“The £1 Train” raises over £10,000!

Posted on 30th May 2024 at 6:44 pm

Stretch goals announced as Crowdfunder campaign reaches original target after just four weeks.

The appeal to raise funds to transport Class 507 train number 507001 to Shropshire has reached its Crowdfunding target with over four weeks still to go.

After a whirlwind of publicity surrounding the train, which is being purchased from Angel Trains for a nominal £1 fee, donations continue to roll in from across the country. “The £1 train” has caught the public's imagination, even featuring briefly in BBC One's Wednesday lunchtime news bulletin.

Screenshot of BBC News showing 507001

The Crowdfunder campaign reached its original target of £10,000 on Wednesday morning, and has raised a further £2,000 in the following 24 hours.

Now, the Class 507 Preservation Society, led by its chairman Robert Hampton, can announce that the Crowdfunder page will remain open with a “stretch” target of £15,000.

The additional £5,000, will be used to fund the purchase of a generator. As well as providing power for the society's tools, it will also allow us to power the train’s on-board systems such as lights and doors, and keep its batteries charged. While this won't permit the train to move, it will give the appearance of a working train, making it look like it is in the station ready to depart on its next journey.

We will also purchase equipment to kit out our workshop van, affectionately nicknamed “Bunty”. This will allow us to keep on top of the regular maintenance that this complex piece of engineering requires.

There are still plenty of rewards available, including the “sponsor a seat” reward which offers the chance to have your name embroidered into the fabric of a seat of your choice.

The crowdfunder closes on the afternoon of 29th June 2024. You can pledge by going to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/preserve-a-class-507-emu or by following the link on our home page, class507.org.uk.

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