UK Rail Leasing

56106 at Leicester

UK Rail Leasing^[1] (UKRL) is a British railway spot-hire company.

History

UK Rail Leasing was formed in 2013 by Mark Winter and Edward Stevenson. It took out a three-year lease on DB Schenker's Leicester depot and purchased a number of Class 56 locomotives.^[2][3][4]

In November 2014, 56081 was the first refurbished locomotive to return to service. It worked 0K56 from Leicester's Depot to Crewe Basford Hall with Freightliner Group British Rail Class 66 66619. 56081 was destined to be a super shunter at Crewe Basford Hall Yard. ^[5]

On the 11th and 12th April 2015, 56104 returned into service after refurbishment, where it attended the 2015 Nene Valley Railway Diesel Gala. ^{[6] [7]}

On the 23rd June 2015, 56104 led 45060, 31271 and 47596 for the upcoming North Yorkshire Moors 2015 Diesel Gala. The locomotive convoy returned on the 30th June 2015. ^{[8] [9]}

In June 2015, 56081 and 56104 went on hire to Devon and Cornwall Railways for a short period. Workings included the transfer of 86246 to Willesden TMD, ^[10] Railvac Machine RAUK-4 transfer ^{[11] [12]} and the Cardiff Tidal to Stockton scrap metal workings. ^[13]

In September, UK Rail Leasing hired locomotives to Rail Operations Group for stock transfers. UK Rail Leasing's first working for the Rail Operations Group was a transfer of barrier coaching stock to Tyseley, in preparation for the London Midland British Rail Class 323 Drags to Tyseley TMD. This was undertaken by 56104 and 56081. ^[14] 56081 and 56104 made appearances again on September 16th and 17th where it transferred 86702 from Willesden TMD (on the 16th) and 37905 (D6836) (on the 17th) from the Watercress Line, both bound for UK Rail Leasing's base in Leicester. ^{[15] [16]}

On the 4th November 2015, 56104 performed its first stock drag, where it hauled 31452 and 375 620 from Ramsgate Electric Multiple Unit Depot to Derby Carriage and Wagon Works. ^[17]

In November, Rail Operations Group won the contract to haul the First Great Western British Rail Mark 3 Coaching Stock from DB Schenker Rail (UK). The first working since the takeover commenced on the 8th November 2015 where UK Rail Leasing's 56098 and 56104 hauled refurbished British Rail Mark 3 Coaching stock from Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. (Now Wabtec Rail Scotland) to Laira Traction Maintenance Depot. The return working return to Wabtec Rail Scotland with unrefurbished British Rail Mark 3 Coaching Stock, was undertaken on the 9th November 2015. ^{[18] [19]}

Locomotives

The company owns 15 Class 56 locomotives:^[3][20]

• 56 007/009/018/031/032/037/038/060/065/069/077/081/098/104/106/

UKRL has indicated it intends on returning 13 to service.^[3][21] The Class 56 Group's preserved 56006 is also stabled at the depot as is Europhoenix's 37906, but neither are destined for use with UKRL.^[22] UK Rail Leasing have freshly painted into unbranded Railfreight livery Class 56, 56081, 56098 and 56104, and are already back in action, on hire to Freightliner to act as a Super Shunter at Crewe Basford Hall as around 13 December 2014.

On 15th January 2016 56098 was named "Lost Boys 68-88" in a ceremony at Leicester.

Stock list, November 2015^[23]

References