Category:British Rail Class 55 D9016 (TOPS 55016 Gordon Highlander)

English: D9016 entered service with British Railways in October 1961 and in July 1964 was named Gordon Highlander after the Scottish army regiment. It was renumbered into the TOPS series as 55016 in March 1974. It was withdrawn on 30 December 1981 was purchased by the Deltic 9000 Fund with the intention that it would be restored to running condition whilst acting as a "twelve-wheeled mobile source of spares". It was operated on the main line for a while by Porterbrook. By November 2007 the locomotive was based at Peak Rail near Bakewell. In July 2008 it was sold by a private individual to Harry Needle Railroad Corporation (HNRC) as a business venture. In spite of previous announcements to the contrary, HNRC put it up for sale at the end of September 2008. Bids from the Gordon Highlander Preservation Group and Martin Walker (the owner of 55022) were rejected by HNRC in favour of a higher offer from Direct Rail Services (DRS) Ltd. Direct Rail Services (DRS) Ltd kept D9016 at Barrow Hill for a year with intention of a full overhaul but these plans never surfaced. The loco was sold year later to Martin Walker and is now based at East Lancashire Railway with 55022. 55016 donated one of its two engines to 55022 in April 2010 as one of 55022's engines was not one of the original Napier-Deltic engines fitted in 1959.