Press Release form the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway - Iris receives EMT livery

Cementing the Alliance
Iris the Railcar receives East Midlands Trains livery



Wirksworth, 1 April 2013:To celebrate the inclusion of the Wirksworth Branch in East Midlands Trains’ May timetable, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway has re-liveried its most historic DMU in the East Midlands Trains livery.

Thanks to EMT, it has been possible to buy a through ticket to Wirksworth, Idridgehay and Shottle since the line opened to Duffield in 2011. Now, from May, the EMT timetable for services from Nottingham and Derby to Matlock will include the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: the first time the Wirksworth Branch has featured in a regional timetable since 1947.

To celebrate the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s alliance with East Midlands Trains, historic ‘Derby Lightweight’ railcar M79900, ‘Iris’ to her friends, has been re-liveried in the full EMT livery. A rapid re-livery exercise was performed by the railway’s volunteers in conditions of utmost secrecy at Wirksworth station, the process using the skills of Andrew Fowler, Heritage News Editor of Railway Herald Magazine.

“We are delighted to re-livery Iris in East Midlands Trains livery” remarked Neil Ferguson-Lee of the Ecclesbourne Valley railway. “Iris is very much our flagship and it is very appropriate for her to adopt EMT’s livery to reflect the close relationship we have with our favourite train operating company” he added.

Iris will return to her traditional livery of British Railways green in the near future.

Ends.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/10451377/IrisEMT20130401sml.jpg

 

Ho-ho! Just remind me of the date.

 

Me too. It had me going there for a minute!

 

Start of the new finiancial year, that's all...

 

Damnit! I had one of these lined up for today but too much rum last night resulted in late awakening and I missed midday!

 

I think the livery suits it.

 

Thank you all for your replies! OK, we admit is was an April Fool and thanks to Andy Fowler of Railway Herald for doing the honours.

Like all good hoaxes it does have more than a grain of truth in it. Thanks to East Midlands Trains it is possible to buy a through ticket to Wirksworth and from May our line is included in the Nottingham and Derby to Matlock pocket timetable. This is an excellent example of how a commercially-minded TOC can, for little cost to them, help support a community line to the benefit for both parties.

This jape had the support of EMT's Managing Director, David Horne, and it's significant that David's predecessor at EMT, Tim Shoveller, is now in charge at SWT who, of course, are working with the Swanage Railway to reconnect their line to the main line.

Finally, Iris is in regular operation at Wirksworth, indeed she was operating today and will be again tomorrow. She even has her own Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/IrisTheRailcar and is very friendly!

Best wishes,

Neil Ferguson-Lee

 

A brief shot of Iris at Wirksworth on the Ravenstor Shuttle earlier today. The green paint has dried very quickly!



Picture by Richard Buckby.