Merseyside’s Royal Train Departs for Preservation
Posted on 2nd January 2025 at 8:30 pm
UPDATE: Due to a landslip near Gobowen on the weekend of 4th-5th January, the move to Newport did not take place. 507001 remains at Birkenhead North and we will announce a new move date soon.
After 46 years of faithful service, unit 507001 will say farewell to the Merseyrail network for the final time on 6th January 2025.
507001 is set to have a bright future in preservation. From 1st-3rd Augst 2025 it will join over 100 other iconic trains at The Greatest Gathering, a three-day event in Derby organised by train manufacturer Alstom as part of the year-long Railway 200 celebrations.
Alstom have kindly agreed to host 507001 at their Litchurch Lane works between now and the Greatest Gathering event.
After the Greatest Gathering, the train will move to its permanent home at the Tanat Valley Light Railway in Nant Mawr, Shropshire, where it will be on display to educate visitors about the history of the Merseyrail network.
507001 was expected to leave for Derby in December 2024, but blockages on the railway caused by Storm Darragh have delayed its departure for a month.
507001 will leave Birkenhead North depot at 6:05am on 6th January, together with its classmate 507029. Hauled by a diesel locomotive, it will travel via Bidston, Wrexham, Shrewsbury and Hereford to the Unimetals site at Newport docks. Once there, the three coaches of 507001 will be uncoupled and loaded onto lorries for onward transport to Derby.
The journey to Newport can be tracked on railway information sites such as Realtime Trains.
The final days of the 507s
Regular workings by the class ended on 25th August 2024 when the remaining diagrams on the Southport line were converted to 777 operation. After that the units only appeared on an ad hoc basis, covering when a 777 was unavailable at short notice.
Two railtours were operated to celebrate the class. The “Wirral Swan Song” on 15th September saw 507001 & 507003 covering the Wirral Line. On 3rd November, 507001 & 507023 ' worked the “Sefton Sparkler” railtour across the Northern Line.
The latter railtour proved to be the last working for celebrity unit 507001, but other 507s continued to appear sporadically throughout November. The final passenger working was on the morning of 28th November, the 0902 Liverpool Central to Southport, with 507003 and 507029 doing the honours.
