NEWLY REPAINTED DB Cargo 66190 has been named Martin House Childrenʼs Hospice – ahead of yet another marathon fundraising charter train to benefit the charity.
Organised in conjunction with the Branch Line Society and railway staff, a series of charity charters have now raised more than £200,000 to benefit the hospice, which is located at Wetherby in West Yorkshire and provides family-led care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses.
The charters began after Network Rail employee Charlotte Bullock used Martin House for the care of her son Luca, who was born with multiple disabilities. Sadly, both Charlotte and Luca have since died – and they remain the inspiration behind the ongoing fundraising efforts.
The naming ceremony took place on Platform 3 at York station on June 2, attended by industry and civic dignitaries, and representatives of the hospice. The immaculate Class 66 then headed a special train to Drax Power Station, before featuring prominently the following day for the first of another two-day fundraising charter, ʻThe Tyne Tees Maid’, which visited a number of freight installations and other interesting locations in the North East that rarely see a locomotive-hauled passenger train.
The first day, June 3, saw the train visit the branches to Lynemouth Power Station, Tyne Yard, Battleship Wharf and Tyne Dock. Sunday highlights included a tour of Teesside goods lines and the branches to Wilton energy-from-waste terminal at Teesside and Heck Plasmor Terminal. An impressive total of 12 Class 66s were involved in hauling the charter at various points, along with an appearance of GB Railfreight’s 60047 on the Saturday. The BLS has announced that the tour has boosted the funds raised for the hospice by a further £29,000.
Speaking about the naming of 66190, DB Cargo UK’s chief sales officer, Roger Neary, said: “We are delighted to be in a position to spread the word about the amazing work undertaken by Martin House Children’s Hospice. Our colleagues are proud to utilise their skills and expertise to run charter services for such a worthy organisation.”
Network Rail senior incident controller Jerry Dickinson, who is actively involved in organising
