DJs locomotive making debut

After two years of work and tens of thousands of pounds of investment, a locomotive owned by Midland radio veteran Les Ross is finally ready to take to the tracks – and Black Country people are invited to join him for its first journey.

The 42-year-old engine, which is one of only two electric models known to be in use on private heritage journeys in England, will head to Liverpool on Saturday.

Not only is the Class 86 electric number 86259 loco owned by 59-year-old Les, it is named after him as well.

While still in service with Virgin Trains, it was given its new title as a farewell present to Les when he left Birmingham radio station BRMB in 2002.

A listener had suggested naming a locomotive after him and much to Les's surprise, Virgin Trains agreed, allowing him to name it at Birmingham International station in 2002.

Now he is inviting Black Country people to join him aboard a train, pulled by his electric blue engine, to Liverpool this weekend.

"It ran for another year after I left BRMB but one day I found out it was being put into storage," he told the Express & Star today.

"The engines were owned by HSBC Bank, as most engines are owned by banks, and of course they had no need for it.

"I asked if I could buy the nameplates from it but a year later I ended up buying the whole thing at scrap-metal value."

It cost Les £12,000 to buy the engine and took 15 months before he could take delivery of it at Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham.

Saturday will be the first time that Les has been on the loco with it pulling carriages. Other than its test run to Crewe from the Oxley depot at Wolverhampton on February 8, the loco has not run since September 17 2003.

"I didn't want to just own it and leave it sitting at the Birmingham Railway Museum", Les said. "I wanted it to be in service the way it was meant to be."

A number of modifications have been made to the 81-ton loco by a team of six experts and engineers.

They include an overhaul of the electrics, new fire-safety kit and a now-mandatory data recorder similar to the "black box" on aeroplanes.

Les, of Warwick, admits most the technology is beyond him.

He said: "I painted the cab a gorgeous shade of rail grey. We were lucky that it was in very reasonable condition.

"It's only done five and three-quarter million miles. It's got plenty of life left in it yet," said Les, who presents the afternoon show on BBC WM.

The train, comprising nine coaches, calls at Birmingham New Street at 8.30am (returning at 6.05pm), Sandwell and Dudley at 9.02am (5.28pm) and Wolverhampton at 9.25am (5.16pm).

Standard class tickets are sold out. Tickets are still available in first class for £59 and dining is £99 with a table for two available for an additional £15.

Proceeds will go to keep Tyseley Locomotive Works and Vintage Trains, the company running Les's service, running, and there will be a raffle in aid of Cancer Research.

Visit www.vintagetrains.co.uk or call 0121 708 4960 or pay on the train.