51226 Class 101 Driving Motor Brake Second

Home Railway	Mid Norfolk Railway	Location History	Mid Norfolk Railway Oct 03-Present
Current Location	Mid Norfolk Railway
Current Status	Under Restoration
Current Livery	BR Green
TRA Designation	4
Partner Vehicle(s)	51499
Owner	Mid Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust
Website	www.mnr.org.uk
Record Last Updated	13 January 2024
Preservation Modifications The seating has been modified to a 2+2 configuration to create a wider aisle, fed by an enlarged partition between the brake van and middle saloon, to facilitate wheelchair access via the brake van double door. This has had the effect of reducing the vehicle's capacity to 40 passengers.
Preservation Information Arrived at Dereham in 2003 from Shoeburyness, with partner vehicle 51499 as set 101695. The set was selected for preservation due to general good condition and very good wheelsets. Restoration progress was slow due to few volunteers. 51226 was the first car out of the set to enter traffic in 2008 (temporarily paired with 51503 from set L836) and running on one engine only due to a final drive axle bearing failure. By early 2009 body & interior restoration was 90% complete, mechanical restoration being 80% complete. The second vehicle, 51499, joined 51226 in time for the 2009 summer season. From 2009 51226 & 51499 operated a huge number of the MNR's day-to-day services. The withdrawal of the line's other working DMU left 51226/51499 working 100% of the off-peak services and the vehicles clocked up a lot of miles. After 10 years of service without rest or repaint, and with the new opportunties available following the erection of a large three road maintenence shed at Dereham, 51226 was withdrawn from traffic in 2019 for much needed repairs. It was moved undercover for the first time in its preservation life and a start was made on many of the required repairs. The railway's carriage & wagon volunteer team were the first to be able to dedicate time to the project, with doors being removed and replacement steel sections and internal panels fitted to repair the poorer examples. Work continues slowly alongside the commitments on the railway's coaching stock fleet.
Future Plans Future plans involve completing the interior work on the vehicle along with some mechanical repairs and heavy examinations to allow the vehicle to return to service. The vehicle will be repainted. Looking longer term, the vehicle has only ever run on one engine pending the acquisition of a spare power bogie from somewhere to enable a bogie swap. Undertaking this work will facilitate the repair of the failed bearing & drive which will eventually allow the vehicle to have use of both its engines/transmissions for the first time in its preserved history.

	51226 under restoration in the shed at Dereham. Progress has been slow of late, due to a general lack of volunteer labour, and being railway owned 51226 has had to allow Mark 1 & Mark 2 coaching stock to take priority. However it remains undercover and occasional work is progressed where possible, 2/12/23. Chris Moxon

	51226 inside the newly constructed shed at Dereham undergoing much needed bodywork repairs, 21/11/20. Peter Singlehurst

	51226/51499 wait time at Wymondham Abbey prior to returning to Dereham, 2/7/17. Derek Orr

	51226/51499 on the Hoe extension, 20/2/16. Derek Orr

	51226/51499 stabled at Dereham during the Multiple Matters gala awaiting their next turn of duty, 1/11/14. Chris Moxon

	A soggy 51226/51499 for the service train at Wymondham Abbey, 10/8/14. Richard Moxon

	51226 & 51499 stabled at Dereham, 17/6/12. Chris Moxon

	51226/51499 on the rarely used section north of Dereham, 22/9/11. GT47581

	51226 & 51499 arriving into Dereham as a two car set. This set ran most of the line's services during 2009, 30/7/09. Chris Moxon

	51226 & 51503 arriving into Dereham ready to operate the first train of the day, 2/7/08. Chris Moxon

	51226 & 51503 appraoching the outskirts of Dereham, 2/7/08. Chris Moxon

	51226 & 51503 running throguh the woods close to Hardingham, 2/7/08. Chris Moxon

	51226 & 51503 arriving into Kimberley park, one of the Mid Norfolk Railway's three intermediate stations, 2/7/08. Chris Moxon

	51226 stabled at Dereham, 15/3/08. Simon Edwards

	51226 is seen part way through a repaint, 2/8/07. Daniel Adkins

	51226, 51499, 51434, 59117 & 51503 forn a 5-car Class 101 at Dereham, 16/3/07. Martin Reeve

	51226 undergoing restoration work at Dereham, 17/3/06. David Beardmore