Accurascales 37402 "Stephen Middlemore" ~ Driver Hold Function

Class 37/4 - 37402

Outshopped by Loram in February 2016, 37402 was the second member of the Direct Rail Services Class 37/4 fleet to be returned to the BR large logo scheme, after 37401 Mary Queen of Scots, which had led the way after being repaired and repainted into this iconic paint scheme by the SRPS at Bo’ness in late 2013. 37402 was released from Derby wearing non-standard numbers and with its Stephen Middlemore nameplates still in their ‘Compass’ livery position below the radiator, although these were fortunately both fixed at Kingmoor before the locomotive entered traffic a few weeks later, going straight into action on the Cumbrian Coast loco-hauled services between Preston, Barrow and Carlisle.
37402 became a regular on these popular workings and while they ended in May 2018, DRS had plenty of employment for its expanding fleet of heritage liveried Class 37/4s. This included Network Rail test, saloon and railhead treatment trains, the Greater Anglia ‘short set’ passenger services between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, nuclear flask, engineers, railtours, stock moves, ‘thunderbird’, route learning and other duties. By the end of 2018 the sight of pairs of large logo 37/4s either top and tailed or working together became almost commonplace all over the network.
The detail configuration of this locomotive is identical to our other large logo ETH-fitted ‘tractor’, 37409, with the main spotting features of these DRS era machines being the revised LED tail lights, multiple working socket on the nose, toughened windscreens, cab step and door kickplates, and – for those machines that previously wore Compass branding – the plated central window on both sides of the body. Notably though, 37402 was provided with a large Eastfield ‘westie’ logo in the classic position, an embellishment never given to 37409.