ex Merseyrail unit needs help!

Hi all,
as a lover of all things local, was dismayed to see the state of the so called "preserved" merseyrail trains - apparantly owned by the national railway museum. Was told of a group formed to preserve and restore the unit that used to run between southport-garston etc and promptly joined. According the website, they now have secure storage for the unit in which restoration can begin and i understand that transport has also been arranged. Unfortunately the NRM will not release the unit until it is insured! The group has had a quote which seems a lot but probably isnt! either way this, as it stands, is the only barrier between the unit staying outside rotting away, and being moved somewhere where people can restore her to her former glory. I have donated money and was appeal to anyone who has a local interest (whether trains or not like me!) to help the group out so that a piece of most of our childhoods is not lost forever and turned into razor blades and coke cans! Their website is www.class502.org.uk please help in whatever way you can!
rant over!
regards
Barry

Its good news that it look's like it will be saved. But one question, where will it go once its restored ? There was talk of turning hall dr depot into a museum for it but i belive that has fell through. Liverpool museum dont want to know, as well as the NRM. And being a electric unit it wont be much use to a preserved line,(unless they can sandwich a diesel loco between the cars).

does merseyrail still use birkenhead central shed? if they do not/do the 502 could be stabled in there

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Originally Posted by Lukeo25

does merseyrail still use Birkenhead central shed? if they do not/do the 502 could be stabled in there

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I'm sure Merseyrail has space going vacant if they would but offer it.

Isn't there still a disused track at New Brighton station? It wouldn't cost too too much to put a tent thingy over it and might even generate a bit of extra rail traffic if folks come to photograph it in its 1938 livery. I imagine it would be reasonably safe from vandals there with some simple burglar alarms and cameras - not expensive these days. Is there hope that it could be put back into working condition?

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Originally Posted by merseywail

Its good news that it look's like it will be saved. But one question, where will it go once its restored ? There was talk of turning hall dr depot into a museum for it but i belive that has fell through. Liverpool museum dont want to know, as well as the NRM. And being a electric unit it wont be much use to a preserved line,(unless they can sandwich a diesel loco between the cars).

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Whether it fell through or not I don't know, but Hall Road depot has been demolished now, so it is certainly no longer an option.

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Originally Posted by Lukeo25

does merseyrail still use birkenhead central shed? if they do not/do the 502 could be stabled in there

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No, they don't, but it has been recommended by Network Rail that the shed could be reused for stabling units when we have a larger fleet - and the same applies for other stabling points across the network.

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Originally Posted by robt

No, they don't, but it has been recommended by Network Rail that the shed could be reused for stabling units when we have a larger fleet - and the same applies for other stabling points across the network.

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Storage space on the network is very limited. Network Rail identify additional capacity as follows ...

http://www.miseryrail.co.uk/files/RUS_screenie.gif

This table is taken frm the March 2009 'Route Utilisation Strategy', which you can get in full on the Network Rail website (sorry, I can't find the link at the mo', but I'll post it when I find it again :rolleyes:)

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Originally Posted by HongKongPhooey

This table is taken frm the March 2009 'Route Utilisation Strategy', which you can get in full on the Network Rail website (sorry, I can't find the link at the mo', but I'll post it when I find it again :rolleyes:)

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It was on the front page of the Network Rail website until yesterday. It can now be found here: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browseD...n%20Strategies

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Originally Posted by robt

It was on the front page of the Network Rail website until yesterday. It can now be found here: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browseD...n%20Strategies

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Thanks Rob.



Chris

Wherever the unit ends up, it will have to be displayed as part of a collection. I can't see the general public just coming to see ''the old leccy train''. The best option would be a Merseyside transport museum . Housing buses, trains, trams, and items of local transport history & development.

I quite agree, but I can't see Merseytravel (and certainly not Merseyrail - the Dutch shareholders would lay an egg) coughing up to support such a venture.

Any ideas who else might be prepared to support such an idea?

Chris

Wouldnt the new Museum have an interest in this?

Photos of the class 502,s new temp home at tebay http://andrewstransport.fotopic.net/c1712054.html Lets hope they can find a permanent site for it soon . Would be a great shame to lose this part of merseysides rail history

Hello all

The Wirral Transport Museum hasn't any internal track space for it, at the moment, even though they'd be one of the better options to display it. Though, Rock Ferry station has a couple of platforms going spare. Any chance of putting that to use, to eventually display the 502? Then, fixing up the track as far as the museum (or even as far as a refurb'ed Canning Street Box) might also come in handy. Not third rail, though. Nonetheless, the museum has a huge stretch of track, literally outside it's back door, waiting to be put back into use, somehow. There's also a big chunk of waste ground behind the Old Colonial pub, right between the dock branch & the museum, which could accommodate a steel-framed warehouse/engine shed.

Rock Ferry Station - Google Map
Waste ground behind the Old Colonial - Google Map

The class 502 is back , ok it not real . Its from the trainz rail sim game..:retard:.http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/9699/hr5t.jpg

Not looking good for the old unit, lets hope the Vandals get bored & pick on something else. http://andysansome.fotopic.net/p60712054.html

Wirral Transport Museum actually had part of the Wirral Line class 503 set down at Pacific Road, nothing was really done to it and it was then acquired by a group in Coventry.

There was a bus parked next to it that was burn't out by vandals (?), and it was lucky that it never damaged the train.


[QUOTE=EJP;183950]Hello all

The Wirral Transport Museum hasn't any internal track space for it, at the moment, even though they'd be one of the better options to display it.

I sent an email to Roger phillips, in the hope he might feature its plight on his show, but to no avail. If this was a steam loco there would be no doubt about its future.