Date: 06/03/2012

A rotting train - which was once at the cutting edge of rail travel - is to be given a new lease of life by enthusiasts. The LMS-designed Class 502 Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) was the most advanced of its time when it started life in the forties on the suburban lines around Liverpool. Replacing the existing steam-hauled carriages, they had significant improvements - automatic sliding doors, higher speeds and increased frequency. This last remaining 502 was saved from the scrapyard in 1980, after running its final service on Merseyrail. In 2009, the Friends of the 502 group acquired it from the National Railway Museum when they found out there was no room to store it. The group said it was a 'shame to see it go to scrap' so they took it over and stored it at a site in Tebay, Cumbria. They now hope to restore it to 'almost original condition'. [From John McIntyre]

External links

Enthusiasts save historic train

BBC News

A historic train in Cumbria which shaped modern rail travel is set for a new lease of life.

Related images

The future is looking brighter for the remaining two carraiges of the Class 502 EMU which have recently been moved from storage out in the open at Tebay, to new secure storage, under cover at Burscough in West Lancashire where more effective restoration can continue. [See recent news item]
Location: Tebay
Company: Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
01/03/2010 John McIntyre

Scene at Tebay on 1 March 2010, looking over the formation of the old NER route to Kirkby Stephen, with the WCML in the background. Here stand the last survivors of the former LMS Liverpool - Southport emus. Introduced in 1939 and latterly classified 502, these units boasted air operated doors, not unlike those used on the 303 sets in Glasgow some 20 years later.
Location: Tebay
Company: Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
01/03/2010 John McIntyre