51887 Class 115 Driving Motor Brake Second

Home Railway	West Somerset Railway	Location History	West Somerset Railway Jun 93-Present
Current Location	West Somerset Railway
Current Status	Stored
Current Livery	Non Standard Carmine & Cream
TRA Designation	5
Partner Vehicle(s)	None
Owner	West Somerset Railway
Website	www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk
Record Last Updated	22 August 2026
Preservation Modifications None
Preservation Information 51887 was preserved by the West Somerset Railway in June 1993 (it arrived shortly afterwards, exact date unknown) for use on off peak services. The railway had previously run an interesting variety of different DMU sets but wished to standardise on maintenance, so aquired five Class 115 powercars along with several trailer cars as a direct replacement for the earlier sets. 51887 was repainted into a plain green livery and ran in a 3-car formation with 59678 and 51852. Initially there were two sets but it wasn't long before cars started to fall out of service and one set was concentrated on going forwards. 51887 was later repainted into a non authentic carmine & cream colour and saw use as a third powercar for the railways main operating set (51859/59678/51880), possibly when maintenance of 51880 or 51859 was required. 51887 performed for many years operating WSR services and following several disposals became the last powercar from the "second set" in the 1990's to survive. 51887 later fell out of use itself and spent several years in storage. However in 2009 the vehicle was selected for the most thorough rebuild ever undertaken on the WSR Class 115 fleet. 51887 was moved to Minehead where it received major bodywork repairs. Much work to re-skin and replace the steel framework was progressed on the No2 side. The idea was to have three powercars on rotation, with one under overhaul and two in service. However in an unfortunate case of history repeating itself yet again (the West Somerset on three separate occasions in the past had invested in overhauling Class 100, 103 and 115 vehicles only to halt the work and either sell or scrap the vehicles) the overhaul work on 51887 was stopped and a change in direction saw the vehicle instead stored outside for a long period of time allowing further water ingress. By the late 2010's the railway, who up to that point had maintained that the vehicle would be restored if resources allowed, finally classed the vehicle as a spares donor that was not for restoration. 51887 remains in storage where presumably it provides spare parts for the operational Class 115 powercars on the line.
Future Plans It is expected that 51887 will be scrapped once all components have been recovered from it.

	51887 stored in the back siding at Minehead. It is seen alongside sister W51859 which has fared better of late! 29/6/24. Chris Moxon

	51887 stored at Minehead, 6/8/22. Ian Dobson

	51887 stored at Minehead, the same year the railway announced the vehicle was to be a spares donor rather than a going concern, 21/6/19. Chris Moxon

	51887 looking rather sorry for itself, 24/10/18. Micahel Hughes

	51887 stored at Minehead, awaiting its restoration to restart, 3/9/16. Chris Moxon

	Serious restoration work: view of the cab (drivers side) which has been stripped revealing corrosion to be repaired, 4/9/10. Paul Moxon

	Serious restoration work: view of the cab (secondmans side) which has been stripped revealing corrosion to be repaired, 4/9/10. Paul Moxon

	Serious restoration work: view of the No1 side guards van, which has yet to be tackled, 4/9/10. Paul Moxon

	View of the No2 side engine in the C&W works at Minehead, 4/9/10. Paul Moxon

	Serious restoration work: view of the No1 side re-skin which is progressing well, 4/9/10. Paul Moxon

	Serious restoration work: view of the No1 side re-framing which is progressing well, 4/9/10. Paul Moxon

	51887 stripped down with bodywork repairs progressing at Minehead, 4/10/09. Bill Pugsley

	Thought to be 51887, now sheeted, in storage at Minehead, 15/8/06. Carl Watson

	51887 in storage at Minehead, 24/9/05. Simon Edwards

	51887/59678/51852 stabled at Minehead, 1995. Tim Rogers

	51887 after arrival at Minehead. The plain green livery is freshly applied and there are NSE liveried vehicles in the formation behind. The rear car will likely be either 51663 or 51852, 1995. Mark Turner

	Just two months after being preserved and still in NSE livery, 51887 stands in the bay platform at Minehead. 59678 can be seen behind, 22/8/93. Tim Rogers

Interior

View of the interior which is currently stripped to enable a full body rebuild to take place, 4/9/10. Paul Moxon