56352 Class 101 Driving Trailer Composite Lavatory

Home Railway	National Railway Museum	Location History	East Lancashire Railway Aug 05-Aug 12
Current Location	North Norfolk Railway		North Norfolk Railway Aug 12-Present
Current Status	Operational
Current Livery	BR Green (Half Yellow Panel)
TRA Designation	4
Partner Vehicle(s)	51228
Owner	National Railway Museum
Website	railwaymuseum.org.uk
Record Last Updated	15 December 2024
Preservation Modifications None
Preservation Information 56352 was latterly part of set 101659 and was withdrawn from the Manchester area in the early 2000’s. It was selected for preservation by the National Railway Museumand became part of the National Collection, along with its partner, 51192 . 56352 was never moved to the National Railway Museum, being put on a seven year loan to the East Lancashire Railway where it arrived in as-withdrawn condition in 2005. 56352 was in good condition however, so was launched into passenger service briefly in November 2005, before being taken out of service a year later for a repaint into BR Green. 56352 & 51192 then operated ELRDMU services during the 2007-2012 seasons, running midweek in the summer and at weekends during the low season. In 2009, repairs to the floor in the toilet area at the rear of the vehicle were made, the old one having rotted beyond repair. At first it was the minstay of operations, however its workload was gradually shared following the introuduction of the line's Class 122 in 2009 and Class 108 in 2011. 56352 & 51192 were moved to the North Norfolk Railwayin 2012 as the original loan agreement had expired. The NRM agreed a five year loan with the NNR, who were to use 56352 & 51192 as a supporting set for the line's very intensively used Class 101 set, 51228 & 56062, as 51228 in particular was in need of some time out for overhaul. Regular entry into NNR service was delayed however folowing some mechanical problems discovered on 51192 which had to be rectified over the winter months. During the 2013 season, 51228 was dogged with mechanical problems, but was finally made reliable during June. 56352 then ran all of the railway's DMU services for the latter part of 2013. In January 2014, 56352 was withdrawn from service due to rotten door posts. These were temporarily repaired slowly over the summer and in September the vehicle was fitted with replacement cab end buffers as well as new batteries. It was then returned to traffic with 51192. By the end of the 2016 season the vehicle's bodily condition was too bad to ignore any further! Brought into Carriage & Wagon in January 2017, it received a reasonable level of bodywork repairs considering that limited time and resources were available. All visible rotten areas were welded up and some limited framework repairs were done to the worst areas around the corridor and cab ends. All areas that were worked on had replacement sections of outer skin welded in, following which the entire coach was prepped for paint. The roof was also stripped back to bare metal and fully repainted, following which the bodysides got a fresh coat of BR Green, which transformed the vehicle's appearance. During its time in works, a 2-charactor route indicator box was fitted to the front (non working - cosmetic only) returning it to its original 1950's condition. April 2017 saw the repainted vehicle return to service in time for the main running season, with its loan from the NRM extended by a further five years. 56352 & 51192 then proceeded to operate all NNR DMU services for the 2017 season, as the return to traffic of the railway's primary operating set (51228/56062) was suffering from delays. Early 2018 saw the interior seating of 56352 reupholstered, the vehicle finally losing its Regional Railways 1990's colours! The chosen material was the striking Network SouthEast "Blue Blaze" material, which returned the interior to a 1980's colour scheme. During February, partner 51192 suffered a terminal engine failure withdrawing it from service, so the unscathed 56352 was quickly removed from the set and reformed with 51188 which had been hired in to cover for other vehicles receiving works attention. 56352 was not used during the 2020 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic which led to the railway favouring compartment stock over open stock. 56352 returned to service in 2021 after open stock and DMU services were reintroduced. The vehicle had a particularly busy July & August, as following record passenger numbers, for the first time the railway's summer holiday timetable (which has two late afternoon DMU trips) was booked as a 4-car set rather than the usual two. During the autumn the opportunity was taken to return first class seating to the front compartment, as 56352 was one of the Regional Railways 101's which lost its original seats when declassified in the 1990's. The replacement seats were salvaged from Class 108 52044 which was in the process of being scrapped. The 2022 season saw 56352 the most favoured of all the resident trailer cars, clocking up 3,654 miles in service. For the 2023 season, sister trailer car 56062 was out of traffic for bodywork repairs, so as the only operational vehicle facing Sheringham 56352 had a bumper year being used on most service days, paired with both 51188 & 51228 depending on which powercar was available at the time. 56352 ran for 3,999 miles. In September, the pressure was relieved by the entry into service of Class 104 DTCL 56182, allowing (the by now cosmetically poor) 56352 to be kept as a servicable spare. By 2024 the exterior condition of 56352 had become very poor, and it remained in its "spare set" formation with 51228 seeing use only when absolutely needed. 56352 remains in service and is currently paired with 51228 whilst 56062 is undergoing bodywork repairs. However the set's poor cosmetic condition means it is only used if the more presentable set is out of service.
Future Plans 56352 is now in need of some bodywork repairs and a repaint, but with several vehicles ahead of it in the queue, it will have to wait some time for this work to be done.

	M56352/M51188 pass close to a field of poppies, just outside Sheringham en-route to Holt. Six summer seasons in the strong Norfolk sun have not done M56352 any favours, and it is now looking tired once again! 14/6/22. Leigh Caudwell

	M56352 (left) crossing E56062 at Weybourne during the Mixed Traction Gala, which saw the first passing of two Metro Cammell sets along the line since BR days, 25/7/21. Chris Moxon

	M56352/M51188 make an unusual manoeuvre into the west end headshunt of Sheringham's carriage sidings. Not a place normally associated with DMU's, it was during a Mixed Traction Gala where a 4-car set was diagrammed to split and run round itself to allow for other moves later in the day. The "main line", which sees DMU traffic very regularly, is on the right, 25/7/21. Chris Moxon

	M56352 (right) coupled to E51228 on a test run. This was the first 4-car DMU to run on the line since the 1960's and was made possible for the Mixed Traffic Gala event with the hire of powercar 51188 and substantial electrical repairs to the multiple working located in the cabs of 56352 & 51228, both of which were damaged, 15/4/19. Chris Moxon

	M56352 with E56062 behind, stabled at Weybourne, 22/2/18. Chris Moxon

	M56352/M51192 paused for a photo stop between Sheringham and Weybourne whilst working an empty coaching stock service before the start of the day's services, 17/10/17. Chris Moxon

	The finished vehicle, with only the corridor connection still to refit, at Weybourne, 14/4/17. Chris Moxon

	Now in gloss with lining being progressed, inside Weybourne's Carriage & Wagon shed, 16/2/17. Chris Moxon

	Now in gloss with lining being progressed, inside Weybourne's Carriage & Wagon shed, 10/2/17. Chris Moxon

	M56352 in undercoat, inside Weybourne's Carriage & Wagon shed, 3/2/17. Chris Moxon

	Primer covering any bare metal or filler, 26/1/17. Chris Moxon

	M56352's bodywork repairs completed, with the bodysides now rubbed down ready for repainting, inside Weybourne's Carriage & Wagon shed, 6/1/17. Chris Moxon

	M56352/M51192 stand at Sheringham with the 11:15 to Holt during half term week operations, 18/2/15. Chris Moxon

	During engineering works within the yard during the railway's closed season, M56352/M51192 were stabled in the station area at Weybourne, 23/1/15. Chris Moxon

	M56352 at Weybourne whilst out of traffic undergoing door repairs, 19/10/14. Chris Moxon

	M56352/M51192 in service at Holt, 17/6/13. Chris Moxon

	M56352/M51192 arrive into Bury Bolton Street (Platform 4) with the 10:00 Heywood-Rawtenstall service during the annual DMU Day, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon

	M56352/M51192 at Bury Bolton Street (Platform 4) with the 10:00 Heywood-Rawtenstall service during the annual DMU Day, 17/3/12. Chris Moxon

	56352 gleams in the sunshine passing Heap Bridge during the 2011 DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon

	56352 having just crossed the motorway at Heap Bridge during the 2011 DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon

	Corridor end view of 56352 standing at Rawtenstall during the 2011 DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon

	56352 stands at Rawtenstall during the 2011 DMU Day, 19/3/11. Chris Moxon

	56352 arriving into Ramsbottom, 30/1/10. Chris Moxon

	56352 departing Ramsbottom, 30/1/10. Chris Moxon

	56352 at Bury running shutles in conjunction with the ELR's Santa Specials, 20/12/09. Chris Moxon

	56352 stabled at Bury, 14/3/09. David Beardmore

	51192 arrives into Irwell Vale during the 2009 DMU Day, 7/2/09. Chris Moxon

	51192 arrives into Bury during the 2009 DMU Day, 7/2/09. Chris Moxon

	56352 passing the crossing at Townsend Fold, the repaint almost being complete, 6/12/08. Simon Cross

	56352 leaving Irwell Vale during the diesel gala, 2/7/08. Ian McDonald

	The 12:55 Rawtenstall - Heywood passes Townsend Fold on the set's first day in traffic, 5/11/05. Simon Cross

	The National Railway Museum's 54352 and 51192 outside Castlecroft, 17/8/05. Simon Cross

Interior

	Newly installed first class seats inside M56352, salvaged from Class 108 W52044. The originals were lost in the 1990's when M56352 went through the Regional Railways refurbishment, 22/10/21. Chris Moxon

	Newly installed first class seats inside M56352, salvaged from Class 108 W52044. The originals were lost in the 1990's when M56352 went through the Regional Railways refurbishment, 22/10/21. Chris Moxon

	The middle saloon inside M56352, which was reupholstered in Network SouthEast moquette in 2018, 22/10/21. Chris Moxon

	The middle saloon inside M56352, which was reupholstered in Network SouthEast moquette in 2018, 22/10/21. Chris Moxon

	The rear saloon inside M56352, which was reupholstered in Network SouthEast moquette in 2018, 22/10/21. Chris Moxon

	A passenger vestibule inside M56352, substantially unchanged from its final days on the national network, 22/10/21. Chris Moxon

	M56352's rear saloon, 1/4/08. Anon Mouse