put an end to the project and the locomotive was stood down idle. To bring it back to mainline status would require expensive work, not least replacing defective wheelsets.The firm contracted to carry out the work went out of business due to the pandemic, while a replacement firm has quoted a 300% increase in the cost, putting the price of repairs way beyond the value of the locomotive or the work that may be available in the future.
Consequently, H &Hmade the decision to cut its losses and dispose of the loco. No preservation groups are looking at taking on the project, hence the move to EMR Kingsbury.