Class 503 EMU

Not upgraded yet north of Neasden so still technically possible at the moment.

 

A few comments have referenced the differences between EMU preservation and diesel preservation. One of the things EMU preservation lacks in general (which DMU and Diesel Loco preservation has more of) are private individuals sinking more serious time and money into their vehicles compared to your average volunteer.

These are not Hoskings - rather "fairly" ordinary folks who are sinking anything from £10k to a few hundred K into their DMU/loco etc. It seems to be a trait that given diesels have not been as popular with societies and public appeals as steam, privateers have taken some of the slack and put serious money into making one project theirs. I am one of these people, and I have dedicated a large chunk of my life to DMU's.

I don't see this as often for EMU's, which seem to often rely entirely on appeals and crowdfunding. Where are the private EMU preservationists willing to put serious money in? Maybe the post-steam privateers with (some) money know that for now at least, a diesel which can run once it is done is the winning horse to back?

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I think it all comes back to the problem with electric traction generally of: great, but what do we do with it then? Heritage lines can't run them (except sometimes as hauled stock), mainline tour work is fine but limited in its appeal, and while I personally like the idea of a vast Shildon-style shed with examples of key and popular classes of EMU telling the story of electric traction up to the present, I can't imagine it'll have enough appeal beyond r̶a̶i̶l̶w̶a̶y̶ d̶o̶r̶k̶s̶ enthusiasts to wash its face. It would need to be some kind of government initiative to exist at all.

What happens when, for instance, the 390s are retired? I can't abide them personally but they're a pretty iconic part of post-privatisation British railways. How many railtours would there be a call for? Who would provide siding space for it in between? At least with, say a 185 or 220 or similar, if there's a group willing to preserve one and a railway it can reach agreement with, you'd be able to run them sometimes for those that care. They don't need their own infrastructure.

Obviously I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said before, but electric traction preservation has all the problems of steam and diesel plus a special one all of it's own, and it may be that a representative chunk in a museum of some sort may be as good as we can feasibly get in most cases.

 

I'm just glad I got to the Electric Museum in Coventry when I did.

 

BR did a certain amount in the late 1980s/early 1990s with "apprentice training" - I had rides with D7672, 4-EPB 5001, and 306017 which all survived on that basis. Given the right organisational structure (and that doesn't exist today), I can see some potential for something similar in future, where rides out are secondary to a training primary purpose. That might be easier with short units than a 390, though!

 

Which is why I keep saying that EMU preservation needs to look into batteries (and possibly overhead DC electrification) as a matter of urgency...

 

Perfect example, did a lot of great work but wasn't ultimately sustainable. And I don't know what the answer is, closing down a really good resource due to lack of funds feels like we've got our priorities all wrong.

 

And where are these private groups going to get the money to design/install this and get it approved?! They seem to struggle to keep them stored and protected from rust.

Calling these small private groups "EMU preservation" suggests that they are a large, coordinated organisation. But they're not.

 

I didn't say it would be easy...

 

It wasn’t closed due to lack of funds, earned enough each year to wash its face. Was closed as the land was sold from under it.

 

IIRC the land was sold to a developer who wouldn't include the site in any future plans.