The sixteen and a half year career of D5253/25103 included a short time allocated to Eastern Region depots in between allocations to London Midland depots.
Built: BR Derby Locomotive Works.
Final exhaust roof panel: raised 'L' shape.
Time between last Classified repair and withdrawal: 60 months.
Time between withdrawal & scrapping: 30 months.
Allocations
D5253 was new to Toton (16A) on February 26th 1964. Further transfers were:
May 1964 to Nottingham (16D).
January 1965 to Nottingham Division (D16).
December 1965 to Thornaby (51L).
December 1965 to Leicester Division (D15) on loan.
January 1966 to Thornaby (51L).
May 1966 to Leeds Holbeck (55A).
December 1967 to Carlisle (12A) on loan, made permanent January 1968.
May 1968 to Allerton (8J).
June 1968 to Liverpool Division (D08).
December 1972 to Nottingham Division (D16).
May 1973 to Toton.
May 1973 to Springs Branch.
Withdrawn September 7th 1980.
Renumbered March 2nd 1974.
25103 was the 41st Class 25 withdrawn, one of nine retired during September 1980.
After withdrawal 25103 was stored at Toton from September 1980 to January 12th 1981 when it was moved to Swindon Works with 25026, 25137 & 08027 by 31289. 25103 was scrapped by the third week of March 1983.
Works Visits
Works visits (records incomplete).
Noted Derby Works July 1967.
Noted Derby Works August - September 1971.
Noted Derby Works August - September 1975 (Classified).
Highlights
The recorded passenger workings for D5253/25103 are very, very low. If the Class 25/0s and the two early withdrawals (5278 & 7605) are ignored, then 25103 comes second only to 25098 for having the lowest passenger mileage for a Class 25/1/2/3. Even some of the Class 25/0s achieved more recorded passenger mileage than 25103!
1964
On March 31st almost brandnew D5253 & D5257 worked the 7D29 10.10 Brent - Toton coal empties.
1966
Noted at Thornaby between 18.30 & 19.30 on April 6th were eighteen trains, including one diesel multiple unit, one shunter and freights hauled by Classes 25/37/40, the Class 25s being:
D5248 westbound freight (9K13)
D5250 eastbound freight to yard
D5164 eastbound freight to yard
D5157 eastbound freight to yard, then westbound Class H freight
D5253 eastbound freight to yard
D5164 westbound freight.
On the morning of April 16th D5253 was at Stockton with a down freight.
On the morning of June 3rd D5253 was stabled at York.
On June 13th D5253 was noted at Stourton with a freight.
On October 16th D5253 was stabled at Stourton.
1967
On September 30th D5253 was stabled at Holbeck.
1968
On the evening of February 9th D5253 was noted at Manchester Victoria with a 4L18? Ancoats - Glasgow freight.
On the morning of March 23rd D5253 was light engine at Lancaster.
On June 30th D5253 & D7638 were noted at Springs Branch.
On July 13th D5253 worked the ten coach 1K94 (or 1K04?) 11.06 Blackpool - Crewe?
1972
On Wednesday April 12th noted at Luton on freights were:
38: 5C23
5253: 8X69
1956: 8C50
5251: 8C51
5214: 8F26
1529: 6E56
5219: 8C51
1839: 6M54
118: 4D52
5216: 8O54
5253 was noted passing Manchester Victoria at about 7am on May 10th with an up freight (6J37).
1973
On the evening of January 31st 5253 was light engine at York station.
On June 4th 5253 was noted at Norton Crossing with a freight for Warrington Arpley.
On the afternoon of September 13th 5253 was stabled at York.
1974
On January 21st 5253 was noted at Chinley with empty ICI limestone hoppers (6H44).
On September 10th 25103 was stabled at Warrington Arpley.
1975
On January 20th 25103 was noted passing Windsor Bridge (Manchester).
On May 15th 25103 was noted at Manchester Victoria with the 5J24.
25103 was noted at Manchester Victoria on the morning of June 25th.
At about 7am on July 30th 25103 was noted in Manchester Victoria yard, having arrived with the 4M03 ex-Leeds.
On October 7th 25103 was eastbound out of Holyhead with the 6D70 livestock train to ??
1976
On March 29th 25103 was noted at Oakamoor with a loaded sand train for St Helens.
On April 9th & 11th 25103 was stabled at Birkenhead Mollington Street.
On May 3rd 25103 was noted at Wellington Road cutting (Manchester area) with an engineers train of recovered materials.
On the late afternoon of October 16th noted at Guide Bridge were 25103, 25147, 25185, 25242, 25257 & 25326.
1977
24063 & 25103 were noted at Bidston with iron ore for Shotton on March 16th. At about 8am on March 28th 25137 + 25103 were noted at Birkenhead North on iron ore empties.
On April 11th 25103 assisted the 10.10 Liverpool - Newcastle to Leeds from ?? after 40035 had failed.
On June 24th 25103 & 25172 were noted at Exeter stabling point (both failed with flat batteries).
On the evening of June 25th 25103, 25172, 25215, 25224, 31200 & 47511 were stabled at Exeter depot.
On June 27th 25103 was noted at Exeter stabling point.
On July 21st 25103 was noted at Northwich with ICI limestone hoppers.
On the late afternoon of October 15th 25103, 25129, 25114 & 24133 were noted light engines at Romiley.
On the afternoon of November 20th 25103 was stabled at Speke Junction.
1978
Stabled at Reddish on the afternoon of January 21st were 24022, 25088, 25103 & 25206.
On the late evening of May 30th 25103 & 25208 were noted at Seacombe Junction with iron ore empties.
On August 4th the diesel multiple unit working the 08.55 Chester - Manchester failed at Northwich with problems with 50943, 25103 took the train forward. On August 11th 25103 was noted shunting wagons at Appleby, off the Warcop branch? On August 15th 40094 & 25103 were noted at Blackburn with a train of track panels. 25103 & 25146 were noted at Seacombe Junction with an iron ore train on August 18th
On the morning of September 9th 25103 & 25113 were noted at Skipton.
On the afternoon of September 23rd 25095, 25103 & 25305 were noted at Bedford.
1979
25103 was noted at Springs Branch on March 3rd.
25103 was noted on April 2nd at Skelton Junction with empty ICI hoppers from Northwich for the Peak Forest.
On the morning of April 9th 25103 was noted at Warrington Arpley.
Observations on the Midland main line on May 7th included:
Bedford stabling point (08.55) 25130
Leicester shed (10.10) 25268/25270
Etches Park (10.40) 25063
Cricklewood (15.40) 25103/25125/25170.
On the morning of May 22nd 25103 was noted arriving at Port Sunlight with a down freight.
25103 was back on the Trans-Pennine route, this time on July 14th with the 09.00 Llandudno Town - York, presumed to have worked throughout. On the evening of July 14th 25103 & 25116 were noted at Leeds with empty coaching stock, possibly off the ex-15.05 Paignton.
On July 15th 25103 & 25116 worked a Manchester Piccadilly - Bristol Temple Meads day excursion as far as Crewe, here 25134 & 25140 took over.
On August 4th 25103 worked the 09.16 Llandudno Town - Euston as far as Crewe.
On August 19th 25103 was noted at Northwich shed.
1980
On the morning of January 11th 25103 was stabled at Taunton.
25103 was stabled at Cockshute on April 19th.
May 1980 brought two passenger workings for 25103, on May 17th 25103 & 25101 worked a Portsmouth - Nelson return day excursion (?) from Manchester Victoria (?) to Nelson. And finally on May 31st 25103 worked the 11.00 Barrow - Liverpool.
On July 12th 25103 was noted as the banker at Manchester Victoria. On the evening of July 19th there were nineteen locomotives stabled at Northwich, most intended for engineering works the next day, the Class 25s present were: 25100, 25103, 25104, 25121, 25138, 25153, 25191 & 25196. Also on shed was 5690 Leander, in steam for a special the next day.
On the evening of August 8th 25103 was noted at Salford with a down van train.
25103 was withdrawn on September 3rd 1980.
During December 2020 a builders plate from 25103 dated Derby 1964 sold on Ebay for GBP360.
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Not all known passenger workings are recorded on this page.
Page added March 31st 2013.
Last updated July 17th 2026.
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