55032 Class 121 Driving Motor Brake Second

Home Railway	Wensleydale Railway	Location History	Crewe (Basford Hall) Feb 94-Jun 96
Current Location	Wensleydale Railway		Crewe (Heritage Centre) Jun 96-Sep 05
Current Status	Operational		Wensleydale Railway May 15-Present
Current Livery	BR Green (Half Yellow Panel)
TRA Designation	4	Visited Railways	East Lancashire Railway Jun 94
Owner			Arriva (Mainline) Sep 05-May 15
Website	None		Nemesis Rail (Contract Repairs) Nov 20-Apr 21
Record Last Updated	1 April 2024
Preservation Modifications None, although the vehicle is in far from original condition as its use on the mainline railway in the 21st century required it to be fitted with a modern interior and safetly features such as central door locking etc, all of which it retains.
Preservation Information 55032 was converted into a route learning/Sandite car by British Rail, but it is thought that the modifications for this role were not particularly severe. Preserved in the early 1990’s by Pete Waterman, the vehicle made a brief appearance at the East Lancashire Railway for a diesel event before being relocated to Crewe Basford Hall. The vehicle then spent several years with little operational activity, and was moved to the Heritage Centre site, also at Crewe. It was however reliveried twice during this period, carrying BR Blue and later BR Green. By the year 2000 the vehicle was reported to have been overhauled with seat reuphostery and an engine overhaul having been carried out. The vehicle was advertised for sale at £33,000 by Rail Charter Services. In September 2005, the vehicle was sold to mainline operator Arriva Trains Wales who extensively overhauled and returned the vehicle to mainline passenger use as a shuttle unit for their Cardiff Bay branch line. Although being based in Cardiff for several years, reliability of the unit was often poor, and 55032 was withdrawn from these duties in 2013 and sold to Chiltern Railways. In June 2013, the vehicle was hired by the Llangollen Railway or a weekend to star at their annual railcar gala, it was later retuned to Chiltern Railways at put in store at their Aylesbury depot. In March 2015 the vehicle, still in complete and operational condition, was put up for sale, and was purchased the following month by the Wensleydale Railway, effectively returning the vehicle into preservation after 10 years of mainline ownership. The vehicle was moved to its new home in May and was operating services only three days after arrival. 2015-2017 saw 55032 intensively used on services, operating in different formations. At one stage it was formed for some time as an unusual 3-car set with Class 117 59509 & 51400 55032 was then in and out of service requiring various repairs, during which it was repainted into a more heritage green colour scheme (in 2018). Most unfortunately in February 2020 the vehicle was struck by a fallen tree whilst working services, causing severe front end damage to the No2 end. 55032 was immediately withdrawn from service awaiting repairs. In the autumn the vehicle was transported by road to Nemesis Rail at Burton on Trent for the repairs to be made on a contract basis. This was done relatively swiftly with Class 108 52044 donating its fibreglass roof dome to repair 55032's original (luckily 52044 was being broken up for spares the same year). 55032 was returned to the Wensleydale Railway the following Spring which was timed nicely with the UK's railways reopening again after the Covid-19 pandemic. 55032 returned to passenger service in 2023 and continues to operate services on the Wensleydale Railway.
Future Plans To maintain in service. The railway have indicated that they want to have a stronger collections policy which entails the departure of several DMU's. However 55032 has been listed as one of the vehicles that the railway wishes to retain and focus on keeping in good servicable condition.

	Front end repaint completed along with roof dome replacement salvaged from scrapped Class 108 52044, 2021. Nemesis Rail

	Steelwork repairs complketed at Nemesis Rail, 2021. Nemesis Rail

	The top corner being rebuilt at Nemesis Rail, 2021. Nemesis Rail

	Crash damage repairs being undertaken to 55032 at Nemesis Rail, 2021. Wensleydale Railway

	55032 being prepared at Leeming Bar to depart on road transport to Nemesis Rail for contract crash damage repair work, 12/11/20. Wensleydale Railway

	55032 with a crash damaged No2 end, having hit a tree whilst working services, awaiting repairs at Leeming Bar, 22/2/20. Darren JB

	55032 stands at Leyburn whilst working the 10:30 Leeming Bar-Redmire, 6/10/19. Chris Moxon

	55032 stands at Bedale whilst working the 12:20 Redmire-Leeming Bar, 6/10/19. Chris Moxon

	55032 stabled at a sunny Leeming Bar, 22/6/16. Alex Lomax

	55032, recently returned to preservation, stands at Leeming Bar, 4/7/15. Richard Thornton

	55032 being hauled from Aylsbury to Tyseley and back into preservation, 28/4/15. Mark Miller

	55032, being reliveried again, at Crewe, 20/5/01. David Beardmore

	55032 at Crewe, summer 1997. Paul Moxon

	55032, now in green, at Crewe, 15/2/97. David McGuire

	55032, now repainted into BR Blue, at a Basford Hall open day, 27/8/95. Martin Sprigg

	977842, on dispay at the Basford Hall Yard open day, 24/8/94. Nick Blyth

	977842, on dispay at the Basford Hall Yard open day, 24/8/94. Nick Blyth

	977842, at Basford Hall, Crewe, 21/8/94. Robert Frise

	55032 outside the shed at Castlecroft, Bury, 11/6/94. Nick Blyth

	977842, seen at a East Lancs diesel event, June 1994. Bill Read

	977842 during its brief visit to the East Lancs, running over Summerseat viaduct, 6/94. Martyn Hearson

Interior

	The rebuilt No2 end cab following completion by Nemesis Rail, 2021. Nemesis Rail

	Crash damage repairs being undertaken to 55032 at Nemesis Rail, 2021. Wensleydale Railway

	55032's passenger saloon, unchanged from its Arriva days, 6/10/19. Chris Moxon

	55032's guards van, unchanged from its Arriva days, 6/10/19. Chris Moxon