Class 507 Preservation Society

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Let’s preserve 507001

Posted on 1st October 2023 at 10:00 am

This page is to find people interested in preserving a class 507 train.

Since its introduction in 1978, the Merseyrail class 507 fleet has conveyed generations of Merseysiders — to work, to school, to days out at the seaside, to nights out on the town.

The introduction of the new class 777 units means that the venerable fleet, built by British Rail Engineering Limited at York Works, will soon disappear. Several units have already been scrapped, and the rest will be gone within the next twelve months.

We propose to preserve 507001 to ensure that the class's contribution to the region's railway history is not forgotten. This website has been set up to gauge interest and get organised.

Why 507001?

• The first of its class
• Has carried royalty – conveying HM Queen Elizabeth II from Moorfields to Kirkby on 25th October 1978
• Likely to be among the last units withdrawn in summer 2024.

Note that although 507001 has been identified as the ideal unit to preserve, this may change if there is a good reason to take another unit instead.

The plan

1. Publicise the campaign and identify people who are interested in forming a group to preserve a unit. (This is where we are now)
2. If enough people are interested, we will organise an initial meeting to discuss the way forward and form a committee.
3. If the meeting is successful, we will then open discussions with the unit's current owners, Angel Trains, with a view to securing it for preservation upon withdrawal from Merseyrail.
4. At the same time, we will work to identify a suitable storage location, ideally on a secure site somewhere in Merseyside or the North West.
5. Raise the funds to move the unit through crowdfunding.
6. The unit will be cosmetically restored and painted in a heritage livery (either BR blue/grey or Merseytravel yellow/white/grey). The interior would remain in as-withdrawn condition, albeit cleaned and repaired.
7. Long-term, subject to funding, there may be opportunities to operate the unit on a heritage railway. This could be with a diesel locomotive, or using battery technology. Either method would require modifications to be done, however such modifications would be done sympathetically and in a way that they could be reversed in the future.

Who are we?

• Robert Hampton was a founder member of the Friends of the 502 Group, which successfully rescued the ex-LMS class 502 Liverpool/Southport/Ormskirk EMU when it was under threat of scrapping. He now wants to preserve an example of the next generation of Merseyside electrics. NB This project is completely independent of the class 502.

Are you interested?

Time is running out! The 507s will be withdrawn by mid-2024. There is, so far, no organisation or individual willing or able to take on a unit. Once withdrawn from service, units have made the one-way trip to the scrapyard within a few days.

To get a 507 preserved, we need:-

• Contacts in the railway industry
• Financial support
• People with engineering/mechanical know-how
• Help with admin tasks, accounting, publicity, show attendance, etc

Even if you don’t feel like you can offer any of the above, please do fill in the form if you want to see a 507 preserved. We will find something for you to do!

Contact us

If you have any queries, please contact hello@class507.org.uk.