Friends of the 502 Group EGM

The Committee of the Friends of the 502 Group wish to announce that an EGM will take place on Saturday 21st February at 12pm, in Southport.

Anyone who has an interest in this unit (currently owned by the NRM, but in storage at MOD Kineton) is invited, although to be admitted you will have to become a member of the Group. This will be possible on the day (current subscription rate is £10 / annum).

The meeting has been called to discuss the future of the Group and of the unit.

Please meet at the main entrance to Southport Railway Station, where parking is available. The actual venue is approximately 3mins walk from there.

Duncan Reed
Chairman, Friends of the 502 Group
http://www.class502.org.uk

 

Wow, how sad those pictures are.

I remember riding on this unit at Port Sunlight in 1991 ? and also in the early 1980s.

I cant believe the NRM let it get like this.
Best of luck, maybe you can take on the Class 504 unit at Bury, which is depreciating just as bad.

 

How disappointing that the NRM have let this unit rot.
Do the people in charge at York have any idea about storage of heritage items?
No doubt the 'enthusiast fraternity' will have to stump up yet more money to repair the damage done by the elements.

It begs the question 'Is it safe to entrust the NRM with anything?'

 

Can I please make sure I understand what this unit is.

From your article, it is an LMS built EMU?

If that is correct the NRM do deserve a kick. Electric traction in the UK goes back further than many realise, and deserves its place in the National Collection. Can you please explain the reference to "delisted" re the national collection?

 

My reading of the situation is that the NRM have de-accessioned the unit from the National Collection, meaning that it is available for any suitable organisation to take on.

 

It is LMS. Built 1939 and worked Liverpool - Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby services until withdrawn when replaced.
Spent some time at Steamport, Southport until the move to Preston.
It was restored to mainline running and ran some services to Liverpool under 3rd rail power.
Has any other unit achieved this?

 

The unit was actually the first preserved modern traction unit to work a scheduled network service ( albeit the Birkenhead - Hoylake shuttles ) on 04/06/1986 as part of the Mersey Railway Centenary - a fact which surprised John Prideaux ( then head of Inter City ) who had publicily claimed that preserved traction would never operate scheduled train services during his working life.

Apart from proving how little he knew it also proved that sometimes you don't need managers to get on with the job - simply someone who knows what they're doing.

 

The NRM 2Bil, coupled to the BR 4Sub has worked various scheduled network services (shuttle services) since 1982. The 502 was probably the first preserved emu to work alone in passenger service on the national network as the Bil was normally coupled to the Sub in service.

John.

 

To confirm, yes the Trustees of the NRM have agreed that the unit can be 'de-listed' and transferred to a suitable organisation.

As a Group, we have kept a low profile for the past 12-18 months while we have been working on finding suitable accomodation etc. We felt it was better to have less words and more action, rather than announce a number of things that then never happened.

I would encourage anyone who remembers the unit in service or from it's Steamport days to join the Group, as we have a great deal of positive news to announce at the EGM.

 

No scraped at the last overhaul a few years ago now got new BR ones.
Sorry

 

Yes, have a go at us again by all means. However, Shildon went a long way towards getting things under cover and the de-accessioning of the 502 means that it looks likely to have a more positive future than if it were to remain in our ownership. As for electric units in the National Collection, we collected in the last 3 years the 2 HAP set and 4VEP trailer from Shoeburyness. It was my hope that the 4 VEP would go straight into the Great Hall ex-service, but this has yet to happen on a permanent basis due to conservation requirements.

So Weltrol, we do have an idea about the storage of heritage items - but finite resources and staff. Good luck to the 502 group I say.

 

I'm definitely not having a go, but is there any update on the status of 306017? I understand its safe under cover, but is there any plan to repair/display it? If there was any plan its something I'd like to support. (Well, more particularly my wife - she loves it to bits)

 

Hello Pete - and others - I don't mean by my words that I'm having a go at the NRM knockers, they have every right to express their comments, just that when people say "they" (ie. the NRM) should be ashamed, many have little idea of the few of us who make up "they" and the huge demands on our time and resources.

The 306 is safe, though I understand there are still paperwork issues that have prevented its move to York. I know that once it comes to York, there are plans for covered accommodation. Hopefully things will improve for it this year.

 

hi all
just to kick things up a bit more, dont have a go at people, groups the NRM or who ever, all who nodout try to there best with only small sums of money, a small number of paid staff, a small number of volunteers or no volunteers. You cant do something up if no one wants to do it!! It costs a lot of money restore modern traction even EMUs or DMUs. As for getting under-cover accomodation to restore it then store it forget it! You goto any railway and steam rules!! Because thats what the genral public want to see and ride behind. Not some DMU or EMU which most of the genral public think that they use and see on the BIG RAIWAY!! They wait for the STEAM TRAIN!! Then if it was not for them we would no railways for steam diesal or electric to run on!! they in the end pay for preservation one way or another!
DMUs have a use on most railways i.e. they move by themselfs what do EMUs do????? Just sit there as no one has fitted 3rd rail or overheads yet (MOIS in manchester did for its EM2 but never used it) and if they did what would Mr H&S say??? So you have to use them as hauled stock, most are air braked how many railways can do that or WANT to do that. So you spend time money and more doing a EMU up then what happens to it? It sits in a siding.


SO GOOD LUCK TO ANYONE OR GROUP THAT HAS A EMU or any other railway item

before anyone wights a crap reply to this saying iam talking bs, iam the nutter that bought the class 504 EMU

it may look crap on the outside but thats just a pant job last thing iam going to do on it. its had a full rewire, the inside repanneled new celing (try getting 10ft by 5ft pannels), re sealed etc, with a lot of work done off site. 1 car was used after it was done in a thomas event, then try having to start on that car agine after the LOCALS got there hands on it!! ](*,) Anyway hopefully IT will be finshed this year!!??

CLASS 504 EMUs 1959-2009

 

Thanks for that. My wife and I both grew up with these units as our normal mode of transport, and we went on the Ian Allen railtours using 017 in the 80's - I've a lot of pictures taken on its first outing after restoration and on the Norwich Open day trip. It'd be great to see it out on the main line again one day, but in the meantime its good to know there is a plan to keep it safe and dry. They don't like being out in the open unused - they aren't as waterproof as one would like. When they get used regularly the damp gets driven out, but obviously that isn't happening now.

 

No scraped at the last overhaul a few years ago now got new BR ones.
Sorry[/quote:2jc2lfso]
A bit unfortunate.. 76077 or 76084 could have made use of them.

 

This also begs the question that if you are so concerned what did YOU do to assist the NRM or Steamport teams who have achieved their successes despite the small number of staff / volunteers available to them.

Whilst on Merseyside the unit had a small nucleus of supporters ( probably the same people now setting up the present Class 502 Group ) who watched it and maintained it to be fit for service until political decisions regarding the future of Steamport forced the decision to move it away and the NRM was unable to do much with the limited resources then available.

Having spent time with various NRM personnel over the years I would say that anything entrusted to the NRM will receive the best of attention but it's easier for 1 person to look after 1 item rather the actual situation of one person responsible for many. If you feel the NRM worthy of criticism in this case then perhaps a misquote of JFK might be apposite :

Ask not what your NRM can do for you but rather ask what you can do for your NRM.

Answer that question and I may be prepared to value your criticisms.

 

Sorry to all those who were awaiting a reply regarding the EGM of the 502 Group held a few weeks ago - lots of things happening at the same time has meant that there has been little time to actually tell people about it. So,

1 - The unit will be moving in the next few weeks (transport permitting) to a private, non-railway site for restoration to begin.

2 - Hall Road EMU Depot - which was the first choice for the Group as a home for the unit - has now been all but demolished. However, we are saving some of the original bullhead 3rd rail and insulator pots so that once a permanent home has been found, the unit can be exhibitied properly.

3 - Although there are some members of the Group who have been previously involved with the unit, the majority of the membership have had no prior involvement with it, or even with railway preservation. This shows the fondness with which the 502 units are remembered, and is the main reason for looking for a permanent exhibition site somewhere on Merseyside.

Thanks for your interest,

Duncan Reed
Chairman, Fot502G
class502.org.uk