Railway Herald
A slightly workstained Class 20/9 No. 20905 'Iona' is stabled outside the Hunslet-Barclay Depot at Kilmarnock Ayrshire on Monday 27th July 1992. New to BR as No. D8325 in February 1968, and later under TOPS No. 20225, nearly all her working life was spent at Haymarket MPD Edinburgh, only transferring south to Toton TMD in the late 1980's. Withdrawn from Toton No. 20225 was sold to Hunslet-Barclay for conversion to a Class 20/9 No. 20905 during 1989 for use on Weed Control Trains over the entire BR Network. Part of this conversion involved the fitting of extra fuel tanks on the solebars in front of the cabs. She was named 'Iona' on 30th September 1989, a name she carried until the 30th September 1998 when No. 20905 was sold to DRS. Passing on again to GBRf No. 20905 was repainted into their Blue and Orange livery in late 2013 and continues to be used with them for the transfer of London Underground 'S' stock from Derby to the Old Dalby test track and onward delivery from Old Dalby to Neasden Depot London.
Bob Woolnough
