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The 60039 Incident, February & March 2013

Not 60039 ‘Sandwich’ of course, but the D.B.S. class 60 diesel locomotive sporting the same number.

By Steve Philpott

This article is a pictorial record of the removal by road of a stricken D.B.S. class 60 diesel locomotive that had come to grief in the Grantham area a couple of weeks before the recovery operation shown in this sequence. The problem had been due to an alleged axle bearing collapse on the main line north of the town. It was found that the damage was so severe that the locomotive could not be moved under its own power. A wheel skate was therefore required to prevent any further major damage to both locomotive and permanent way, necessitating the need for it to be dragged into the up yard at Grantham for further assessment and eventual removal by road to Toton TMD.

The initial incident took place around the 18-19th February 2013 with the class 60 not being moved until the 5th March. As can be seen in the following pictures, Allely’s Heavy Haulage were the contractors used to take the locomotive away with the mobile D.B.S. engineers in attendance to oversee the operation. This operation effectively took most of the day with the final part being undertaken at around 16.30. Due to the height restrictions in place for the railway bridges in Grantham, the only viable route to get the class 60 back to Toton was via Spittlegate Hill. The rest of the journey took 60039 onto the A1 southbound, through Colsterworth and then the A47 towards Leicester and eventually the northbound M1 to Sandiacre, Notts.

Here are the photographs I took showing the stranded loco in the up yard and later the subsequent removal from Grantham.

No 60039 awaits rescue in the Up Yard at Grantham on the 21st February 2013.
Allely's low loader T800 AHH turns out of the car park at Grantham towards Station Road East on 5th March 2013.
The first turn complete, No 60039 passes along Station Road East towards London Road at the bottom of the hill on 5th March 2013
At the bottom of Station Road East, No 60039 brings traffic on London Road to a halt as the load is turned onto London Road on 5th March 2013.
Having now left Station Road East behind, No 60039 completes the second turn onto London Road and heads towards Spittlegate Hill on 5th March 2013.
This photograph shows No 60039 heading south along the A1 at Colsterworth on 5th March 2013.
A professional job done and No 60039 moves south. Next stop the A47 to the M1, then northwards to Sandiacre and Toton.

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