By Anthony Sayer
SIX British Class 86s which were delivered to the Black Sea port of Varna, Bulgaria, on May 4 have been renumbered in the Bulgarian 85xxx range.
Nos. 86213/231/701/702 were moved to Ruse, with 86234/235 transferred to Sofia for repair work to be carried out.
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Ultimately, all six locomotives congregated at the Express Service facility near Ruse prior to re-entry into service with private operator Bulmarket.
Initially, it was thought four of the six Class 86s would be resurrected, with the other two (plus 86233 in Bulgaria since November 2012) providing spares.
However, five have entered traffic hauling oil trains for Bulmarket throughout Bulgaria, with repair work on 86234 well advanced. All locomotives have been regeared to make them more suitable for freight traffic.
Read more in the August issue of The RM – on sale now!
