37425 Sir Robert McAlpine / Concrete Bob arrived on Friday to collect a HOBCS (High Output Ballast Cleaning System) rake, which will go to Long Marston departing at 06:46 on Monday 2nd August. I am not sure where the set arrived in Eastleigh from, or when - it was mostly recently reported at Taunton Fairwater Yard. Rumours suggest that this 15 year old equipment may be for preparation for export (end of lease?).
The first two pictures are from platform 1 at Eastleigh station. There are 10 hopper / conveyor wagons in the formation, which is HOBCS2, or the key parts thereof.
37425 was delivered as D6992 from English Electric Vulcan Foundry on 5th July 1965. Renumbered as 37292 in February 1994. Transferred to the ScR in May 1981, and spent an experimental period set to 2000 hp by Doncaster Works. Entered Crewe Works for conversion to Class 37/4 in August 1985, and was on test in March - April 1986 after which it worked from Eastfield. I believe that I first saw it on 10th August 1987, at Fort William. EWS sold the locomotive on to DRS in 2011, when it received attention at Barrow Hill and it re-entered traffic in June 2012. Outshopped in January 2020 in the Regional Railways scheme after attention at Derby, but only returned to traffic in September 2020.
From platform 2/3.
From Campbell Road, the first vehicle is DR 92286, the power wagon for HOBCS2.
Consist:
DR 92286 YOA
DR 92289 YDA
DR 92295 YDA
DR 92300 YDA
DR 92301 YDA
DR 92296 YDA
DR 92299 YDA
DR 92298 YDA
DR 92302 YDA
DR 92287 YDA
DR 92288 YDA
DR 92285 YOA
DR 92289 YDA
DR 92295 YDA
DR 92300 YDA
DR 92301 YDA
DR 92296 YDA
DR 92299 YDA
DR 92298 YDA
DR 92302 YDA
DR 92287 YDA
DR 92288 YDA
DR 92285 YOA
