West Coast Railway Company
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West Coast Railway Company (WCRC) is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator, based at Carnforth in Lancashire. In 1998, the company became the first privately-owned company to be given a licence as a train operating company.
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[edit] Description
The company operates charter trains throughout the year, many of which are hauled by its fleet of steam locomotives. The most famous of these is The Jacobite (named for the historic Jacobite political movement), which runs from Fort William to Mallaig in the West Highlands, and passes over the spectacular Glenfinnan Viaduct. The Jacobite is the only scheduled steam operated service on the National Rail network.
The company also owns and operates a fleet of diesel locomotives, which are primarily used to haul charter trains, but have also been hired to other railway operators. The fleet is mostly composes of Class 37 and Class 47 locomotives, but also includes the prototype passenger Class 57, no. 57601. The Class 37 locomotives were all purchased from Ian Riley Engineering, which ceased its spot-hire operations in mid-2004. Its coaching stock consists mainly of Mark 1 and Mark 2 coaches and a small number of Mark 3 sleeper vehicles.
In 2005, WCRC won the contract to haul the Royal Scotsman luxury train from EWS. As a result, its two operational Class 37 locomotives and a Class 47 were repainted into a revised maroon livery, based on that of the Royal Scotsman carriages.
In late 2005, WCRC sold its two operational Class 37 locomotives (nos. 37197 and 37261) to Direct Rail Services (DRS), and received four Class 33 locomotives in exchange. WCRC later sold non-operational locomotive no. 37423 to DRS as well. In 2006, WCRC hired two preserved locomotives, nos. 37214 and 37248.
[edit] Fleet Details
| Key: | In service | Withdrawn | Preserved | Under repair | Sold for further use | Scrapped |
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[edit] Steam locomotives
| Number | Name | Class | Livery | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5972 | Olton Hall | GWR "Hall" Class 4-6-0 | Maroon | Operational |
| 45699 | Galatea | LMS "Jubilee" Class 4-6-0 | BR Black | Under restoration |
| 46115 | Scots Guardsman | LMS "Royal Scot" Class 4-6-0 | BR Black | Under restoration |
| 48151 | - | LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0 | BR Black | Operational |
[edit] Diesel locomotives
| Number | Class | Name | Livery | Year Acquired | Previous Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08220 | 08 | - | BR Black | 1986 | ex-British Rail | Operational |
| 08678 | 08 | Ulverstonian | BR Blue | 1993 | ex-Glaxo, Ulverston | Operational |
| 33025 | 33 | Glen Falloch | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2005 | ex-Direct Rail Services | Operational |
| 33029 | 33 | Glen Loy | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2005 | ex-Direct Rail Services | Operational |
| 33030 | 33 | - | DRS Blue | 2005 | ex-Direct Rail Services | Stored |
| 33207 | 33 | Jim Martin | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2005 | ex-Direct Rail Services | Operational |
| 37158 | 37 | - | Maroon Undercoat | 2006 | ex-Preservation | Withdrawn |
| 37197 | 37 | Loch Laidon | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2004 | ex-Ian Riley Engineering | Sold to DRS in 2005 |
| 37214 | 37 | Loch Laidon | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2005 | ex-Preservation | Operational |
| 37235 | 37 | - | Trainload Grey | 2004 | ex-Ian Riley Engineering | Withdrawn |
| 37248 | 37 | Loch Arkaig | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2005 | ex-Preservation | Operational |
| 37261 | 37 | Loch Arkaig | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2004 | ex-Ian Riley Engineering | Sold to DRS in 2005 |
| 37423 | 37 | - | Trans-Rail | 2004 | ex-Ian Riley Engineering | Sold to DRS in 2006 |
| 47245 | 47 | - | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2003 | ex-HNRC | Operational |
| 47826 | 47 | Springburn | InterCity Swallow | 2005 | ex-Virgin Trains | Operational |
| 47851 | 47 | Traction Magazine | BR Two Tone Green | 2005 | ex-Virgin Trains | Operational |
| 47854 | 47 | - | WCRC Maroon (Revised) | 2002 | ex-Virgin Trains | Operational |
| 57601 | 57 | - | WCRC Maroon | 2003 | ex-Porterbrook Spot Hire | Operational |
Note: Number 37248 is owned by a private individual or group, but is used as part of the operational WCRC fleet. 37214 was also privately owned, but is now owned outright by WCRC.
[edit] External links
| British railway spot-hire companies |
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█ Cotswold Rail █ Fragonset Merlin Rail █ Harry Needle Railroad Company █ Ian Riley Engineering |
