LEV2 Wickham / Leyland Railbus Repatriation Project - Press Release

They have plans for LEV 1 to be moved to Shildon for work to be done.

 

Thanks for that info. Something sticks in the back of my mind that it's "removal" from the NNR back in 2012 didn't go down too well there, but can't remember (or find) anything to that effect online.

 

Someone forwarded me a Farcebook post overnight stating that LEV 2 has been scrapped at the Connecticut Trolley Museum recently, so that brings this prticular project to a close....

 

Guess it's important in a way as it was the prototype for the unpopular noisy, bumpy Pacers, which now for some reason form the mainstay service at the Wensleydale Railway.
But looks like the priority at the Wensleydale Railway is to get their Victorian steam loco J72 overhauled and back in service so it can run on the railway and visit other railways to earn some income.

Then they can perhaps fundraise for the LEV1 restoration? Although a 2nd steam loco and perhaps restoration of some of the other railcars they have may be operationally more important?

I see Vivarail are now trying to sell their refurbished light trains in the USA, A bit better ride than the LEV and hope they will be successful?
https://vivarail.co.uk/vivarail-rolling-stock/#metro

 

Does make sense if the NRM have funds for it's restoration rather than leaving it at Wensleydale?

 

it isn’t necessarily the NRM, Shildon has other railway related workshops.

 

A couple of minor corrections, The J72 is a Victorian design but 69023 was built at Darlington in 1951, it’s also owned by NELPG (North Eastern Loco Preservation Group) They also own K1 62005, J27 65894 and Q6 63395.

 

From what I saw elsewhere on a US Forum this morning, there seems to have been attempts to move LEV2 to another location for storage, but they were thwarted by the lack of response from the Trolley Museum, who, it seems, have "Previous" for that sort of thing....