Progress on preserved Romanian Class 56

Work continues on the Class 56 Group’s 56006 at Leicester depot.

The Class 56 arrived there on July 25, and work has been carried out on the repairs needed to rectify the corrosion damage suffered by the locomotive, over the past few years, before the locomotive was preserved, and also the vandalism damage suffered just last year. 

The alternator cables damaged by metal thieves have now been fully replaced. Cab floors were lifted, with corrosion to the underfloor structure being repaired or replaced, and then the floor panels were renovated.

The next job to be started is the repairs to the engine bay roof.  This has suffered considerably over the years from corrosion, during both the 56006’s working life and it’s early years in preservation, so the best approach was to remove this large structure completely, to allow easier access to the affected areas. These repairs will entail cutting out all the corroded areas which are too far gone, and replacing them with newly fabricated parts, which will involve a lot of welding, and also the patching of those areas that have only suffered minor corrosion damage.  Once this is complete, a full repaint inside and out will be carried out.

Once the roof is sorted out, this will leave the body side corrosion to be tackled.  The corrosion here is in the usual places on a Class 56, such as where the bogie carrier structure joins the lower body side, and along the spot welds on the lower body side. This will also require the cutting out of all the corroded areas, removal of any damp debris and dirt that tends to build up in these areas, priming and painting of any areas not accessible once repairs are completed, and then the fabrication of replacement parts and the welding of these parts to the locomotive. 

The final job that will then need to be done will be the full repaint of 56006. It will reappear in another coat of BR Blue.

It is likely that it will be next year now, before 56006 is back up and running.

If you would like to help return 56006 to service, by sponsoring part of the repairs or a particular item, contact the C56G at [email protected].