Wensleydale stock clearance

FOUR DMU cars that have spent some time out of service have been offered for disposal by the Wensleydale Railway, as part of a major clear out of stored stock at Leeming Bar. Up for grabs are a pair of Class 108 vehicles, which have never been used on the line, and also two Class 117s, which once formed part of the line’s active fleet but are currently dumped unserviceable.

The two Class 108s, Driving Motor Composite 51572 and Driving Trailer 56274, both reached Wensleydale via the Stainmore Railway project in 2015, but have seen no work since then, taking up residence in the sidings with other withdrawn units. The trailer had previously spent 15 years as loco-hauled stock at the Rutland Railway Museum, being originally preserved in 1993, while the power car has been at the East Kent and Mid-Norfolk Railways.

Class 117 Driving Motor Second 51400 has been one of the mainstays of the line’s DMU fleet since 2008 but was withdrawn in 2019 requiring heavy maintenance and bodywork repairs, while centre car 59500 was in service from 2005 to 2012 when it was stopped for maintenance. It later lost one of its corridor connections while in storage.

There are also a number of other disused first-generation units in store at the railway, including former East Kent Railway resident Class 101 50256/56343, which is privately owned and not thought to feature in the line’s long-term plans.