Class 315 Preservation Society celebrates delivery of 315856
315 Preservation Society has successfully taken delivery of newly preserved Class 315 electric multiple unit 315856 following its withdrawal by MTR Crossrail on December 9 (Railways Illustrated issue 240).
The four-coach EMU – consisting of driving motor standard coaches 64571 and 64572, trailer standard 71336 and pantograph trailer standard 71444 – left its former Ilford depot home on December 23 behind Rail Operations Group’s 37884 Cepheus for temporary storage at Lydney Junction on the Dean Forest Railway. The unit remained at Lydney until January 9, when 315856 was moved further along the DFR for the first of the DMS vehicles to be collected by road transport to move it to its new permanent home on the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway at Cynheidre. It was unloaded the following day.
C315PS commercial manager Peter O’brien told Railways Illustrated that the remaining three vehicles will move to Llanelli over the next few weeks. Volunteers, he said, have some work to do to connect up trackwork on the L&MMR to the siding where the unit will eventually be stabled but which is currently isolated from the railway’s running line. It is hoped that the move will be completed fully by the middle of February, and he expressed his appreciation to both the DFR and the L&MMR for their assistance. Once the Class 315 has been re-formed at Cynheidre, volunteers from the society will carry out a full vehicle and bodywork check to establish its condition and the level of work that may be required. The owners are also working on a preventative maintenance and full maintenance plan for the unit. Mr O’brien said that the paintwork applied to the unit was in excellent condition, although the intention is to eventually return the Class 315 as near as possible to as-built condition, with it intended to be repainted into BR blue and grey at some point in the future – although this is likely to be some time.
It is intended that initially the unit will be used on the L&MMR as hauled stock, although modifications will need to be carried out to the wiring of the unit to allow its braking and electrical systems to communicate with a hauling diesel locomotive. The society is looking at the possibility of converting the unit to allow it to be powered by batteries, but this is very much something for the long term. In terms of spare components for the EMU, the C315PS was given access to classmate 315847 before it was taken for scrapping, with a number of parts and components recovered from the unit before it was hauled to Newport for scrap.
Mr O’brien said that the C315PS was delighted with the condition of 315856 and first impressions of the unit were that it is in excellent condition for its age. He also expressed the society’s appreciation to former owner Eversholt Rail for their support of the unit’s preservation and access to spares, along with the staff at Ilford who assisted, ROG for the efficient movement of the unit to the DFR, and to the DFR and L&MMR for all their assistance.
More information can be found online at www.class315preservationsociety.com