37113 & 37260

Just a bit of background info regarding the withdrawal of 37260 and the reinstatement of 37113 in 1989.

As shown on your website 37260 suffered fire damage, and was dragged away for damage assessment. The news was not good, as the fire had badly damaged the loco. At this point Doncaster Works piped up and said "But we think we could reinstate 37113 for you much more cheaply". 37113 had been withdrawn several months previously, and everybody assumed that was the last we would see of it.

However Doncaster Works had decided to use 37113 as a rebuild project for their apprentices, so the loco was entirely rebuilt over a period of months (at Doncaster Works expense) then sat in the works fully operational waiting for the call.

When 37260 incinerated itself, the deal was done. RfD were expecting to have to pay to repair 37260 and have the loco out of use for several months. Instead they paid a lower sum and got 37113 back in traffic within a couple of days. That is also why the "Radio Highland" name was transferred to 37113, as it was considered the direct replacement of 37260.

Cheers
Jeff Hawken