‘Royal’ Class 47 returns to main line

The National Railway Museum’s 47798 Prince William was released from a bodywork overhaul at Burton on January 14.

It ran light to Kidderminster, where it collected a Mk 1 support coach which it then hauled to West Coast Railway’s Carnforth depot.

The Class 47/7 has been repainted into the original Rail Express Systems version of the royal livery, as applied in 1995 at Wolverton Works. This replaces the EWS version of the royal livery.

The Class 47 is passed for main line use. It is used to haul empty stock around the UK for the NRM, but was controversially used by WCR for charters in 2012, which drew criticism from its previous owners who were unhappy that a locomotive donated to the NRM was being used by a rival.

• For more on this story, see RAIL 767, on sale February 4.