Its a case of one in, one out at the Mid Norfolk Railway with regards to their Diesel Multiple Unit fleet during their 25th Anniversary Year.
Despite the Coronavirus Pandemic, it has been a busy year for DMUs at the railway.
The new arrival, a two-car Class 117, follows the departure of a Class 122 Railcar that has left for restoration and of course the arrival of a Class 142 Pacer train from the mainline.
The Class 117 is owned by MNR member Paul Hughes and his son Michael, the two carriages are under restoration.
Michael Hughes said: “This is exciting times for us and our DMU set following the move to its new home at the Mid Norfolk Railway. This will mean that the project will be able to move at a faster pace towards full restoration thanks to the excellent facilities the railways has to offer.
“I would also like to say a big thank you to the management at the MNR for allowing us to make Dereham our new home.”
The Class 122, No. 55009 (no not the BR Class 55 Deltic), has been transported to the Great Central Railway where a restoration will be completed by Renaissance Railcars.
Chris Nesbit, the owner of 55009, said: “My personal circumstances mean that I am now based in the East Midlands, and for some time now I have not been able to work on 55009, due to the distance and of course the time it takes me to travel to the MNR, so the restoration to passenger carrying standard has to be achieved in a different manner”.
Once restored, 550009 will enter service on the Great Central Railway, but it is not the end of the relationship between the MNR and 55009 as Chris, a long time member of the MNR and at one time Trust Council member, said: “I fully intend that once 55009 is restored and back in passenger service I will like to see it return to Norfolk and visit the MNR for a gala weekend”.
George Saville, the MNR's General manager, said, “We are extremely happy to welcome this latest arrival at the railway and of course look forward to a future return of 55009. What this means is that the railway is assembling an important collection of DMUs and therefore in the future, it will be possible to see and ride on multiple DMUs that represent an important but often overlooked part of the UK's rail heritage.”
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WHATS WRONG WITH PACERS I LIKE leyland nationals too. More should be preserved
Well I have to admit, let alone agree, the Mid-Norfolk Railway have had such an infamously challenging & turbulant year, this very year.
I do hope the MNR have a much better season during 2021, Especially with the help of these changes in it’s Railcar fleet through & through.