An added attraction at the Llangollen and Corwen Railway’s Classic Transport Weekend will be a driving simulator for a Class 507 electric multiple unit (EMU).

The event next weekend, Saturday, 4th, and Sunday, 5th July, will offer visitors a rare opportunity to take the controls of a Class 507 EMU.

The simulator is being exhibited by the Class 507 Preservation Society, which aims to preserve one of Merseyrail’s iconic Class 507 electric multiple units.

In January 2025, the Society purchased pioneer unit 507001 from Angel Trains for a symbolic sum of £1, and since then, the train has become one of the foremost UK railway preservation projects. It appeared at “The Greatest Gathering” event in August last year, and has also become the fastest preserved third-rail powered electric train in Britain when it achieved speeds of up to 40mph on the Derby test track.

The simulator incorporates authentic controls and equipment salvaged from withdrawn Merseyrail units and takes budding drivers on a virtual ten-minute journey through South Liverpool. Visitors will be helped to drive by Society volunteers, who will also explain how the group has ambitious plans to convert to battery power its preserved vehicle that used to be part of the Royal Train.

“We’re absolutely delighted to be bringing the Class 507 simulator to this year’s event. We are always looking for new and unique attractions, but this really is something special. This isn’t simply a computer game. It’s a simulator built using genuine railway equipment by a preservation group that is making headlines across the railway heritage world. For many people, this will be the closest they ever get to driving a modern electric train.

Further information about the Classic Transport Weekend is online at https://llangollen-railway.co.uk/classic-transport-weekend/

The Class 507 project is one of the most exciting railway preservation stories in Britain right now and we’re incredibly grateful to the Society for choosing our Classic Transport Weekend as one of the places where people can experience their work first-hand. Our Classic Transport Weekend has become one of the UK’s leading heritage transport events, attracting visitors from across Britain. With close to 400 vehicles, intensive train services, vintage buses, the Froncysyllte Male Voice Choir, behind-the-scenes experiences and now the exclusive Class 507 simulator, visitors simply won’t find another event quite like it anywhere else in the country.”

Tim Hines, one of the organisers of the Classic Transport Weekend