The Class 507 Preservation Society has announced that they have reached a milestone in their preservation journey.

Merseyrail Class 507 No. 507001 has successfully run under its own power, without third rail, using battery power.

Tests have been run at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane (which hosted The Greatest Gathering last year), paving the way for operating on a heritage railway.

The batteries power the train’s traction motors and compressor for the brakes.

507001 did a number of tests on the 1st September, travelling around 2.8 miles at speeds of up to 8mph, all on a single charge.

The low-speed tests are just the start. The next step will be to design modifications to the train to permit higher-capacity batteries to be fitted to the underframe.

Modelling suggests that speeds of up to 25 mph will be possible.

“This is a historic moment for our society and electric train preservation. We have always been determined that 507001 would remain as an operational train, not be a static museum piece. Being able to run under its own power makes 507001 a useful asset to a heritage railway, and enables it to do what it did so well for 46 years on Merseyside: transport passengers.”

Robert Hampton, chairman of C507PS