I travelled on these 502 carriages many times during the 60s/70s until the newer 507s came out. Going into Exchange station usually arriving at platform 1 or2. Memories include the clickety clack over the track joints and the squealing of the wheels on the track as they curved around bends. The seats where comfy despite being permanently dusty. Also the occasional sparking from the electric current. Keep up the great work you're doing guys.
Cheers Barry. They were great trains I always found them very comfy to ride In. I was disappointed with the 507s when they came in, certainly not as cozy as the 502s
I could say the same myself. Travelling to Southport from Exchange was a big adventure, the screeching noise from the wheels as the train left exchange! The seats certainly were comfortable, more than I can say about the latest units.
@@Steve14ps the new 777 seats are not anywhere near as comfortable as the 502s . They give the usual excuses such as vandel prevention and fire safety. With the trains having cctv vandalism is less likely. As for fire prevention, on the 502s for most of their life smoking was allowed. To my knowledge not one 502 seat ever burst into flames as a result of discarded matches or cigarettes. Indeed I remember seeing burn marks on some seats were some idiot tried but failed to set them on fire
Cheers. I mostly travelled from Seaforth and Litherland my local station. When I was younger it was always something I looked forward to when we had Day trips to Southport or Formby. Probably why I became one of the restoration team
This makes you realise how much work is involved in this. I know a lot of this damage is from it being stored outside, but I wonder how bad it was under the surface when it was painted to LMS colours in the 80s
It was bad then too. When we started work we found a lot of half arsed repair work & what seems like half a ton of filler. That's the reason a good deal of the outer steel skin is being replaced
Great vid MW, I ain't seen the old 502's in an age, seeing the seats and interior was such a flash back to the old days of The Stadium and The Dixie getting the last train back, I was half expecting to see my name scractched in some of the paneling circa 1974. Sorry guys. Brill as always MW.
I travelled on these many time sin the 1960s. I remember there was a plaque telling anyone interested what was the timber used in the panelling. There were also adverts: the one I remember was for Sylglas - sticky tape to repair leaky greenhouse roofs.
I never seen them myself, don't know when were removed, but I know a lot remember the plaques. We have come across some old adverts . One for a pram had a politically incorrect description of the colour of their prams . We won't be reproducing that!!
Class 502 units never operated in the Wirral, the very similar class 503 units operated on the Wirral Line, there were many subtle differences between 502s and 503s
bravo! 👏 I remember the bouncy seating to another fleet thereabouts (4th rail though; rebuilt & repurposed around the début of this one), but damn!!!! its cushions were SO dusty whenever plopped onto, dustiness gloopier than any GB fog :brrrRrr:
I think it's something deep bouncy seat's are prone to. Dust and dirt getting inside the cushions. Our plan for the seats is a deep clean, unless we can find a cost effective supply of the BR Trojan moquette or a sponsor.
excellent progress! may i ask? how come the two units dont have an intercarriage section? (the part you walk through to other carriages) was that the 502s standard or has that been removed?
That's the way they were built. There was no interconnected doors linking the cars. Funny enough the units were either three car or two car sets most of the two car had a driving motor & a driving trailer. But some had a driving motor & a non driving trailer. The non driving trailers had a small window at one end with a signal bell to assist when they were being shunted
Our intentions for the unit is to operate it in push pull mode with a diesel at one end. The motors are not needed for this operating mode. However the unit still has all four motors. We also have four spare motors, should the opportunity to operate it on third ever happen .
It's not a diesel unit, it's a electric unit. They were designed & built by the LMS in Derby between 1939 & 1941. They ran out of Liverpool Exchange to Southport, Ormskirk. The West Lancashire line as far as Crossens and the North Mersey via Linacre rd to Aintree, ( by the race course). Later ran underground through Liverpool central to Garston. Withdrawn in 1980 our unit was preserved by the NRM and ran in preservation until 1989. After the museum where it was in,steamport Southport, closed . The NRM moved it to outdoor storage were it deteriorated over several years. We took ownership of it after it was threatened with scrap. At first to Tebay & then to it's present home at Burscough, along with the Merseyside Transport Trusts collection of Merseyside buses
Paul, I'm watching this vid from Brisbane, QLD. I thought I read somewhere that the restoration project had been abandoned. What's the current situation?
No it's still on track, I & my colleagues will be working on it on our usual Saturday and Tuesday working days. It's the sister unit, the wirral 503 that's at Margate you're thinking of. They have decided to scrap two coaches and concentrate on the motor coach. Despite their best efforts they weren't able to raise sufficient interest or funds to make it viable. Hopefully they can cosmetically restore this coach as an example of the class
Love these old units I also recall riding 502s as a child in the 70s.. Merseywail I emailed. the 502 group - and Robert of the 507 group about this news as soon as I read it, some weeks back Are non of the 503 units parts useful for 502 restoration?
@@standclear502 they are from different manufacturers unfortunately. The electrical systems are of different components. Whilst.some other parts might be interchangeable the 503 guys are going to remove anything useable to fully restore the motor coach. We have put in a request for one of the door release valves. It's one part we do need. One of our members had one at his home to refurbish it. Tragically he passed away suddenly and his widow, not knowing what it was, threw it away. Hopefully they will be able to provide one for us.
@@caramelldansen2204 hope you get it. There's usually someone there on Saturday's unless there's a fundraising event, such as the Rainhill model railway exhibition 2 & 3rd March
@@Merseywail It's about getting there!! Burscough is quite the trek from mine! The exact address isn't easily accessible from the website, from what I've seen so far. Is the address only available to members? I've paid the minimum for membership! :)
Afternoon, me and my friends are currently on a day out trainspotting and we have seen a 502 motor coach and it’s intermediate coach on the back of a trailer (motor coach number 20690) is this being restored by you guys or a separate group?
Just outside of Stoke on Trent, in a storage yard joined by a thumper, it looks to be in an ok condition but the paint needs to be redone and rust removed
@@Delta1Productions OK not too sure what that could be then . I didn't think they had left Margate. It's definitely not our 502 as am currently working on it today.
@@Merseywail are you sure what if its control systems were going to be restored and are you meaning that the 2 car set has a cab at one end and when it reaches the end of its route a locomotive then drags the non driving end
Quite like steam myself. Like to travel behind one on the mainline when I can. It's what you remember when you're growing up that sticks with you. I grew up in 60s 70s Liverpool & these are the trains I remember. When I was younger I used to think the DMUs were older as they had 'old fashioned slam doors’ as apposed to sliding doors on our units. Today's enthusiasts are really into the current EMU & DMUs . No doubt its that they will want to remember & model when they get to our age
Please note . The 2024 0pen day has unfortunately been cancelled
did the class 502 ever had a horn like was its horn a whisle
@@buddmetroliner200gaming3 air horns, located underneath by the cabs
@@Merseywail will its horn still be in use when its no longer restored
@@buddmetroliner200gaming3 yes
@Merseywail I thought they had air whistles when they were built
I travelled on these 502 carriages many times during the 60s/70s until the newer 507s came out. Going into Exchange station usually arriving at platform 1 or2. Memories include the clickety clack over the track joints and the squealing of the wheels on the track as they curved around bends. The seats where comfy despite being permanently dusty. Also the occasional sparking from the electric current. Keep up the great work you're doing guys.
Cheers Barry. They were great trains I always found them very comfy to ride In. I was disappointed with the 507s when they came in, certainly not as cozy as the 502s
I could say the same myself. Travelling to Southport from Exchange was a big adventure, the screeching noise from the wheels as the train left exchange! The seats certainly were comfortable, more than I can say about the latest units.
@@Steve14ps the new 777 seats are not anywhere near as comfortable as the 502s . They give the usual excuses such as vandel prevention and fire safety. With the trains having cctv vandalism is less likely. As for fire prevention, on the 502s for most of their life smoking was allowed. To my knowledge not one 502 seat ever burst into flames as a result of discarded matches or cigarettes. Indeed I remember seeing burn marks on some seats were some idiot tried but failed to set them on fire
Absolutely fantastic job guys 👍🏻 I was lucky enough to have travelled on them from Liverpool exchange to Southport 😊 Keep the good work up 🤩
Cheers. I mostly travelled from Seaforth and Litherland my local station. When I was younger it was always something I looked forward to when we had Day trips to Southport or Formby. Probably why I became one of the restoration team
Excellent video, so much hard work being done. It will look great when finished.
Cheers it is hard but enjoyable work. We couldn't do it without our great supporters
An excellent update as always Paul 👍
Thanks, no doubt will see out & about
Very informative video and excellent work by all involved.
Thanks, few last bits to do on the driving trailer, then it's over to the motor coach
This makes you realise how much work is involved in this. I know a lot of this damage is from it being stored outside, but I wonder how bad it was under the surface when it was painted to LMS colours in the 80s
It was bad then too. When we started work we found a lot of half arsed repair work & what seems like half a ton of filler. That's the reason a good deal of the outer steel skin is being replaced
Great vid MW, I ain't seen the old 502's in an age, seeing the seats and interior was such a flash back to the old days of The Stadium and The Dixie getting the last train back, I was half expecting to see my name scractched in some of the paneling circa 1974. Sorry guys. Brill as always MW.
Those seats are still cumfy. There is a little bit of graffiti in some of the surviving woodwork, yours might be there lol
I travelled on these many time sin the 1960s. I remember there was a plaque telling anyone interested what was the timber used in the panelling. There were also adverts: the one I remember was for Sylglas - sticky tape to repair leaky greenhouse roofs.
I never seen them myself, don't know when were removed, but I know a lot remember the plaques. We have come across some old adverts . One for a pram had a politically incorrect description of the colour of their prams . We won't be reproducing that!!
Very interesting to know about how the Class 502 were like. Especially being used in and around Liverpool, The Wirral and Merseyside.
Been enjoyable work restoring it.
Class 502 units never operated in the Wirral, the very similar class 503 units operated on the Wirral Line, there were many subtle differences between 502s and 503s
@@Steve14ps the 502s didn't operate in service on the Wirral . But the preserved one did operate in 1986 & again 1988 on Wirral lines
bravo! 👏 I remember the bouncy seating to another fleet thereabouts (4th rail though; rebuilt & repurposed around the début of this one), but damn!!!! its cushions were SO dusty whenever plopped onto, dustiness gloopier than any GB fog :brrrRrr:
I think it's something deep bouncy seat's are prone to. Dust and dirt getting inside the cushions. Our plan for the seats is a deep clean, unless we can find a cost effective supply of the BR Trojan moquette or a sponsor.
@@Merseywail loving the pair of kettles teamed together to clean the subway there: ua-cam.com/video/kIgORp3Rvuc/v-deo.html
@@trainroverwe have Henry hoover doing our cleaning. He's a bit of a sucker to be honest
Great video
Cheers Tony
excellent progress! may i ask? how come the two units dont have an intercarriage section? (the part you walk through to other carriages) was that the 502s standard or has that been removed?
That's the way they were built. There was no interconnected doors linking the cars. Funny enough the units were either three car or two car sets most of the two car had a driving motor & a driving trailer. But some had a driving motor & a non driving trailer. The non driving trailers had a small window at one end with a signal bell to assist when they were being shunted
@@Merseywail wait was it some 3 car sets that had a cab on one end as well?
@buddmetroliner200gaming3 three car sets would have a drivers cab at both end coaches
Looks fantastic. What is going to happen about the motors? Are they in a working order, or are there working replacements?
Our intentions for the unit is to operate it in push pull mode with a diesel at one end. The motors are not needed for this operating mode. However the unit still has all four motors. We also have four spare motors, should the opportunity to operate it on third ever happen .
@@Merseywailthat would be amazing to see.
@@avidtrainspotting you never know
As a Londoner living in Hertfordshire, I have never encountered this particular class of diesel multiple unit. Please enlighten me on its history.
It's not a diesel unit, it's a electric unit. They were designed & built by the LMS in Derby between 1939 & 1941. They ran out of Liverpool Exchange to Southport, Ormskirk. The West Lancashire line as far as Crossens and the North Mersey via Linacre rd to Aintree, ( by the race course). Later ran underground through Liverpool central to Garston. Withdrawn in 1980 our unit was preserved by the NRM and ran in preservation until 1989. After the museum where it was in,steamport Southport, closed . The NRM moved it to outdoor storage were it deteriorated over several years. We took ownership of it after it was threatened with scrap. At first to Tebay & then to it's present home at Burscough, along with the Merseyside Transport Trusts collection of Merseyside buses
Paul, I'm watching this vid from Brisbane, QLD. I thought I read somewhere that the restoration project had been abandoned. What's the current situation?
No it's still on track, I & my colleagues will be working on it on our usual Saturday and Tuesday working days. It's the sister unit, the wirral 503 that's at Margate you're thinking of. They have decided to scrap two coaches and concentrate on the motor coach. Despite their best efforts they weren't able to raise sufficient interest or funds to make it viable. Hopefully they can cosmetically restore this coach as an example of the class
Love these old units I also recall riding 502s as a child in the 70s.. Merseywail I emailed. the 502 group - and Robert of the 507 group about this news as soon as I read it, some weeks back
Are non of the 503 units parts useful for 502 restoration?
@@standclear502 they are from different manufacturers unfortunately. The electrical systems are of different components. Whilst.some other parts might be interchangeable the 503 guys are going to remove anything useable to fully restore the motor coach. We have put in a request for one of the door release valves. It's one part we do need. One of our members had one at his home to refurbish it. Tragically he passed away suddenly and his widow, not knowing what it was, threw it away. Hopefully they will be able to provide one for us.
Just donated!! 😊
That's fantastic, thank you so much. It all helps us in the restoration.
@@Merseywail I'll up my membership when I get a job (fingers crossed, did the interview today!!) and might even pop down!
@@caramelldansen2204 hope you get it. There's usually someone there on Saturday's unless there's a fundraising event, such as the Rainhill model railway exhibition 2 & 3rd March
@@Merseywail It's about getting there!! Burscough is quite the trek from mine!
The exact address isn't easily accessible from the website, from what I've seen so far. Is the address only available to members? I've paid the minimum for membership! :)
@@caramelldansen2204it's ospray place in Burscough, on the guys industrial estate. L40 8TG
Afternoon, me and my friends are currently on a day out trainspotting and we have seen a 502 motor coach and it’s intermediate coach on the back of a trailer (motor coach number 20690) is this being restored by you guys or a separate group?
No that's not ours we are in Burscough, currently working on our 502 unit. That will be the class 503. Where did you see it
Just outside of Stoke on Trent, in a storage yard joined by a thumper, it looks to be in an ok condition but the paint needs to be redone and rust removed
@@Delta1Productions OK not too sure what that could be then . I didn't think they had left Margate. It's definitely not our 502 as am currently working on it today.
Cool 😊
@@LucasSarawansky a fair bit of hard work has gone into this do far. It's getting there.
would this train be drivable once it comes back to life or static display
It's going to be converted to "push pull" operation, with a diesel locomotive at one end
@@Merseywail are you sure what if its control systems were going to be restored and are you meaning that the 2 car set has a cab at one end and when it reaches the end of its route a locomotive then drags the non driving end
@@Merseywail what if there was a class 502 class 503 wooden toy trains like that would be cool right
@@buddmetroliner200gaming3 it will be modified to operate with a diesel one end & one of the 502 cabs at the other
@@buddmetroliner200gaming3 that would be good if it could be a viable product
Not a bad train, but not really my style. I’m into steam locomotives, and having a Dad’s Army layout, mine are Southern Railway steam locomotives.
Quite like steam myself. Like to travel behind one on the mainline when I can. It's what you remember when you're growing up that sticks with you. I grew up in 60s 70s Liverpool & these are the trains I remember. When I was younger I used to think the DMUs were older as they had 'old fashioned slam doors’ as apposed to sliding doors on our units. Today's enthusiasts are really into the current EMU & DMUs . No doubt its that they will want to remember & model when they get to our age