About Us
About the Group
About the Class 58 Locomotive Group
Founded in 2001 as the Class 58s began disappearing from the UK rail network, the Class 58 Locomotive Group exists to preserve, promote and protect the legacy of one of British Rail’s most distinctive heavy freight locomotive classes.
The Class 58 Locomotive Group was established in July 2001, at a time when the Class 58 fleet was rapidly vanishing from everyday operation in Britain. From the outset, the group set out not only to champion the significance of the class, but also to ensure that its history, engineering importance and remaining survivors would not be forgotten.
Over time, the group has developed into the leading specialist body focused entirely on the Class 58 — combining historical research, preservation work, public engagement and practical restoration.
Who We Are
The group brings together enthusiasts, historians, volunteers and supporters with a shared commitment to the preservation of the Class 58 story. Our work spans far more than one locomotive alone: we aim to document the complete history of the class, preserve key artefacts and components, and make information available to those with an interest in British freight traction and railway heritage.
While the group’s most visible project is the restoration of 58016, our wider role also includes preserving the surviving spare cabs, recording the operational life of the class in Britain and overseas, and maintaining what has become one of the most comprehensive public resources on the Class 58 anywhere.
Preserve
Safeguard surviving locomotives, spare parts, cabs, records and artefacts connected with the Class 58 fleet.
Restore
Advance the restoration of 58016 and support the long-term future of the surviving members of the class.
Promote
Share the significance of the Class 58 through research, publications, events, displays, membership activity and online resources.
Photo: Peter Nicholson
The Class 58 Story
The Class 58 locomotives were conceived in the late 1970s, when British Rail began exploring a new generation of heavy freight diesel locomotives that would be lower in cost, easier to maintain and suitable for the changing needs of the network. Their modular construction and distinctive profile made them unlike anything else built in Britain at the time.
The first locomotive, 58001, was formally handed over on 9 December 1982, and construction of the full fleet of 50 continued until March 1987. Every member of the class was built at British Rail Engineering Limited, Doncaster Works, making the Class 58 the final diesel locomotive class built by British Rail.
In service, the class became closely associated with coal traffic across the Midlands, although their careers later extended far beyond that original role. Following withdrawal from UK traffic by 2002, many members of the class found second careers overseas in the Netherlands, Spain and France.
From Research Group to Preservation Group
From its earliest days, the group aspired to preserve a Class 58 locomotive. That opportunity finally arrived in 2010, when DB Schenker announced the sale of seven Class 58s still remaining in the UK. With many examples already heavily stripped or facing an uncertain future, the sale represented a decisive moment.
The group responded with an intensive period of fundraising, negotiation and planning, which ultimately led to the successful purchase of 58016. That achievement marked a major turning point in the group’s history: the transition from being primarily a campaigning and historical body to becoming an active preservation owner and restoration organisation.
The Class 58 Locomotive Group is established as the fleet begins to disappear from regular UK service.
All 50 Class 58 locomotives are withdrawn from UK main line service, although many later continue working overseas.
DB Schenker announces the sale of seven Class 58s, creating the first real opportunity for private preservation ownership.
The group secures 58016 and begins the long-term process of restoration and preservation.
58016 moves to the UKRL site in Leicester, where improved facilities and heavy machinery support the restoration programme.
Our Restoration Work
Restoration work on 58016 began at Barrow Hill in Chesterfield before the locomotive later moved to UKRL, Leicester, in 2015. The relocation provided access to better facilities, lifting capacity and engineering support for major work.
As with many large-scale preservation projects, progress has depended on patience, technical investigation, fundraising and the careful recovery of parts. A significant number of components have been sourced from other Class 58s that have since been broken up, including material recovered from 58045, which the group briefly owned for spares support.
Alongside 58016, the group has also taken responsibility for preserving important spare cabs and associated artefacts, broadening the scope of preservation beyond the locomotive itself and helping to tell the wider story of the class.
Why the Group Matters
The Class 58 was a bold and distinctive part of British Rail’s freight modernisation story: the last BR-built diesel class, designed around modular construction and intended not just for domestic traffic, but with export potential in mind. Its career may have been shorter in Britain than originally intended, but its legacy has proven lasting.
The Class 58 Locomotive Group exists to make sure that legacy is properly understood, properly recorded and, where possible, physically preserved. That means not only restoring surviving hardware, but also preserving knowledge, photographs, histories, technical details and first-hand recollections that might otherwise be lost.
- Latest group news and restoration updates
- Membership information and supporter details
- Detailed Class 58 history pages
- Preservation, fleet and technical reference material