Comings & goings at St. Leonards Depot (part 3)
This article was opened on Saturday 31 August 2013, and
last modified on 12 October 2014.
Above: Plenty goes on at St. Leonards
depot! In this view from August 2013, we can see a Class 171 receiving
attention for an alternator fault prior to departure on the 1708 Hastings
– Ashford service for Southern; two Class 73
electro-diesel locomotives visible undergoing repaint, one of the
ex-Berkshire motor coaches that used to form one of Network
Rail’s de-icing trains, and HDL’s own DEMU in the car-sheds on row 4.
All photos on this page are by Andy
Armitage, except where otherwise stated.
This article is Part 3 of a mini-series looking at depot
operations;
see also the previous sections, Part 1 and Part 2.
Introduction
St. Leonards Depot is leased and operated by
St. Leonards Railway Engineering Limited (SLREL), which is HDL’s sister company.
This article is intended to illustrate the number and variety of tasks
which are undertaken by the small band of staff at the depot. It is felt
that these might be of interest to some of our readers.
These works provide a steady income for the depot site and provide a
source of revenue; some of this is used to offset the costs of storing
& maintaining HDL’s fleet of railway
vehicles.
It should be noted that the activities described on this page
are not those of Hastings Diesels Limited (HDL).
Activities
Staff at St. Leonards Depot undertake many tasks, including (but
not limited to) the following works:
Stabling & day-to-day maintenance of Southern’s
Class 171 DMUs. SLREL provides nightly stabling facilities for
up to four of the five units of Southern’s Class 171 DMUs which
operate on the Ashford – Hastings – Eastbourne – Brighton service. All
refuelling is carried out at the depot, for which purpose a second
refuelling point was installed. Units stabled at the depot are cleaned
nightly, requiring a night-shift to be worked by some of the staff.
‘A’-exams of the fleet are conducted on a rolling pattern which allows
this to be performed during the day shift; for more major works the units
are sent to Selhurst depot.
Servicing of Class 66 diesel and Class 73 electro-diesel
locomotives for GB Railfreight. On the Class 73s this
includes ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’
examinations.
Maintaining 20189 Limited’s Class 73
locomotives. 73 107, 73 109 and 73 201 are normally operated by DB
Schenker on Network Rail’s various Test
Trains.
Cleaning and maintaining the depot building, yard, track
and facilities.
Repainting Class 73 Electro-diesel locomotives for GB Railfreight
In addition to the locos depicted and mentioned in the photos below,
73 141 is expected shortly for
repainting to match the GBRf locos shown below.
Above & below: Class 73 loco 73 136 has been quite a long-term visitor to
St. Leonards depot; gone is its green livery (and name “Perseverence”),
and the GBRf colour-scheme now sparkles upon its body.
Above: 73 136 departed via Hastings station in a
convoy on 16 August 2013.
Above: This general view of the yard
shows a Class 66, a couple of Class 73s with more beyond, and a Class
171. The orange-painted sleepers and track chairs mark the Fouling Point
on each pair of converging roads.
Above & below: Class 73 locos 73 212 and 73 213 were outshopped in late August 2013,
prior to being named at ceremonies in London Victoria station.
73 109 repainted for 20189 Limited
As well as the repaint shown below, 73 107 is waiting to have its triple-grey
livery re-done, and 73 201 has been
having its rail blue touched-up.
Above: 73 109 had been in SouthWest Trains livery but
is now being repainted in light blue.
Above: The finished article, shortly
before departure in convoy with sister ED 73 201 on Monday 26 August 2013. Photo by
Andrew King.
Former Network Rail motor coaches undergoing repaint
Above: As and when time permits, the pair
of former Network Rail de-icer motor coaches which have passed into SLREL
ownership are continuing to undergo repainting. The ex-Berkshire DEMU
stock is seen basking in the sunshine at St. Leonards depot at the end of
October 2013; they were being sent on ‘The Soap Run’, delivering supplies
to the South Eastern carriage-washer on the site of West
Marina station.
An unusual visitor
Above: An unusual visitor to St. Leonards
depot on Sunday 1 December 2013 was this Network Rail Rail
Grinding Unit, seen laying over between forays onto the Bexhill – Ashford
route which was closed to traffic for engineering works. Photo by Andrew
King.
73 202 repainted for Southern
Above & below: Electro-diesel Class
73 number 73 202 left St. Leonards depot on
10 December 2013 to return to its home at Stewarts Lane, having been
repainted to a suitable livery suggested by Andy Armitage for
Southern; minor repairs were also carried out to the
locomotive. Obtaining the correct colours of paint, and getting the
stuff to dry in such cold weather-conditions, are hurdles which had to be
overcome to meet the deadline!
73 128 arrives by road
Electro-diesel Class 73 locomotive 73 128 arrived at St. Leonards Depot by
road on 15 April 2014. It was brought on an Allelys low-loader from the
Pontypool and
Blaenavon Railway. The loco has been acquired by Michael Owen (Class
20189 Ltd) and has come to St. Leonards with a view to being
returned to main-line operation.
Above: The low-loader becomes a ramp and
the tractor unit is detatched; its winch will then be used to lower the
loco down the ramp onto the yard’s rails.
Above: Job done! The loco’s
journey to the seaside is now complete; a fair amount of work is no doubt
in prospect before her next journey which should be by rail out of the
depot gates.
As of the start of October 2014, 73 128’s paintwork is nearing completion
and it has successfully been put back ‘on juice’.
20 189 & 20 142
On 9 October 2014, Michael Owen (Class 20189 Ltd)’s 20 142 and 20 189 had come to St. Leonards depot for a
bit of TLC. They are currently acting as standby locos at Tonbridge
should they be required on this leaffall-season’s RailHead Treatment
Trains.
Those with an interest in such matters will appreciate that the Class
20 locos are fitted with a power unit closely related to that of our own
DEMUs, in this case an English Electric 8SVT which is essentially a V8
version of the 4SRKT.
Above & below: The pair of locos,
with 20 189 closest to the camera, are coupled
nose-to-nose as is common with this type, and are seen basking in the
yard at St. Leonards depot on a sunny autumnal Thursday late-morning.
Above: The other end of the pair of
locos, showing 20 142 which like its sister sports a
headcode-blind box.