The clear-out of Freightliner’s stored Class 86/6s is underway following the removal of 86622 to mainline Europe, with Railways Illustrated sources stating that the fleet is understood to have been sold for further use to a Bulgarian operator.
It is understood that all of the remaining stored Class 86/6s have been purchased by Express Services and will be moved across to Bulgaria at a rate of three locomotives a week, with the first example, 86622, beginning its journey on July 7.
The 16 locomotives involved are 86604/605/607-610/612-614/622/627/628/632/637-639. It is currently unknown if some of the locomotives are to be reactivated for further use in Bulgaria, or whether they are to be used as spares donors, or a combination of the two.
The Freightliner Class 86/6s have been in store at Crewe Basford Hall for the past two years, having been taken out of traffic progressively in 2020 and 2021, due to a combination of a drop in traffic demands as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and following the purchase of a number of Class 90s that had previously been in use with Greater Anglia.
At one point it was suggested that some of the locomotives may receive life extension overhauls to allow them to re-enter traffic, but evidently the decision has now been taken to sell the locomotives, which were built between 1965 and 1966 at Doncaster Works and Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows.
86622, which was one of two Class 86/6s to carry Freightliner’s Powerhaul variation of its yellow and green livery, had been
