Hornby R3660 DCR Class 56 56303

Hornby R3660 DCR Class 56 56303

The British Rail Class 56 Type 5 Co-Co diesel locomotive was first introduced in 1976 to meet the growing demand for heavy freight transport. British Rail entrusted the design and construction of these locomotives to Brush Traction in Loughborough. However, due to capacity constraints, the manufacturing was subcontracted to Electroputere in Romania. The initial 30 locomotives delivered from Romania experienced transit damage and construction issues, requiring extensive rebuilding before entering service. Consequently, it was decided to produce the remaining 105 locomotives in England. British Rail Engineering Ltd manufactured them at their Doncaster Works (numbers 1 to 30) and Crewe Works (numbers 31 to 135).

The British Rail Class 56 Type 5 Co-Co diesel locomotive was introduced in 1976 to handle heavy freight. The initial 30 locomotives delivered from Romania had to be extensively rebuilt. The remaining 105 were built in England. Known as "Gridirons" or "Grids," they displaced Class 20 and Class 47 locomotives and commonly transported iron ore, coal, aggregate, and steel. Although strong and reliable, they required heavy maintenance. With the arrival of Class 66 locomotives, the Class 56 fleet was placed into storage between 1998 and 2004. Colas Railfreight operates a small fleet on a rotating basis, and a few have been preserved.

56108 entered traffic on October 20, 1983, assigned to Tinsley. It was withdrawn in February 2000 due to excessive wheelset wear, but later reinstated and reclassified as Class 56/3. Renumbered to 56303, the locomotive was used on Fastline container trains. After Fastline's collapse, 56303 entered Devon & Cornwall Railways ownership and is currently awaiting sale by tender.