The fifteen year five month career of D7553/25203 was spent allocated to a handful of London Midland depots.
Built: BR Derby Locomotive Works.
Dual brake equipped (1974).
Final exhaust roof panel: raised 'L' shape.
Time between last Classified repair and withdrawal: 36 months.
Time between withdrawal & scrapping: 15 months.
Allocations
D7553 was new to the Nottingham Division (D16) on June 26th 1965. Further transfers were:
October 1967 to Carlisle (12A).
July 1968 to Preston Division (D10).
May 1973 to Kingmoor (KM).
January 1975 to Kingmoor (KD).
January 1976 to Cricklewood.
November 15th 1980 to unserviceable store at Swindon Works.
Withdrawn December 1st 1980.
Renumbered February 26th 1974.
25203 was the 79th Class 25 withdrawn, one of seventeen retired during December 1980.
After withdrawal 25203 was broken up at Swindon Works by the first week of March 1982.
Works Visits
Works visits (records incomplete).
Noted Crewe Works January 1969.
Noted Derby Works October 1970.
Noted Derby Works June 1974 (dual brakes fitted).
Noted Derby Works May 1976.
Noted Derby Works August - December 1977 (collision repairs).
Noted Derby Works December 1978.
Highlights
1965
D7553 was barely a month old when it worked its first recorded passenger working, On July 23rd 1965 D7553 & D5243 worked the 12.12 Sheffield - St. Pancras throughout.
1966
Observation made at Stenson Junction on March 19th between noon and 1pm included:
D7553 & D7550 up light engines
D7526 up freight (8Z34)
D5236 up parcels (3C04)
D5299 & D5272 down trip freight (9T34)
D7578 up light engine (9T08)
D5204 up freight (7P04)
48177 down H freight
On the early afternoon of August 6th there were 54 locomotives on shed at Toton including (Classes 20/45/46/47 excluded):
12038, 12052
D3117, D3119
D5236, D5280, D7502, D7508, D7521, D7530, D7539, D7548, D7553, D7562, D7659
D5415
D4, D5, D6
78021 & 48272.
An hour at Derby from 12.30pm to 1.30pm on Saturday August 27th (the Loco Works Open Day) produced:
D5286, D5298, D7524 & D7553 as individual light engines
D5263: down freight
D5212: down empty coaching stock.
1967
On the evening of July 12th D7553 & D7544 were southbound at Derby with a freight.
On the afternoon of December 18th D7553 was light engine at Stockport.
1972
Condition: August generally faded two-tone green livery, full yellow ends, blue boiler room grill blanking plates.
1975
On January 28th 25203 & 24004 were noted at Manchester Victoria with the 5J83, later this day 25203 was noted at Clayton Bridge with the 6O45.
On April 20th (or 29th 25202 & 25203) were noted at Soho (Birmingham) with bogie oil tankers (6H37).
At about 5pm on June 12th 25203 + 25xxx were noted at Olive Mount Junction with a permanent way train (8X35).
1976
On the afternoon of June 24th 25203 & 25249 were stabled at York.
On July 2nd 25203 was stabled at Cricklewood.
On July 17th 25203 & 25222 worked a roundtrip Leicester - Skegness.
Six weeks later on August 28th 25203 & 25204 worked a Wellingborough - Scarborough to Nottingham, returning with the 12.01 Scarborough - Leicester from Nottingham. The next day (29th) the same pair worked a relief Leicester - Skegness roundtrip.
1977
At noon on March 26th 25031, 25057 & 25203 were noted at Springs Branch.
Late on the evening of July 7th the Euston carriage pilot, 25203, over-ran a signal derailing itself and three vans. As well as suffering cab damage it severed signal cables and electrical lines causing a blackout at Euston station. Principal delays were caused to the sleeper services, next morning six platforms were useable, by midday normal working had resumed. For the London Division it was one more machine out of service, making the use of visiting Class 25s all the more common on local workings.
1978
On Wednesday May 24th 25203 worked the 09.55 Willesden to Norwood and (presumably) the 12.10 Norwood - Willesden.
On Wednesday July 19th 25203 worked the 09.55 Willesden to Norwood and (presumably) the 12.10 Norwood - Willesden.
On Wednesday August 16th 25203 worked an additional special freight, the 09.15 Willesden to Norwood, returning with a special Norwood to Willesden, passing Clapham Junction just before noon.
On Wednesday September 6th 25203 worked the 09.55 Willesden to Norwood and the return 12.00 Norwood to Willesden.
1979
On July 21st 25203 & 25032 worked the Derby - Norwich - Yarmouth - Norwich - Walsall diagram. A week later on July 28th 25203 worked the 10.40 Manchester Victoria - Llandudno Town.
25053 & 25203 top and tailed an electrification train at West Hampstead on August 28th.
1980
On March 7th 25203 & 25095 were noted passing Wolverton with a freight. On March 16th 25203 & 25251 were noted at Bedford on a Sunday engineers train.
On the morning of May 27th 25203 was stabled at York.
On the afternoon of July 10th 25203 was noted at Carnforth.
On July 26th 25203 worked the 08.42 Sheffield - Huddersfield (to connect with the 08.55 York - Llandudno Town) and later worked the 09.00 Llandudno Town - York forward from Huddersfield after 40030 failed.
25203 was noted at Stoke on Trent on August 7th. The final passenger workings took place August 23rd when 25203 & 25267 worked the Walsall - Norwich (for Yarmouth) - Derby diagram.
25203 was noted at Willesden on the morning of September 26th.
25203 was withdrawn on December 1st 1980.
A cabside number panel with TOPS classification panel escaped scrapping.
Not all known passenger workings are recorded on this page.
16/1532
flk 0723 (partial)
Page added June 2nd 2013.
Last updated June 15th 2024.
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