Poulton & Wyre DMU arrival beats lockdown

MARCH 16 was a momentous day for the embryonic Poulton & Wyre Railway project when its long-awaited Class 108

DMU arrived from the Midland Railway–Butterley.

DMBS No. M51937 and DTCL No. M54484 were bought by the Poulton & Wyre Railway Society (PWRS) in 2015, but have been kept at Butterley, where restoration has been ongoing.

The vehicles have now arrived at the society’s headquarters site at NPL Hillhouse, Thornton.

Work will continue as soon as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

The MR-B was partway through an M-examination with a few items requiring attention.

These will be attended to by members, along with internal refurbishment and exterior painting.

A DMU sub-committee has been formed and has drawn up a schedule of work for the next couple of years or so.

New skills

Many active members have not had the opportunity to work on restoring a train before, but look forward to working alongside those with railway experience, and learning new skills while contributing to the success of the project.

Further finance is required to undertake this work, with the current situation providing an opportunity to raise funds and recruit new volunteer members.

Various items of equipment need to be sourced, such as scaffolding towers, boards and steps, to ensure safe access such as for working on the roofs.

There are several ways donations can be made, as detailed on website: www.pwrs.org.

DAVID COX Class 108 DTCL No. M54484 is seen on March 16 following off-loading to a temporary track panel at the Poulton & Wyre Railway’s Hillhouse, Thornton site, Lancashire. This was the moment the railway has waited to see for more than four years.

NIGEL KIRKPATRICK The power car for the PWRS’s Class 108 set – DMBS No. M51937 – arrives at Thornton on March 16. It has been receiving attention at the Midland Railway-Butterley in recent years, including the stripping down of paintwork to bare metal prior to repainting in Regional Railways white and blue, as applied to this side only at present.