50980 Class 108 Driving Motor Brake Second

Home Railway	Weardale Railway	Location History	Bodmin & Wenford Railway Aug 93-Mar 18
Current Location	Weardale Railway		Weardale Railway Mar 18-Present
Current Status	Operational
Current Livery	BR Green (Speed Whiskers)
TRA Designation	4
Partner Vehicle(s)	52054
Owner	Weardale Railway Trust
Website	None
Record Last Updated	16 November 2024
Preservation Modifications None
Preservation Information 50980 was preserved in 1993 with partner 52054 for use on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, being purchased by their supporting organisation the Bodmin & Wenford Railway Trust. 50980 was delivered by rail from Longsight, its last mainline movement. The vehicle was made operational and painted into its original BR Green colour scheme to fit in with the line’s 1950’s/1960’s image. Other Class 108's departed the line but 50980 was retained and provided off peak services to the railway for many years. In 2017 the vehicle was repainted. In 2018 the vehicle was offered for sale as its place on the railway had been taken by recently preserved Class 121 55020. It was quickly purchased along with partner 52054 , the set changing hands for almost £50,000, and moved onto the Weardale Railway in March. They were given a deep clean internally and a lot of mechanical work was undertaken before the set made its debut in October 2019 for the annual railcar association convention. It was recognised that the vehicles were "far from finished", nevertheless they were now able to return to regular services and be improved further on a rolling basis. For a time 50980 & 52054 operated heritage services at the Weardale Railway, proving useful when passenger demand outstripped the capacity of the resident single unit 55012, or when the latter required maintenence. Unfortunately in March 2022 a shunting accident resulted in severe collision damage to 52054, withdrawing the vehicle from service whilst it was decided what route to take. As a consequence, 50980, whilst remaining operational, was placed out of service without a partner to run with. In 2024, some refresh work was undertaken to the cab interior, along with fixing saloon lighting and other electrical systems. In August 2024, 50980 returned to traffic following completion of the minor repairs to itself and the major repairs to 52054.
Future Plans It is intended to repaint 50980 once repairs have been carried out to the steel cab and gangway ends.

	M50980/M52054 depart Wolsingham whilst working the 13:15 Stanhope-Bishop Auckland. This was the first day of service for the vehicle after its sale and relocation to the Weardale Railway, 5/10/19. Chris Moxon

	M50980/M52054 at Stanhope waiting to depart with the 13:15 to Bishop Auckland. This was the first day of service for the vehicle after its sale and relocation to the Weardale Railway, 5/10/19. Chris Moxon

	M50980/M52054, not long after repainting, at Bodmin General, 3/3/18. David Nelson-Brown

	50980 stabled at Bodmin, 8/9/07. Simon Edwards

	50980 & 52054 in service, 7/7/07. David Beardmore

	50980 & 52054 rest at Bodmin Parkway, 1/7/06. Michael Wadman

	50980 seen on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, 24/3/01. Steve Hodgson

Interior

	The cab (drivers side) of M50980, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	The cab (secondmans side) of M50980, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	Front passenger saloon of M50980, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	Middle passenger saloon of M50980, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	The guards van of M50980, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon