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Another milestone reached! On 21st August 2025, for the first time in just under twelve years, D6703 moved under its own power at UKRL, Leicester, following another round of load bank testing. Words can not begin to describe how great this feels for us, after many years of toil to get to this point. Testing and fault finding remains ongoing, but we just had to share this one with you! If you'd like to help D6703 proverbially move forward some more, and over the finish line, you can donate to support our efforts by following the link below: www.c37lg.co.uk/donations - Video courtesy of Colin Makcrow

Work remains ongoing with engine testing on D6703, with load banking underway. Here D6703 is seen firing up ready for another session on 21/08/2025 - Video courtesy of Colin Makcrow

D6703 lives! 24th July 2025 saw the first sustained start up for D6703 since the power unit went back in to the loco. This is a monumental moment for us, and a major step in bringing the loco back into service. The power unit is now undergoing hours of running in tests, after which it will be load banked. Be sure to stay tuned for future updates as this work progresses. - Video courtesy of Al Pulford

With all these updates, the question you're no doubt asking is "what about the power unit?" Well, work has been on-going to plumb the power unit in and get everything ready for a start up. When our team went to UKRL to pick up the frost grilles, there was the potential of seeing the loco fire up but, that very morning, an earth fault was detected. Initially, this appeared to stemming from the Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR). Despite being fairly new when the locomotive was withdrawn from traffic, a decade of sitting in a cold loco was thought to have taken its toll. A few phone calls later saw the team take an adhoc trip up the M1 to get our AVR looked at by an expert, who thoroughly checked and returned the AVR to us that same day. The AVR was refitted and further testing found a wiring fault elsewhere, which has since been rectified. Crisis averted then! This of course highlights some of the intricacies of trying to resurrect a loco that has sat idle for 11 years, but rest assured, she won't be idle for much longer... - Photos courtesy of Colin Makcrow

A mini mid week update this time; with all the excitement of the bodywork being done, what else have we been up to? Well, one ongoing task has been the retrieval of ancillary items stored at UKRL, which will not play a part in the current restoration work before the loco returns home to Dereham. This has included items such as the frost grilles, which were removed in order to restore the main bodywork. These have returned to Norfolk, where they will be restored and prepared for refitting at a future date. On that same trip, the tarpaulin, which had kept the loco dry all this time, also returned home. You'll no doubt have guessed from the photo that the biggest item to return east has been the steam heat boiler. UKRL kindly stored it for us after we acquired it, but we have now been able to securely store it closer to home. This is an important asset, but it is also very much a project for the future, with the current focus firmly being on restoring the loco and returning it to traffic. One thing at a time! - Photo courtesy of Gavin Wolfenden

In our previous updates we've focused quite heavily on the stripping of the old bodywork and showing the importance of repairing and protecting features such as the framework to ensure longevity of the loco once it has been restored. That said, we think it's about time you saw something new and shiny instead! The pictures very much speak for themselves, but here you can see the work done on the driver's cab side of the No.1 end, and on both sides of the No.2 end of the loco, including the rebuilding of the headcode box discussed previously. The smooth finish on the new bodywork is a credit to the team at UKRL and we are grateful for their continued efforts to restore the locomotive. The vision really is beginning to take shape (if you'll pardon the pun!). We hope that you enjoy seeing this as much as we have, but rest assured this isn't the only work that's been done of late and there are still more updates to follow! - Photos courtesy of UKRL

Just a small update this time, with the focus being that common place of issue on all split-box 37's - The boxes themselves! As iconic a feature as they are, these are another classic hot-spot for rust and corrosion, particularly along the underside. One of the jobs that has been carried out in the last month is the reshaping and patching up of these, with new metal going in where necessary. This ensures the longevity of the nose ends, although further work on the noses will be required. New headbox doors have also been made up to complete the overhaul of this characteristic part of the loco. - Photos courtesy of UKRL and Colin Makcrow

"Another update" we hear you ask? Oh go on then... Cutting away portions of the outer bodywork on any locomotive will, inevitably, reveal a few surprises. Given any chance, water will find its way in and allow rot to set in. This is why the lower cabsides on heritage diesels tend to suffer - because water seeps in around the windows and runs down on the inside of the body. D6703 was no different, with sections of the framework showing signs of deterioration. The photos here demonstrate a selection of the revealed framework and some of the remedial work undertaken during the first half of June to repair and restore these areas prior to new sheet metal being applied. This is vital to ensure both the longevity of the locomotive, and also to prevent the new metal rusting through sooner than it ought to. Of course, the next step is to start rebuilding what has been taken apart, but that will have to wait until the next update... Stay tuned! - Photos courtesy of UKRL

Time for an update! Since our AGM, progress has significantly ramped up with the restoration of D6703 over at UKRL in Leicester. With the power unit installed and associated commissioning work well underway, attention recently turned to the state of the bodywork. This has held up surprisingly well in some areas since the loco was withdrawn from traffic over a decade ago, but not well enough in others to hide that passing of time. The current plan is to bring D6703 back to Dereham by rail, but in order to do so, any body work deemed to be a risk to the public (i.e corroded sections with sharp edges) need removing/rectifying before the loco can be deemed safe and passed for a mainline move. The main areas of concern were identified as the cabsides, under the radiators and around the headcode boxes. A decision was taken to replace metalwork in these areas, to A) make the loco safe to travel and B) complete key bodywork repairs that would have needed to be done regardless as part of the restoration. The pictures here show one of the cabsides following removal of the offending metalwork in late May. Be sure to keep an eye on our social feeds in the coming days and weeks as we chronicle the work that has followed since then. As always, thank you for continuing to support us and we hope that what follows will help reward you for that patience! - Photos courtesy of UKRL

Ever thought about becoming a member of the Class 37 locomotive group ? By becoming a member, you can become directly involved with the ownership and upkeep of this fine example of our industrial heritage. This can range from a passive involvement, right up to joining our team of volunteers and getting stuck in with the more labour intensive activities within the Group, be it helping our travelling sales team at events, or getting your hands dirty by working on D6703 itself. Additionally, there are other benefits to becoming a C37LG member, including:  'Syphon!' - Our high-quality quarterly magazine, with exclusive articles and photos (on paper or PDF!). Click here for a sample of a recent edition. Access to our exclusive members forum, where you will gain first access to all the latest news and information relating to the Group and its activities, as well as being a friendly platform for like-minded enthusiasts to discuss all things Class 37! The chance to enter our fun, monthly, members-only lottery game, ‘Buy Your Own Tractor’/BYOT. By volunteering, you have the opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills and gain experience of the heritage railway scene. More info can be found at https://www.c37lg.co.uk/membership

BR blue memories at UKRL Leicester today for day two of our working party onsite, making good progress on the loco and making plans for getting the locomotive back operational again. One way of keeping up to date with all the latest information is signing up as a member and receiving our quarterly magazine Syphon. More information on joining up can be found at https://www.c37lg.co.uk/membership

Our tech team have been at UKRL Leicester today as the old girl has been moved into the main shed to allow for some works to be undertaken. The team have been hard at work and so far today they have been completing remedial work to allow her to get a mainline tow ticket back to Dereham ( Mid-Norfolk Railway ) later this year. Please remember that every sale from our eBay store and our main website goes towards getting 37003 back home and running https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/c37lg