52054 Class 108 Driving Motor Composite Lavatory

Home Railway	Weardale Railway	Location History	Bodmin & Wenford Railway Aug 93-Mar 18
Current Location	Weardale Railway		Weardale Railway Mar 18-Present
Current Status	Under Overhaul (Collision Damage)
Current Livery	BR Green (Speed Whiskers)	Visited Railways	Barrow Hill 23-Nov 23
TRA Designation	4
Partner Vehicle(s)	50980
Owner	Weardale Railway Trust
Website	None
Record Last Updated	16 November 2024
Preservation Modifications None
Preservation Information 52054 was preserved in 1993 with partner 50980 for use on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, being purchased by their supporting organisation the Bodmin & Wenford Railway Trust. 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. 52054 provided off peak services to the railway for many years. In 2017 the vehicle was repainted and gained speed whiskers. 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 50980, 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 52054 & 50980 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. In 2023 it was decided that 52054 would be repaired by contractors using donor vehicle 51572, which had been purchased for the purpose. 52054 was moved to Barrow Hill for the repairs to be undertaken, and then returned home later the same year. In 2024, the flooring was stripped back to plywood and recovered with new lino, the seat frames were refurbished and heating ducts cleaned before being reinstalled. Other repairs included work to the cab interior, fixing saloon lighting and other electrical systems. In August 2024, 52054 returned to traffic following completion of the repairs.
Future Plans It is intended to repaint 52054 once repairs have been carried out to the steel cab and gangway ends.

	The repaired M52054 leads M50980 past Kingfisher Halt with a well loaded 14:10 Stanhope-Bishop Auckland service, 26/8/24. John Dinsdale

	M52054/M50980 stabled at Stanhope the day before the first day of service for the vehicle after its sale and relocation to the Weardale Railway, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	M52054 seen on a wooded section of the Bodmin & Wenford Railway shortly after repainting, 2017. David Nelson-Brown

	52054 & 50980 round the curve into Bodmin Parkway, 30/5/12. Sicco Dierdorp

	52054 stabled at Bodmin, 8/9/07. Simon Edwards

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

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

	52054/50980 at Bodmin Road, 20/8/01. David McGuire

	52054 seen on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, 24/3/01. Steve Hodgson

	52054/50980 at Bodmin Road, 10/8/98. David McGuire

	An early view of 52054 at Bodmin, 8/95. Hugh Llewelyn

Interior

	The cab (drivers side) of M52054, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	The cab (secondmans side) of M52054, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	First class passenger saloon of M52054, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	Middle passenger saloon of M52054, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon

	Rear passenger saloon of M52054, 4/10/19. Chris Moxon