56289 Class 121 Driving Trailer Second
Home Railway |
Location History |
Battlefield Line Aug 93-Jul 05 |
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Current Location |
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Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Jul 05-May 09 |
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Current Status |
Under Overhaul |
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East Lancashire Railway May 09-Present |
Current Livery |
BR Blue (Full Yellow End) |
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TRA Designation |
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Partner Vehicle(s) |
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Owner |
Private |
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Website |
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Record Last Updated |
1 October 2020 |
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Preservation Modifications |
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Preservation Information Thought to have been placed into service relatively quickly, the vehicle ran as a “suburban power trailer” set with Class 116 DMBS 51131, being repainted into BR Blue & Grey in 1996 to match. However the decision to rationalise the extensive Battlefield fleet resulted in 56289 being sold on, and was moved to the embryonic Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in 2005. Whilst there little work was required to the vehicle, but it operated as both a DMU (Class 117 DMBS 51360 being an aesthetically suitable partner) and as a push-pull trailer car for their 1-in-27 short Ravenstor branch which was operated by diesel locomotives. The line also had a Class 122 single unit, 55006, similar to the Class 121 single units 56289 was built to operate with. 56289 was repainted Green, presumably to match 55006 and this more historically accurate role. However a decision by the line’s DMU group to move away from power-trailer configurations resulted in 56289 being put up for sale in 2009, being relocated to the East Lancashire Railway who had just finished the restoration of Class 122 55001. The vehicle arrived at the ELR in May 2009 and following a quick fault rectification session was in service in the line by July. In November 2009 the vehicle was fully repainted into BR Blue, to match its new partner, 55001. 56289 had now therefore carried all four of its BR liveries in preservation. During 2016, 56289 was withdrawn from service to have some interior repairs and restoration, as it had become tatty. Sadly, asbestos was discovered and the entire floor had to be removed and replaced which became a much more involved task than originally envisaged. By 2017, it was descided to halt the repairs to 56289 as the railway were planning to host a large DMU gala during November 2017, and it was felt the volunteer time would be better spent ensuring that the 20 year restoration of the flagship Class 105 set would be completed in time. The repairs to 56289 were therefore temporarily suspended and the vehicle stored. January 2018, as intended, saw the repairs restart on 56289. The cab front was dismantled internally and several sections of steel removed from the bodysides to instigate repairwork. The progress was to sadly prove short-lived, as a major reorganisation of the spare parts on site had to take priority over 56289. As the Covid-19 lockdown measures began to ease in the summer of 2020, once again a further attack on 56289's bodywork was able to be launched. |
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Future Plans |
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W56289 showing off some new cab metalwork, 3/8/20. Bury Unit Team |
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W56289 showing off some new cab metalwork, 3/8/20. Bury Unit Team |
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Volunteer Steve Wright cleaning sealant off the cab roof. This is fibreglass and will be sanded back to the original gel coat, repaired as required and primed with an epoxy fibreglass primer before eventual fitting, 4/2/20. Bury Unit Team |
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Cab and bodyside repairs in evidence inside Buckley Wells shed, 20/2/18. Kevin Dowd |
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W56289 waiting patiently for its interior repairs to re-start outside Buckley Wells shed, 8/7/17. Richard Moxon |
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W56289 & W55001 at Bury with the 14:25 Rawtenstall-Heywood during the DMU Day, 16/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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Corridor end view of W56289 at Bury with the 14:25 Rawtenstall-Heywood during the DMU Day, 16/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289/W55001 wait to depart Bury Bolton Street (Platform 3) with the 10:10 Bury-Heywood service during the annual DMU Day, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289/W55001 wait to depart Heywood with the 10:40 Heywood-Rawtenstall service during the annual DMU Day, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289/W55001arrive into Ramsbottom with the 11:55 Rawtenstall-Heywood crossing M51922 on the 11:30 Heywood-Rawtenstall service during the annual DMU Day, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289/W55001 stand at Ramsbottom with the 11:55 Rawtenstall-Heywood during the annual DMU Day, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289 & W55001 arrive slowly into Bury on the tight curve from Heywood during the DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon |
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W56289 & W55001 wait for thge NRM's Class 101 unit to pass at Bury with a Rawtenstall-Heywood service during the DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon |
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W56289 & W55001 near Heap Bridge Quarry having just crossed the M66 motorway with a Rawtenstall-Heywood service during the DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon |
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W56289 & W55001 wait time at Rawtenstall with a Heywood service during the DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon |
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W56289 & W55001 wait time at Rawtenstall with a Heywood service during the DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon |
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W56289 shortly after arrival at the East Lancashire Railway in Baron St sidings, 8/09. Chris Adams |
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54289 in service as a loco-hauled push pull trailer, 14/1/06. |
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54289 soon after arriving on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, it sits on the line's fierce 1 in 27 gradient paired with Class 117 DMBS 51360. Neil Ferguson-Lee |
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M54289 on the Battlefield Railway, 2/2/99. Stuart Mackay |
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54289 after arriving at the Battlefield Railway. Ian Francis |
Interior
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The (extremely) stripped out cab to allow full bodywork repairs to be carried out, 3/8/20. Bury Unit Team |
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W56289's stripped out interior part way through floor replacement, 21/2/16. Kevin Dowd |
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W56289's stripped out interior part way through floor replacement, 21/2/16. Kevin Dowd |
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W56289's cab, driver's side, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289's cab, secondman's side, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289's front saloon, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289's middle saloon, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |
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W56289's rear saloon, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon |