Devon & Cornwall Railway shunt at Totton Yard, 20th September 2014

31601 + 31452 0Z31 09:55 Willesden - Totton, then a rather rare shunt. The anticipated 2 @ Class 56 move to Taunton was then cancelled, but a 31's powered 6Y57 has run to Chard at 19:20, running via Eastleigh and Romsey, rather than reverse at Redbridge as scheduled,

56103 was new in December 1981 from Doncaster Works. From July 1997 it was named "Stora". Stored by EWS in July 2003, then worked for Fertis in France from November 2005, returning from there in 2006 for storage at Old Oak Common and later at Crewe.  Acquired by DCR from DBS at the end of 2011, and removed from Crewe in July 2012. Returned to traffic from Washwood Heath in July this year.

31601 and 31452 arrive at Totton.

The locomotives reversed to enter the yard for splitting, to take the Railvac between them. 31452 was new as D5809 in July 1961, first allocated to 41A Sheffield Darnall, later renumbered to 31279 before ETH conversion in October 1984, Was once named "Minotaur".

56103 moves forward with the original formation.

56301 on the rear, and about to be detached and moved into a siding. New as 56045 from Doncaster in June 1978, and once named "British Steel Shelton".

31601 is backed onto the Railvac. 31601 was delivered as D5609 in April 1960, allocated to 34B Hornsey, before the opening of Finsbury Park. Later 31168 and renumbered 31601 in March 1999 when ETH cable was fitted. At various times has carried the names "Bletchley Park 'Station X'", "The Mayor of Casterbridge" and "Gauge '0' Guild 1956-2006"

This is Totton, not Toton!

Some more pictures can be found at OneDrive.