The Flickr 56051 Image Generatr

A lucky catch today during a shift on the Kingmoor Yard pilot. Shortly after a torrential downpour three Colas Railfreight class 56's arrived in Kingmoor Yard Timber Terminal having been moved from Kingmoor Yard Up Recess Sidings. 56 090 was showing due an A exam so was no doubt awaiting the arrival of the "Man in a van" from Boden Rail Engineering while the other pair (56 049 & 051) had worked north on Thursday 22nd with 7Z77 a snowplough move from Doncaster to MOD Eastriggs before returning light to Kingmoor Yard, this pair were for fuelling as Colas have a locomotive fuel point adjacent to the timber sidings. After taking the shot it struck me this could well be the last time I see three Colas class 56's coupled and running. The operational fleet seems to have shrunk to possibly 4 or 5 locomotives from the info I have to hand so this view is over 50% of the companies active members still in traffic.

Recorded approaching Pot Lane bridge, Berkley in July 1988 with a mixed bag of loaded hoppers, BR Railfreight 56051 was hauling the 6A52 SX 09:55 Merehead Quarry to Thorney Mill.

All images on this site are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed written permission of the photographer. All rights reserved – Copyright Don Gatehouse

Coast & Peaks Rover March 2025

Colas Rail 56051 'Survival' coupling up after running round at Crewe with a train going presumably to of from Bradwell sidings.

Colas Rail Freight 56051 Survival heads past Leicester Depot working 6C57 Knighton Junction to Toton North Yard on the 27.04.25

Stafford - Staffordshire.

Stafford - Staffordshire.

Stafford - Staffordshire.

I don't tend to put much relating to the modern world of our nation's rail system on here, primarily because there's not too much that excites me about it. However, after a trip to Liverpool docks to drop off a minibus, I returned to Longport (the closest station to 'work') only to pass a Colas train chomping at the bit to be let out of the Land Recovery site half a mile before the station. Having persuaded my lift to wait a few minutes a took the gamble the 56 would be let out as soon as a path was available.
Unusually for my luck, within ten minutes 56.051 made its presence known with a loaded train in tow. It's only a phone camera shot, but I thought afterwards that I should have videoed it.
Back in 1988 when we started our Knotty Bus business, our yard was adjacent to this piece of railway and 56s were an every day part of our life. If we were on a telephone call in our caravan office, we used to have to ask the other party to hang on a minute whilst the 'screaming Grid' concerned got its loaded train of Merry-go-round hoppers underway from the open-cast disposal site in Chatterley Valley.

56051 speeds through Alsager working 6K39 Bradwell Up Sidings Colas - Crewe Basford Hall SSM | Originally this was not the shot I had in mind, with my initial being at Longport. Due to early running this did not go to plan and subsequently Plan B had to come into play!

56051
Taken from my brother Tom's digital collection.

56051
Taken from my brother Tom's digital collection.

Bescot Up Engineers Sidings, 16.03.25.

0F55 Bescot - Rectory Jn, the grid smoking its way along.

56051 bouncing along on 6K38 10:08 Basford Hall Yard FL - Bradwell Up Sidings Colas at Alsager 04/03/2025

56051 'Survival', Doncaster West Yard, 28.2.25.