Locomotive Services Limited
Locomotive Services Limited (LSL)[1] is a train operating company in England. The company operates rail tours using heritage steam and diesel locomotives with support from associated companies and trusts.
.JPG) D1935 moving 34046 Braunton to the West Somerset Railway in 2018 | |
| Founded | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | |
Area served | United Kingdom |
| Services | Train operating company |
| Owner | Jeremy Hosking |
| Website | www.lsltoc.co.uk |
History
In August 2017, LSL was granted an operating licence by the Office of Rail & Road allowing it to operate mainline trains in the United Kingdom.[2] Based at Crewe Diesel TMD, it is owned by Jeremy Hosking, It operated its first tour from Crewe to Kingussie in March 2018.[3]
It built up a fleet of Class 08s, 37s and 47s, mainly acquired from Direct Rail Services.[4] In December 2017, it purchased two Class 55s: D9000 ROYAL SCOTS GREY and D9016 GORDON HIGHLANDER[5][6]. The former is being restored at LSLs Crewe depot, whilst the latter has been cosmetically restored and transferred to the company's Margate facility.
In August 2018, preserved Class 40 40 013 ANDANIA joined LSL on a three-year lease whilst, in 2020, a Class 86, a Class 87, two Class 90s and an InterCity 125 set were purchased [7].
Related companies, brands, and trusts
Hosking formed Locomotive Services Ltd under RSLGT, a company dedicated to the maintenance and operation of steam locomotives owned by the trust, and also a number of other engines owned by Hosking. The company initially operated from a main base at Southall Railway Centre and also a summer outpost at Bristol Barton Hill.
LNWR Heritage Ltd
In 2013, RSLGT acquired LNWR Heritage Ltd, a company specialising in the overhaul and restoration of steam locomotives, from Pete Waterman. Subsequently, merged into LSL in 2015, RSLGT came to an agreement with Network Rail to lease the former Crewe TMD close to LNWR Heritage's former base, which resultantly became LSL's main base. Having previously had locomotive overhauls undertaken by various companies across the UK, investment in Crewe TMD allows LSL to fully restore and maintain RSLGT's locomotive and coaching stock.
Locomotive Diesels Ltd
Already formed under LSL to handle operations and maintenance of RSLGT's stock of Class 47 locomotives, which were purchased to assist and move both steam locomotives and coaching stock around the UK network, the division took more prominence after Hosking agreed to acquired two Class 55 Deltic locomotives (D9000 and D9016) in November 2017.[8] In January 2018, LSL announced that they had taken out a three-year loan agreement on a Class 40 locomotive D213 Andania to operate on the mainline in the later half of 2018.[9]
Locomotive Storage Ltd
After acquiring the former Hornby factory in Margate, Kent, the Trust formed Locomotive Storage Ltd, to enable safe and weather-secure storage of locomotives awaiting overhaul, away from the busy main site at Crewe. After refurbishment and the installation of seven tracks (the site is only accessible by road), the first locomotive arrived on a low-loader on 1 June 2018, former LNER Class A4 4464 Bittern.[10]
Train operating company
In August 2017, the associated company Locomotive Services (TOC) Ltd obtained the required certifications, license and agreements to become a UK train operating company (TOC) enabling the company to operate trains on the mainline network.[11] The first tour was operated from Crewe to Kingussie in March 2018.[3] It subsequently created the associated company Saphos Trains which runs tours and excursions, starting and ending mainly at present from Crewe railway station. Two Class 90s and an InterCity 125 set were purchased from Porterbrook and will join LSL once no longer required by Abellio Greater Anglia and LNER.[5]
Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust
The Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust owns several locomotives that are now available to be operated by LSL.
Fleet
The Crewe-based fleet of engines vary from steam locomotives to heritage diesel locomotives and from the more modern diesel locomotives to electric locomotives. Not all of the engines listed are owned by Locomotive Services Ltd, as they are under a loan agreement to operate with the company and others are not yet owned by LSL, but are intended to be acquired in the not too distant future.
The site is also expected to become the future home of locomotive sets including BR Class 43 and BR Class 91, which will come with their own Mk3/Mk4 coaches.
Steam locomotives
Not all steam locomotives listed below are owned by RSLGT/LSL, as some are operating with LSL under an agreement. Not all are also mainline certified so are restricted to 25mph on heritage railways, mainline permitted speed listed below.
| Number | Name | Class | Livery | Owner | Tops No | Max Speed | Air Brk's | Location | Photograph | Present Status | Mainline Certified | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4270 | GWR 4200 Class 2-8-0 | GWR Lined Green | Jeremy Hosking | N/A | 25 mph (50 mph) | No | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway |  |
Operational | No | ||
| 5029 | Nunney Castle | GWR "Castle" 4-6-0 | N/A | Jeremy Hosking | 98728 | 75 mph | Yes | LNWR Heritage, Crewe |  |
Awaiting Overhaul | No, to be certified | Overhaul to commence on completion of 60532 Blue Peter |
| 6024 | King Edward I | GWR "King" 4-6-0 | BR Green, Late Crest (on completion) | Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust | 98824 | 75 mph | Yes | Minehead | .jpg) |
Under Overhaul | No, to be certified | Return to service anticipated for late 2020.
Maintained and operated by 6024 Preservation Society. |
| 6960 | Raveningham Hall | GWR Modified Hall 4-6-0 | GWR Lined Green | Jeremy Hosking | 98560 | 25 mph (60 mph) | No | Severn Valley Railway |  |
Operational | No | Now based at Severn Valley Railway, due to weight restrictions at usual West Somerset Railway base. |
| 34046 | Braunton | SR "West Country" 4-6-2 | BR Green, Late Crest | Jeremy Hosking | 98746 | 75 mph | Yes | LNWR Heritage, Crewe | .jpg) |
Operational | Yes | |
| 35022 | Holland America Line | SR "Merchant Navy" 4-6-2 | N/A | Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust | 98822 | 75 mph | N/A | LNWR Heritage, Crewe | .jpg) |
Stored | No | Awaiting restoration from scrapyard condition. |
| 35027 | Port Line | SR "Merchant Navy" 4-6-2 | BR Green, Late Crest | Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust | 98827 | 75 mph | N/A | LNWR Heritage, Crewe |  |
Stored | No | Awaiting major overhaul. To be fitted with boiler from 35022. |
| 45231 | The Sherwood Forester | LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 | BR Black, Late Crest | Jeremy Hosking | 98531 | 60 mph | Yes | LNWR Heritage, Crewe |  |
Operational | Yes | |
| 46100 | Royal Scot | LMS "Royal Scot" 4-6-0 | BR Green, Early Emblem | Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust | 98702 | 75 mph | Yes | LNWR Heritage, Crewe |  |
Operational | Yes | |
| 60007 | Sir Nigel Gresley | LNER A4 4-6-2 | BR Blue (on completion) | Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust | 98898 | 75 mph | No (I/H) | York NRM |  |
Under Overhaul | No, to be certified | On ten-year partnership with SNGLT.[12] |
| 60019 | Bittern | LNER A4 4-6-2 | LNER Garter Blue | Jeremy Hosking | 98819 | 75 mph | Yes | LSL Margate | .jpg) |
Static Display | No | Currently stored at Margate. |
| 60532 | Blue Peter | LNER A2 4-6-2 | N/A | Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust | 98832 | 75 mph | I/H | LNWR Heritage, Crewe |  |
Under Overhaul | No, to be certified | |
| 70000 | Britannia | BR Standard Class 7 4-6-2 | BR Green, Late Crest | Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust | 98700 | 75 mph | Yes | LNWR Heritage, Crewe |  |
Operational | Yes | |
| 92212 | BR Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 | BR Black, Late Crest | Jeremy Hosking | N/A | 25 mph (50 mph) | No | Mid-Hants Railway |  |
Under Overhaul | No | Not allowed on mainline due to flangeless centre wheels.
Withdrawn for 10 Year overhaul in late 2019. |
Diesel locomotives
Not all diesel locomotives listed below are owned by RSLGT/LSL as some are on loan to the company for use on railtours.
Bold = Current number
| Class | Pre-TOPS Number | TOPS Number | Name | Livery | Image | Current location | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Operational. Used as a pilot at the LNWR Heritage site. | ||||||
| Operational. Used as a pilot at Southall. | |||||||
| Operational. Used as a pilot at the LNWR Heritage site. | |||||||
| Operational, mainline registered | |||||||
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Operational. | ||||||
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Operational, mainline registered | ||||||
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Operational. On long-term hire from D05 Preservation Ltd.[13] | ||||||
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Operational, mainline registered. After being located at Barrow Hill Engine Shed, the engine was moved to Crewe Diesel Depot in July 2018 for fitment of AWS, TPWS, On-Train Monitoring Recorder and GSM-R.[14] On three-year loan to LSL from 2018. | ||||||
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Operational, mainline registered. Acquired from East Midlands Railway in 2020 following their withdrawal from service. | ||||||
.JPG) | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Stored. Currently located at Barrow Hill awaiting an overhaul, recently acquired by RSLGT for use on railtours. Fitment of AWS, TPWS, On-Train Monitoring Recorder and GSM-R required before it can work on the mainline once again. | |||||||
 |
Operational, mainline registered. | ||||||
 | |||||||
 | |||||||
 | |||||||
| Stored, spares donor | |||||||
| Static Display | |||||||
 |
Operational, mainline registered. | ||||||
.jpg) |
Static Display. Recently acquired from former owners alongside 55022 for use on mainline railtours.[15] Select parts on loco (traction motors, engine, etc) were taken off 55016 to be used on 55022 to return the engine to service. Following a cosmetic overhaul the engine was moved to LSL's museum in Margate where it will be placed on display awaiting its turn in the overhaul queue. | ||||||
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Under Repair, mainline registered. Recently acquired from former owners alongside 55016 for use on mainline railtours. | ||||||
| Purchased for display at Margate. Will undergo a cosmetic restoration before being placed on display. Will be overhauled at a later date for use on future LSL run railtours. | |||||||
 |
Purchased from the Dean Forest Railway in 2019 for a potential return to mainline service. | ||||||
| Operational. Acquired from Chiltern Railways following withdrawal from service. | |||||||
 |
Purchased for display at Margate[16]. The unit is currently stored awaiting a cosmetic restoration prior to its transfer to Margate. |
Electric locomotives
Bold = Current number
| Class | Pre-TOPS Number | TOPS Number | Name | Livery | Image | Current location | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Operational, mainline registered. Used on Caledonian Sleeper trains which included bringing in the empty coaches to Euston railway station and also on occasion taking the Caledonian Sleeper along the West Coast Main Line to Scotland. Both were purchased from Electric Traction Ltd by LSL in Nov 2019 for use on future charter trains.[17] | ||||||
 | |||||||
 |
Operational, mainline registered. Acquired from Greater Anglia upon their withdrawal from service in 2020. | ||||||
.jpg) |
References
- Companies House extract company no 10375954 Locomotive Services (TOC) Limited
- "Licence granted for new operator" Rail issue 835 13 September 2017 page 19
- "First LS tour" Today's Railways UK issue 197 May 2018 page 68
- "A growing fleet at Crewe Diesel Depot" Rail issue 842 20 December 2017 page 31
- ""Deltics sold - and could be put to work on new railtours" Rail issue 842 20 December 2017 page 30
- "Two Deltics sold to Locomotive Services" Today's Railways UK issue 193 January 2018 page 67
- "Class 40 and 47/8 join Locomotive Service's ranks" Rail issue 858 1 August 2018 page 31
- "Deltic Duo Joins the Fleet". Icons of Steam. 17 November 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- http://www.iconsofsteam.com/2018/01/andania-class-40-joins-growing-diesel-fleet/ D213 Andania joins LSL mainline fleet
- "Record-breaking steam train arrives in Kent". June 2018.
- "Locomotive Services LTD Becomes TOC". Steam Railway. 5 August 2017. Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=(help) - https://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/no-60007-joins-hosking-fleet-at-crewe 60007 joins Hosking fleet at Crewe
- "D05 Preservation Limited Facebook page 27 January 2020". D05 Preservation Limited. Facebook. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- "Class 40 Andania joins the LSL TOC diesel fleet". 14 January 2018.
- "Deltic Duo joins the fleet". 29 November 2017.
- Evans, Gareth (12 June 2020). "Class 141 Pacer joins Margate museum collection". Heritage Railway (268). Mortons Media Group Ltd. p. 25. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- https://www.aclocogroup.co.uk/news.php 86101 & 87002 purchased by LSL
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Locomotive Services Limited. |