[steam for ever]

I don't know if we are keeping the 323s or not, but I doubt it. The 185s are simply not big enough for Manchester - Edinburgh expresses. I use them all the time to do this trip and it is cramped to say the least. They need to be twice as big.
Northern owns 68 142s, which it cannot lose, but will. It also has 23 class 144s, but they will go too. We are losing far too many trains than we can cope with. 102 units lost will cripple us. The remaining units are not enough for such a massive TOC.

Northern needs a licence to run loco hauled trains. There is no alternative.

I think they have solved the 172 exhaust problem now Tony. We thought those displaced 150s were comming to us, and they would have been welcomed with open arms.