Loco History

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Locomotive D7663 was built new at British Railway's Derby Works in 1966. The first machine of its type to be delivered fresh in the then new corporate 'Rail Blue' livery, the loco was one of the first of the final batch of type 2 machines to be built at Derby. The contract to build the final batches was actually awarded to Beyer-Peacock Ltd, but due to the company going into liquidation, Derby Works took over the order to manufacture this final build consisting loco's D7660 - D7677.

D7663's initial allocation was to the London Division at Willesden, the machine being utilised on empty coaching stock workings to and from the Euston terminus and also on the many trip freights originating from the surrounding areas via the North London line.

Two years later saw the loco transfered to the Birmingham Division, seeing use on trip workings to and from the very busy yards around Bescot.

By the early 1970's the loco had migrated back South, this time to Cricklewood where it could be found on empty coaching stock workings in and out of the Midland main line terminus of St.Pancras as well as its fair share of trip freights.

March 1974 saw the loco gain its new identity of 25313, under the T.O.P.S re-numbering and classification system.

A move back North to Toton in 1977 was followed by a quick transfer to Wigan Springs Branch in early 1978, but the loco was to return back to Cricklewood by the Summer of that year where the machine was based up until early 1984. Short allocations at Longsight, Crewe diesel, and Bescot followed, prior to the machine's return to Crewe diesel depot in 1985, where the loco was withdrawn from traffic two years later in March 1987.

Left: 25313 fires up for the first time at Llangollen. Right: 25313 freshly repainted in Llangollen platform 2. (Photos M.Frodsham)

The loco was purchased privately and arrived at Llangollen in June 1988, although originally as a source of spares for sister loco 25279. The loco had also visited Vic Berry's scrapyard in Leicester previously for asbestos removal, a brass plaque on the loco survives to advertise the occasion !

It was eventually decided that 25313 would be returned to working order itself, the first start up being in 1993. Further work saw the loco move under its own power shortly after, culminating into a full repaint into B.R. blue with headcode blinds re-instated. The loco was officially named 'Chirk Castle' in 1996 and has seen regular use since at Diesel Gala's and on engineering trains.

The loco was sold to the Llangollen Diesel Group in 2001.