The Great Central Railway is renowned for its exquisite steam locomotives and heritage diesels, but the latest two trains to arrive at the railway in Leicestershire are rather different.

The latest acquisitions are two single-car Class 153 diesel multiple units that date from the early 1990s and are still in service on the national rail network. They arrived in late December 2023, and are not destined to replace heritage passenger trains but will be used to train drivers for Britain’s main-line railways.

The railway has previously allowed its facilities to be used for driver training, but that has been carried out on its fleet of vintage diesel units. The two Class 153 units will provide drivers with a more modern and relevant training experience. They will also be able for use in other testing work, such as carrying out trials of new on-train technology.

Malcolm Holmes, General Manager of the Great Central Railway said, “We have a superb double-track railway which is really popular with our hundreds of thousands of visitors. On weekdays though, we have plenty of capacity to support filmmakers or designers of new locos, carriages and wagons who need somewhere to test their vehicles.

“One area we’re seeing a real rise in demand is hiring the railway to train new drivers, conductors and other operational staff in realistic conditions. In turn, this provides valuable income for the GCR, supporting our heritage activity and the local economy.

“The GCR will own the two units, but we would like to thank our friends at Angel Trains and Porterbrook for their support in acquiring them. While they won’t be replacing our heritage trains in any way, I am sure there will be a chance for passengers to ride them during our popular Diesel Galas. We’re also going to offer them to participants in our ‘Drive A Train’ experience for anyone who would like to try their hand at something more modern.”