The Loco
LIFE AS D6724
37714 began life as D6724 and was released to service from the English Electric Vulcan Works on the 25th August 1961, initially allocated to March Depot. It spent its early days on the Eastern Region with allocations at Stratford, Ipswich and March, renumbering as 37024 in 1974.
In 1981 she was allocated to Gateshead for a period, before again returning to March.
37024 BECOMES 37714
A series of moves followed through the late 1980s and early 1990s, the first being a move to Scotland in 1987 with the loco based at Motherwell and Eastfield. In 1988 she was transferred to Cardiff Canton and entered the HGR programme at Crewe Works that year, becoming 37714 on completion.
In 1991 she returned to the Eastern Region at Thornaby TMD and was given her first name, Thornaby, at the 1992 open day - although this was shortlived and removed the same year. It was back to Scotland in 1993, where she found her first use on passenger services running the Sleeper in May 1995.
In 1997 she was on the move again and became part of the EWS 37/7 pool based at Toton, transferring in 2000 to the EWS Special Projects pool, departing for Spain in 2001.
DRS TO GCR
In 2013 the locomotive was repatriated to the UK and started life with DRS. After some attention at Barrow Hill she was sent to Daventry as the SuperShunter at the DRIFT until late 2015 when she returned to Barrow Hill and store.
The HTG initially had the locomotive on loan in, effectively, warm storage and use from DRS in 2016, and the locomotive was purchased by the Group in 2017. A repaint into Trainload Metals livery was carried out at Loram UK, and the loco was named "Cardiff Canton" and dedicated to Paul Fairfax in a ceremony at the GCR.
Since then she has remained in traffic at the GCR, cared for by The Heavy Tractor Group.
