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37906 was built at EE's Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows, works number 3384, and entered service in November 1963 numbered D6906.<ref>[http://www.12csv.com/main/locos/loco.php?id=3384 English Electric Growl] website, retrieved 1 March 2015.</ref> The loco spent most of its working life in South Wales, allocated to Landore Depot in Swansea,<ref>[http://brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=D&id=6906&loco=6906 BRDatabase] website, retrieved 1 March 2015.</ref> with short spells at Cardiff Canton, Bristol Bath Road and Plymouth Laira.<ref>[http://www.12csv.com/main/locos/loco.php?id=3384 English Electric Growl] website, retrieved 1 March 2015.</ref> It was renumbered to 37206 in 1973.
In the mid-1980s British Rail was evaluating diesel engines for new locomotive designs such as the proposed but never-built Class 38. In 1986-87, six Class 37 locos were used to trial two potential engines, the Mirrlees MB275T and the Ruston RK270T. 37206 was fitted with the latter engine and a GEC alternator, and like the other five locos received new bogies and additional ballasting to increase its weight to 120 tons. The experimental locomotives became the 37/9 subclass, and 37206 became 37906, the only Class 37/9 to retain the last two digits of its previous number. Along with the rest of subclass 37/9, 37906 returned to South Wales for use on heavy freight work.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_37#Class_37.2F9 Wikipedia], retrieved 1 March 2015.</ref>.
==37906 in preservation==
In 2000, 37906 was moved into the EWS Heritage Fleet, based nominally at Old Oak Common. It visited the SVR for the October 2000 diesel gala, and again in 2002, as part of the EWS heritage fleet. Following the second visit the locomotive remained at the SVR and agreement was reached for it to work on permanent way trains. However it was immobilised by EWS in 2003 following an incident at another railway, and remained out of use at Kidderminster until finally being sold the [[Ruston 906 Group]] in August 2006, with agreement to remain at the SVR being reached shortly afterwards. It was restarted for the first time on private ownership in September 2006.<ref>SVR News 156</ref>.
In a few days in April 2007 GEC control cards were stolen from 37905 at both Meldon Quarry and 37906 at Kidderminster. These cards were of use on only a handful of locomotives, and the theft necessitated the production of a new control card at considerable expense.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=524&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60 SVR-Online forum] (Retrieved 1 February 2017]</ref>
37906 visited the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway for the first three months of 2011<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=973&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15 SVR-Online forum, ] (retrieved 1 March 2015)</ref> for their Class 37 50th Birthday event at the start of the year.<ref>[https://presnews.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/news-160111/ Preserved Diesels] website, retrieved 1 March 2015.</ref>
In November 2013, the Ruston 906 Group announced that they felt the group was no longer large enough to keep the loco in working order, and had therefore agreed to sell it to Europhoenix to be returned to main line use.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=973&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30 SVR-Online forum], retrieved 1 March 2015.</ref><ref>[https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=190449097637374&story_fbid=754459391236339 Bridgnorth Station Facebook, announcement by GM Nick Ralls] (retrieved 20 March 2018)</ref> The sale completed in March 2014, and the loco left the SVR by rail dead in tow on 11 May that year.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=973&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60 SVR-Online forum], retrieved 1 March 2015.</ref>.
==See also==
