Class 502 coach at MoD Kineton (Mark Smith)
The Friends of the 502 Group was founded in November 2007. Our aim is to secure the future of the last remaining Class 502 Electric Multiple Unit and restore this unique train for posterity.
Read on to find out more about us and our plans.
The Friends of the 502 will have a stand at Southport Model Railway Show, which takes place the weekend of 27/28 September 2008. Come along to ask us about the group or to sign up as a member. The show takes place at Birkdale High School, signposted from all major roads into Southport and approximately 20 minutes walk away from Hillside railway station. Visit Southport MRS's web site for full details.
By 1914, thanks to the efforts of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, commuters on the suburban lines out of Liverpool Exchange enjoyed a frequent service of electric trains. The electric network consisted of the Southport and Ormskirk lines, together with now-closed branches to Crossens and Gladstone Dock.
Further improvements followed in 1939 when the London Midland & Scottish Railway began to introduce new Electric Multiple Units onto the network. The new trains offered features such as automatic air-operated sliding doors, which are taken for granted today, but were considered state of the art by the standards of the time. By 1941, a total of 152 vehicles had been built, formed of 34 three-car sets and 25 two-car sets.
Despite the cutbacks of the Beeching era, the trains — later designated Class 502 by British Rail — continued to offer sterling service to thousands of passengers every day on the Ormskirk and Southport lines for nearly 40 years.
From 1971, the title “Merseyrail” began appearing on the sides of the trains. This was the first sign of the substantial investment which was to take place over the next decade. The existing rail routes were incorporated into a new integrated mass transit network, sweeping away Exchange station in favour of the new underground “Link” tunnel to Liverpool Central, opened in 1977.
The 502s continued to run on the new system (where their routes were now known as the Northern Line). However, they were now in their twilight years, and in 1978 new modern units (the class 507s) began to arrive. Over the next 2 years the 502s were gradually withdrawn, and the final 502 service train ran on 1st September 1980, followed by a farewell tour 5 days later.
A 2-car set was earmarked for preservation and was acquired by the York-based National Railway Museum. The unit was kept at the Steamport museum in Southport, where a team of volunteers beautifully restored it into its original LMS colours. The unit made its public debut in 1986 at the Mersey Railway centenary celebrations, operating a special shuttle service to Birkenhead North. It appeared on special services on the Merseyrail network for several years afterwards.
The unit remained at Steamport until 1997, when the museum closed and relocated to the Ribble Steam Railway in Preston. There was no role for the 502 at the new site, so it was transferred back to the NRM's ownership. Due to a lack of space for exhibits at the NRM, it was decided to place the unit into storage at the Ministry of Defence's depot at Kineton, Warwickshire.
The secure nature of MoD Kineton means that the unit is safe from vandals, but the elements have not been kind to the train. Although the interior is more or less intact, water has entered through holes in the bodywork and through open doors and windows. In parts, the train's internal wood panelling has started to rot.
For more pictures showing the current state of the unit, click here and here (thanks to Jason Lovell for these).
In March 2007 the NRM, in a reply to an e-mail enquiry, said this:
The NRM's conservation budget is fairly limited, and we do not have the resources available to bring the 502 unit to York, and then to restore it and display it. We have therefore reluctantly taken the decision to dispose of the two vehicles and are currently seeking other museums or preservation groups capable of restoring the unit to its former glory. The decision to remove the Class 502 from the NRM collection was not taken lightly, but we feel that the long-term future of this unit would be better served by passing it to another organisation with the right combination of money and manpower to restore it, as had been the intention when it was first preserved twenty-seven years ago.
EMU preservation is unfortunately a neglected aspect of railway heritage, with only a handful of organisations working to preserve units, hence the formation of this new group.
The inaugural AGM of the Friends of the 502 Group was held at the East Lancashire Railway on 24th November 2007. Since then, a small committee has been driving things forward, and positive discussions have been held with relevant parties about the future of the unit.
We would like to hear from anyone with an interest in this unit or railway preservation generally, no matter what your level of expertise. Any and all assistance will be gratefully received!
Download the membership application form (MS Word format) and return it to us at the e-mail address contained within. All details are kept private and will only be used to contact you with updates and information on group activities.
View the constitution (MS Word format).
It is expected that the yearly subscription for group members will be £10, however there is no need to send any money now.
Thanks to Clive Hanley, Mark Smith and the Suburban Electric Railway Association for giving permission to use their photographs on this site.
Further copying and reproduction of photographs is prohibited without permission from the original photographer.
