Spa Valley Railway

Spa Valley Railway, West Station, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5QY
Telephone: 01892 537715
Email: enquiriesatspavalleyrailway.co.uk

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(Photo ©J. Nye)

BR Class 25 D7612

Built - Derby Works, England
Introduced to Traffic – 23rd April 1966
Engine Specification - Sulzer 6LDA28-B
Wheel Arrangement - BO-BO
Tractive Effort - 46,500 lbs
Weight - 73 tons
Length - 50' 6"
Maximum Speed - 90 mph
Pre-TOPS Number - D7612

Built in April 1966, D7612 was transferred straight to Glasgow Eastfield TMD where it worked some of the single lines around Scotland. Within a year however, all the Class 25s had been transferred south of the border. Working on the LMML Line Power Controller Derby in September 1967, D7612 worked under the Nottingham and Birmingham divisions before transferring to Bescot in May 1973. Here it worked until power unit problems led to a short withdrawal from service whilst an engine change was carried out in May 1982.

By this time, D7612 had been re-numbered to 25262 and transferred to Carlisle Kingmoor Depot in September 1985. It was then renumbered to 25901 in December 1985 when it joined 11 other engines in a sub class, working in the Industrial Mineral and Chemical sectors of British Railways. In 1987 all the Class 25s were withdrawn from service with 25901 officially being withdrawn on 16th March 1987. However the engine worked beyond this date and it is thought that it actually worked the final Class 25 hauled BR service around the end of April 1987.

The engine was stored at a number of locations around the north including Kingmoor, Upperby and Carlisle. In May 1989 25901 moved to Crewe South Yard where it was supposed to have been transferred to Vic Berry for scrapping. Instead it was sold to Mr H Needle and moved to MC Metals for asbestos removal. After this, 25902 moved to the East Lancashire Railway in September 1989. Here it was sold to a small group of enthusiasts who painted it into BR green.

In 1999, the engine was sold to the South Devon Diesel Traction and moved to Buckfastleigh. It continued in service until May 2001 when it was withdrawn for an overhaul and bodywork repairs. Returning to service in 2003, the engine was restored as 25901 before returning to green livery and number D7612 in 2006. D7612 was moved to the Spa Valley in July 2007 for a summer long visit where it starred in the August Diesel gala, hauling heavy loads up the banks along the line.

Livery - BR Two-Tone Green Livery

Current Status - Visited the railway from July until October 2007

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