July 2020

The long job of repainting the Orenstein & Koppel OK7741 was at last finished in July. How does it look?

The existing paint, or what was left of it, had been applied toThe Major in about 1989 and it was beginning to show. Also beginning to show was the undercoat and red oxide primer from the same repaint. It was decided for better or worse, to strip back to bare metal and start again. This got so far before it was decided that another locomotive that was at the time undergoing a heavy overhaul, MR11001, should get priority as it is one of our front-line passenger diesels. And so this is what happened.

However work restarted and by the end of October last year, The Major looked quite smart in his coat of red oxide primer.

The job would have been finished by Railway Gala Weekend had we held one.

Even without the gala, the Major attracted quite a bit of attention in his new blue coat of paint.

7741 was then used to collect Motor Rail MR5863, the ex Leighton Buzzard No.27, from the tunnel.

27 is the next locomotive due into the paint shop.

But that, boys and girls, is a story for another day.