East Kent is now home for ‘royal’ Class 365 EMU
THE East Kent Railway is now home to the first and only ‘Happy Train’ Class 365 EMU in the heritage sector – and one with royal connections, too.
Former Great Northern set
No. 365524 was one of a type which frequently conveyed The Queen from London to Sandringham in Norfolk.
It was acquired from Eversholt Rail after negotiations involving transport consultant and rolling stock owner Howard Johnston.
The Class 365 Networker Express was a dual voltage (25kV AC and 750V DC) four-car EMU. A total of 41 were built by ABB at Holgate Road Carriage Works in York in 1994 and 1995 to operate services in south-east England and on the Great Northern Route. They were the last trains to be built at the Holgate Road works before its closure. They were refurbished between 2013 and 2016 at Bombardier, Ilford. The first 16 units initially operated Network SouthEast services south of the Thames. Due to the refurbished front end resembling a smiling face, the 365s were nicknamed ‘Happy Trains’ by enthusiasts.
In March 2021, it was announced that Great Northern would be withdrawing the remaining Class 365s from service in favour of Class 387s transferred from Gatwick Express. The last day of service for the 365s on Great Northern was May 15, 2021.
Howard said: “Although they only had a short life by railway standards, the Class 365s were universally popular with those who travelled on them regularly, including myself.
“I was determined to save one from the scrapyard.”
Paul Sutherland, client services director at Eversholt Rail, added: “We are delighted to mark The Queen’s forthcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations by giving No. 365524 a new career after travelling over a million miles in the 25 years since it entered service.
“Her Majesty was a frequent passenger aboard Class 365s as part of her journey from London to her winter home at the Sandringham Estate.”
Following minor modifications, it is intended that No. 365524 will be open to the public as a cafe, restaurant, and events centre capable of staging major functions.
EKR general manager, Matthew Plews, said: “We are grateful to Eversholt Rail and Howard Johnston for choosing us, and we will look after it well. Some of the Class 365s started their working lives in the south east, so the East Kent Railway is a most appropriate place for the last survivor.”
No. 365524 was one of several stored for a period at Doncaster Belmont Down Yard, having arrived there along with No. 365516 from Peterborough sidings on July 8, 2021. It was chosen for preservation as being in the best condition of the 41 sets. The preserved set will comprise two coaches from No. 365524 plus Driving Motor Open Composite No. 69724 from set No. 365540, which will be renumbered to 365524. The choice of vehicles was due to the condition of individual coaches. No. 365540 was one of the last sets completed at York.