Details of 37248’s workings for BR, West Coast Railways Ltd and in preservation can be found via the links to the right including photographic galleries showing the loco at work during each of these periods in its history.
Just like 37215, 37248 was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry, Newton le Willows, Lancashire and was delivered to British Railways’ Cardiff Canton depot on the 30th October 1964. Again, similar to 37215 after 3 years in South Wales, a move followed to Yorkshire with a transfer to Healey Mills (55C) near Wakefield on 1st August 1967.
After 5 years working around Yorkshire, Humberside and across the Pennines, a move back to South Wales beckoned in January 1972 with a transfer back to Cardiff Canton (86A – CF from 1974), where the loco remained for 20 years, becoming part of the fabric of the South Wales railway scene. A short move back to Yorkshire followed with a move to Tinsley in 1992 before returning to Cardiff in 1994. In 1995 it was transferred away to Toton (TO) and allocated to the ‘shadow’ pre-privatisation freight company Mainline where it was painted in that company’s aircraft blue livery and named ‘Midland Railway Centre’.
Following the purchase of Mainline by Wisconsin Central in 1996 and the formation of EWS, further moves followed to Old Oak Common in 2000, Motherwell in 2001 and finally, to Crewe in 2003 before being withdrawn and stored in December of that year. After 2 years in store at Margam, it was purchased by three Growler Group members in conjunction with West Coast Railways Limited to whom the locomotive was loaned as part of an agreement to restore it to working order and operate on the mainline once more.
The loco entered WCRC service in 2006 and operated all over the national network, especially in Scotland, including hauling the prestigious Royal Scotsman land cruise train. The loan agreement ended in 2009 and the loco entered preservation firstly at the GCR(N) at Ruddington and then becoming a permanent resident on the GWR at Toddington in 2010.
Information on the history of 37248 has been compiled from many sources with the help of people too many to name individually, but to who we are most grateful. However special mention must be made of the Class 37 Locomotive Group for the use of information from their impressive website and similarly to The 1980’s Timewarp site.
Hopefully, this may jog your memory and encourage you to get that old spotting book, haulage log or photographs from your collection. Any information you have, no matter how small in relation to 37248, will be gratefully appreciated and go towards enhancing our knowledge. If you have anything of interest, go to the Contact Us page.
