MULTIPLE UNIT NOTES
■ A Class 115 centre trailer that has spent many years in use as a kitchen and mess room has been placed on the market by the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust at Midsomer Norton. Trailer Second 59664 has had something of a chequered history since being preserved in 1993. It originally formed part of a three-car set at the Mid-Norfolk Railway before moving on to the Colne Valley in 1997. In 1999 the set was split up and the trailer moved to Mangapps Farm before continuing to Barry Island three years later. There it was paired up with two power cars and ran in passenger service until 2008 when it was withdrawn following the sale of the railway. With no further interest it was sold on to scrap merchants EMR, but it was not cut up and was retrieved for use at Midsomer Norton in 2012. The coach is now said to be once again surplus to requirements and is looking for another new home.
■ Agreement has been reached for significant sponsorship of the Bluebell Railway’s 4-VEP EMU to be provided by train information site Realtime Trains. Unit 3417 has been under restoration at Strawberry Hill depot since 2015, with the intention of making it fit to be hauled on the national network. Passenger accommodation is being refurbished and the interior restored so that the unit can be used either as hauled stock or in push-pull mode with suitably -equipped locos. Future plans include the fitting of retention toilets and central door locking. The funds from Realtime Trains will be used to further the continuing restoration work rather than for any individual project.
■ After a delay of more than a year due to difficulties with accessing the site, Class 127 Driving Motor Brake 51622 has finally been delivered to its new home at the Helston Railway. The coach joins sister vehicle 51616 at the country’s most southerly heritage line, where it is intended to restore it to working order and use it for off-peak services. In addition, both coaches are likely to be used in push-pull mode as driving trailers for the line’s steam services. Originally preserved as long ago as 1984, the two-car set, along with a Class 120 buffet centre coach, was in use until around 2000 when its deteriorating condition caused it to be taken out of passenger service. Following the demise of its original owners, The Red Triangle Society, an attempt was made to resurrect it in 2011 but this stalled, causing the unit to be offered for sale. At Helston some work has already been done on first arrival 51616, with the new owners said to be pleased with its overall condition.
■ The Bury Unit Team has been busy at the East Lancashire Railway and has made considerable progress with its restoration of Class 121 Driving Trailer 56289. Serious structural issues have been discovered at the rear of the coach that date from British Railways days when the vehicle was modified to have a corridor connection fitted. This resulted in a weakening of the crash pillars and, in addition, the connection itself was only secured through the coach ends, rather than the superstructure. Repairs will involve replacing the damaged crash pillars and pieces of the body frame as well as correctly locating the corridor connection. Repairs to the cab area have also progressed, with a trial fit of the cab dome being made in recent weeks.
■ A rare EMU buffet car is being offered for sale by the Lavender Line, following many years of static use at Isfield Station. 4-BIG buffet 69333 is mounted on incorrect bogies and does not have any brake gear, but it is otherwise complete. It was previously used as part of a steam-hauled rake with through pipe braking, but has been in static use for many years since then. Prospective purchasers will have to remove the coach within two months of purchase.
■ Chinnor & Princes Risboroughbased 3-CEP Trailer Brake 70573 is in the final stages of a heavy restoration and is shortly due to be released in blue and grey livery to match already completed Driving Motor 61736. The set has regained its original number of 2304 but is better known as 1198, which was one of the shortened sets specially prepared for use on the Lymington Branch some years ago.
■ Work has been ongoing at the Foxfield Railway to commission new arrival, Pacer 142055. A broken coil spring has been discovered that will need replacing, and there have also been issues with blocked fuel filters. Inside, most of the seat bases in one coach have been cleaned and repainted, while the interior has also had a heavy clean.
■ At the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Class 101 centre trailer 59303 has been lifted so that checks and repairs can be made to the running gear. This has included removing the wheelsets from the bogies to allow for bearing inspections.
■ Llangollen Railcars’ unique Wickham Driving Motor Brake 50416 has been having attention to its brake gear. A faulty brake cylinder has been removed and overhauled, and some of the brake carriers have had to be rebuilt and welded to bring them back to the original specification. This followed the discovery of substantial wear that was causing flanging.
■ Class 117 Driving Motor Brake 51352, which was recently moved to the South Devon Railway, is having replacement ceiling panels fitted in its saloon by its new owners. This coach is part of a set that has not run in public service on a heritage line since 2007, when it left the West Somerset Railway.
■ The owners of CEP EMU Driving Motor Seconds 61742-43 at the Dartmoor Railway have said that no serious offers have been received for them and they will likely go to scrap in the near future. RMS Locotec is disposing of much of the stock at the railway that was left over after the line went into administration some time ago.
■ Class 121 Bubble Car 55032 has returned to the Wensleydale Railway following completion of repairs at Nemesis Rail of Burton upon Trent. The vehicle’s No 2 cab was badly damaged when it hit a fallen tree last year and it has had to be completely rebuilt, including the replacement of the fibreglass cab dome.