We are excited to announce that our 2-car Class 108 Diesel Multiple Unit set will return to passenger traffic for the first time since 2019 and operate our services on Thursday 22nd August.
Owned and maintained by volunteers of the Weardale Railway Trust, the set consists of twin-power cars 50980 and 52054. Both cars were constructed by British Railway's Derby Works with DMBS '50980' built in 1959 and DMCL '52054' in 1960.
Both cars originated from different sets, but were partnered together when they entered preservation from British Rail main line service in 1993 and spent most of their lives at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway in Cornwall until they were purchased by the Weardale Railway Trust in 2018. After a period of maintenance and deep cleaning, the set operated some services on the Weardale Line in October 2019.
Since that time the set has been out of traffic and has undergone a major mechanical overhaul throughout, with areas of restoration by our small, but very dedicated team of engineering volunteers at Wolsingham Depot.
This is very much an ongoing project. Earlier this year the tired and cracked marmoleum flooring in 52054 was stripped back to the plywood subfloor and recovered with a new linoleum covering, with the seat frames refurbished and heating ducts cleaned and polished before these were reinstalled. We plan to give 50980 the same treatment after the end of this operating season.
It is also intended to repaint the entire set eventually, however before we can do this, repairs are required to the steel cab and gangway ends first where they have corroded in places. Fortunately, being a lightweight set, most of the body is of aluminium construction with these panels being in very good and sound condition.
One of the major restoration tasks undertaken has been the complete strip down, repair and repaint of the roofs on both cars back in 2021, which necessitated replacing 600 rivets that had failed and allowed water to ingress into the passenger saloons. Some of the ceiling panels still require replacing, but the set is now watertight and this job will be tackled as time allows.
With a return to service pending, there has been a phenomenal effort by our volunteers to refurbish parts of the interior of the set over the past few months, including the driving cabs, and undertake repairs to the saloon lighting and other electrical systems throughout both cars.
Test runs were conducted back in May, July and August of this year to identify and rectify any remaining issues, with further maintenance carried out on the gearboxes and electro-pneumatic valves on 52054. During this time volunteers also undertook conversion training and assessments to operate the unit.
The set's return to traffic will provide much needed resilience and operational flexibility to our fleet of diesel railcars, as well as providing heritage traction with a greater seating capacity, which is required for the days we operate between Stanhope and Bishop Auckland, without having to rely solely on our Class 142 pacer for our busier days.
The Class 108's first days of operation will be on Thursday 22nd August and Bank Holiday Monday 26th August with further running days planned for September as more of our drivers and guards are passed out to operate it safely. The set's return to traffic has been much anticipated and we very much look forward to seeing it carrying passengers once more!
Photo captions:
1 - 50980 during test runs near Witton-le-Wear - 17th July 2024 (Photo: Tom Hatton)
2 - 52054 during test runs near Witton-le-Wear - 17th July 2024 (Photo: Tom Hatton)
3 - Class 108 at Stanhope Station with 52054 nearest the camera - 20th August 2024 (Photo: Tom Hatton)
4 - Class 108 at Stanhope Station with 50980 nearest the camera - 20th August 2024 (Photo: Tom Hatton)
5 - Class 108 arrives at Stanhope for the first time since 2019 - 20th August 2024 (Photo: John Askwith)