59501 Class 117 Trailer Composite Lavatory

Home Railway

Great Central Railway (North)

Location History

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway May 94-Mar 97

Current Location

Great Central Railway (North)

Private Site: MOD Long Marston Mar 97-Jan 98

Current Status

Stored

Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway Jan 98-Sep 98

Current Livery

BR Green

Mangapps Railway Museum Sep 98-Jan 99

TRA Designation

4

Colne Valley Railway Jan 99-Jul 02

Partner Vehicle(s)

51138 & 51151

Great Central Railway (North)Jul 02-Present

Owner

Nottingham Railcar Group

Website

None

Record Last Updated

1 January 2021

Preservation Modifications
None

Preservation Information
59501 was withdrawn from service in March 1994 and was preserved just two months later by Alan and Tracey Lear, spending brief periods of time at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway, the Stratford & Broadway site at MOD Long Marston and the Mangapps Railway Museum.

59501 was later sold to Pressed Steel Heritage and moved to the Colne Valley Railway in 1999. After arriving, 59501 was inserted into Class 116 set 51138 & 51151 making a 3-car set.

Surplus to requirements, 51138, 59501 & 51151were sold onto the Nottingham Railcar Group. The powercars were moved to their base at the Great Central Railway (North) in 2001 and 59501 followed six months later.

In July 2002 59501 was relaunched into traffic at the GCR(N).

With a longer term restoration project in the form of a Class 108 set also in the care of the Railcar Group, 59501 continued in operational service handling most of the GCR(N)'s DMU requirements, but was noted as being out of traffic by 2010.

Since then it has been in storage, waiting for the restoration of Class 116 51131 to be completed.

Future Plans
Once the restoration of 51138 & 51151 has been completed, 59501 will be returned to service.

W59501 stored at Ruddington, 23/2/19. Anthony Christie

W59501 stored at Ruddington, 15/6/14. John Woolley

59501 out of service at Ruddington, 17/7/11. Pyewipe Jcn

59501 is seen inside the shed at Ruddington (Nottingham Transport Centre), 13/1/08. Thomas Horrocks-Taylor

59501 on the Colne Valley Railway, 31/5/01. Stuart Mackay