55027 Class 121 Driving Motor Brake Second

Home Railway	Ecclesbourne Valley Railway	Location History	Barry Island Railway Feb 14-Oct 14
Current Location	Ecclesbourne Valley Railway		Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Oct 14-Present
Current Status	Stored
Current Livery	Non Standard Red
TRA Designation	5
Owner	WyvernRail PLC
Website	evrdmugroup.wix.com
Record Last Updated	12 November 2024
Preservation Modifications 55027 remains heavily modified following its departmental operations on the mainline and continued to receive custom modifications to suit its role as a works vehicle.
Preservation Information 55027 operated in mainline passenger services into the early 2000's with Silverlink on the Bedford-Bletchley line. In common with many of the single units, 55027 was latterly converted to a departmental vehicle numbered 977975 around 2003. Used by Network Rail as an emergency train for the Severn Tunnel, its bodywork was heavily altered for this purpose. After being deemed surplus to requirements, 55027 was purchased as a spare parts donor by Arriva trains and was heavily stripped before passing into preservation at the Barry Island Railway in 2014. In April 2014 the vehicle, which had been inspected by the new owners, was put up for sale after realisation that restoration was financially not viable for them. In October of that year a sale had been agreed and 55027 moved to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway. Immediately an appeal was launched to sponsor all of the mechanical components that had been removed from the vehicle and also to sponsor the work to externally repaint the vehicle as well. The railway decided to operate the vehicle as a departmental permanent way DMU, taking advantage of the heavy modifications that had already been undertaken on the vehicle. Restoration to operational condition started after arrival. In December 2014 the exterior bodysides and roof were shot-blasted swiftly followed by the sealing of roof vents and the prepping/priming of the bodysides. On the (much modified) interior, the area was given a good clean out and the lighting was made to operte again, essential due to the lack of windows to let natural light in! Pressures on the railcar restoration team to progress other restorations as well as keeping the rest of the railway maintained caused work on 55027 to slow, with tasks progressed when time allowed. Winter 2016/17 saw some exterior work completed, with the fibreglass roof domes resealed and refitted and some sections of bodywork painted in a maroon gloss. In 2018 the restoration was stopped and the vehicle stored, later being moved down the line. After some years, the project to convert it into a service vehicle was declared "non viable" and abandoned. 55027 remains in storage with an uncertain future.
Future Plans Railway officials have stated that there is no viable future for 55027 at the railway, so it is expected it will be sold or disposed of in some way in the future.

	977975 stored at Shottle, 27/7/24. Darren JB

	977975 stored at Wirksworth, 26/4/19. Darren JB

	977975 stored at Wirksworth, 19/5/18. Chris Moxon

	Exterior restoration progresses with 977975 having sections put into red gloss, 5/2/17. Leigh Gration

	The roof dome, repaired and refitted to the cab of 977975, 25/10/16. James Hallam

	977975, part way through restoration and progressed as time and resources allow, at Wirksworth, 28/9/15. Chris Moxon

	The bodyside after being prepped and primed, 12/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group

	The roof after sand-blasting, 12/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group

	977975 during sand-blasting, 16/11/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group

	977975 shortly after arrival, 10/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group

	977975 negotiating Wirksworh town during transportation to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, 10/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group

	977975, just after arrival at Barry Island from Cardiff Canton, 7/2/14. Nick Wilcock

Interior

The vastly modified interior is seen after the lighting was returned to use, 12/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group