Class 455 Preserved

Being of the North, these aren't units I know or have an affection for, but this seems like welcome news:

https://www.modernrailways.com/article/southern-electric-traction-group-saves-class-455

The stuff on FB/Insta etc make a big deal of it all being done in a very hush-hush way/

 

What fascinates me about this initiative, in common to some extent with the 4-VEP 3417 project, is that the proposed model almost has more in common with the 1980's/1990's "shed pet" EMU's (such as the Class 306) than 21st century unit preservation.

Having an EMU based at a mainline depot and looked after by staff predominantly drawn from the mainline railway rather than heritage lines, was said to have been killed off around the time of privatisation.

Given that EMU's (with an incredibly small number of exceptions) have done spectacularly badly in "traditional" preservation, I'm very hopeful and have my fingers crossed that whatever these guys have cooked up to work on the 2026 railway, as opposed to the 1996 one, is going to succeed. EMU preservation could do with a boost in this area!

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