Suburban Electric Railway Association
Class 501 EMU DTBSO 75186 - Restoration Report

BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT - Vehicle 75186 was purchased by SERA in 2006. It forms one half of a two car class 501 'Watford' unit based at the Coventry site. This vehicle had been used by the British Army since 1985 as a personel carrier at the Marchwood Military port in Hampshire, for this role the interior had been left as it was when withdrawn from BR service but the control and running gear had been stripped back to just what was required for the Army's use. The cab and brake van areas had been almost entirely stripped out of all components.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT - The 501 is planned to be an operational unit, returning the vehicle to this condition will be a two phase project. The first phase is the objective of this project with all cosmetic restoration work to re-instate removed equipment and refurbish those parts of the interior and exterior that remain. The project has been led by SERA member Andrew Humphries.

THE WORK UNDERTAKEN SO FAR:

The project commenced in November 2006 with a full assessment of required tasks being undertaken and parts retrieved from stroe that would be required. Please continue checking this page for more updates as the project progresses.