Heading into the Former Selby Mine Sidings! GBRf Class 66 Numbers 66704 &66303 Running Light Engine

GBRf Class 66/7 No. 66704 (Colchester Power Signalbox)
Built by Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) in London, Ontario, Canada, in 2000 (delivered into UK service in early 2001), 66704 is a 25-year-old Co-Co heavy freight diesel-electric locomotive operated by GB Railfreight (GBRf). Powered by a 3,300 hp (2,460 kW) EMD 12N-710G3B-EC 12-cylinder turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine driving GM traction motors, the 127-ton locomotive delivers a maximum tractive effort of 92,000 lbf (409 kN) and a top operational speed of 75 mph (120 km/h). Outfitted in GBRf's blue and orange livery with yellow warning front ends, 66704 is officially named Colchester Power Signalbox (in honour of the Colchester PSB signalling centre).

GBRf Class 66/3 No. 66303 (Preston North End)
Constructed by EMD in London, Ontario, in 2008 (originally ordered by Fastline Freight and later operated by Direct Rail Services before joining GBRf), 66303 is an 18-year-old Co-Co heavy freight locomotive. Powered by a matching 3,300 hp (2,460 kW) EMD 12-cylinder 710-series power plant, 66303 provides a matching 75 mph (120 km/h) maximum speed. Finished in GBRf blue and orange livery with yellow ends, the locomotive proudly carries the name Preston North End on its bodyside nameplates (commemorating the historic Lancashire football club).

Running as a light-engine paired convoy from Doncaster Down Decoy GBRf, the duo's mission is to reach Gascoigne Wood Sidings to collect a substantial rake of JNA bogie box/spoil wagons for an onward transfer move south to Tonbridge West Yard GBRf in Kent.

Historically, Gascoigne Wood was the nerve centre of the British coal industry, serving as the central surface disposal railhead for the massive Selby Coalfield "superpit" complex. Coal extracted from five satellite drift mines was conveyed underground to Gascoigne Wood before being loaded into merry-go-round (MGR) trains. Following the colliery's closure in 2004, the expansive track layout was preserved and transformed into a high-security rolling stock storage and marshalling depot operated in conjunction with GBRf and MCL Rail. Today, Gascoigne Wood Junction is a quiet, low-traffic rail location whose main movements consist of trains and light engines accessing the storage yards to collect or deposit freight wagons, track machines, and rolling stock.

Seen in 8K 16:9 widescreen travelling northeast from Doncaster Down Decoy toward Gascoigne Wood sidings, GBRf Class 66 No. 66704 (Colchester Power Signalbox) leads classmate No. 66303 (Preston North End) in a paired light-engine formation through Gascoigne Wood Junction. Running approximately 42 minutes late, the two 3,300 hp diesel workhorses pass the peaceful junction under clear blue summer skies on their way into the former Selby Mine yards to assemble a rake of JNA wagons bound for Tonbridge on Tuesday, 11th of August 2026 at 16:48.

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