Preserved class 501 DMS locations

[sad1e]

I was looking at a list of preserved units and have found that two class 501 DMS's have been preserved ( 61183 and 75186 ) but haven't been seen on websites such as trainlogger since 2018. They're supposed at Piddington Bicester MOD but I can't see a sign of them on Google maps .

Any ideas if these DMS's are still around and if so where are they located ?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

61183 is listed as Bicester in the latest Industrial Railway Society book, but I can't see 75186 in the index... which feels ominous to me...

 

[sad1e]

61183 is listed as Bicester in the latest Industrial Railway Society book, but I can't see 75186 in the index... which feels ominous to me...

After going over the Bicester site again on Google maps , I've found what seems to be both 501 DMS's , luckily they both still seem to be around

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== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Sep 2025 ==

I'm quite surprised these are just sitting rotting at Bicester to be honest and no Heritage Railway/Preservation society has swooped into preserve them since the Coventry Electric Railway museum closed , as these are the only 501's left.

I Very much so do hope these are still in a savable state after being sat outside in Bicester since they were stored there in 2018 .

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Good find... incidentally, I think the 75xxx series were trailers.

Also... how old is the aerial view? Just because it says copyright 2025 doesn't mean it's a 2025 picture - that's just when it was uploaded; I have in the past seen my car on Google Streetview and Maps in images copyrighted several years after I scrapped it...

 

[sad1e]

Also... how old is the aerial view?

Seems to be taken on the 10th July this year so the 501's are very much so still there.

I do find it quite surprising no heritage railway has preserved them considering they're the only 501's left , But on a positive note at least they haven't been scrapped.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Seems to be taken on the 10th July this year so the 501's are very much so still there.

I do find it quite surprising no heritage railway has preserved them considering they're the only 501's left , But on a positive note at least they haven't been scrapped.

Devil’s advocate would say you can’t preserve one of everything, and the 501s were “just“ a standard suburban carriage with windows cut in the end for a cab, and motors slung underneath. Not far removed from the BR standard suburbans trundling round some lines.

 

[sad1e]

Devil’s advocate would say you can’t preserve one of everything.

The thing with the 501's are that they were preserved but just not re-homed when the Coventry Electric museum shut down and now are in a bit of a preservation limbo with no information on anyone willing to purchase them and no information on disposal either.

If I had the money you would definitely find there would be a 501 in my backgarden

 

[M28361M]

My understanding is 61183 is pretty much an empty shell. It was converted for Sandite duties on Merseyrail and had the interior stripped out then.

Who actually owns them? The Railway Heritage Register carriage survey says "Class 501 Shareholders" but I can find no information about them online.

 

[sad1e]

Who actually owns them? The Railway Heritage Register carriage survey says "Class 501 Shareholders" but I can find no information about them online.

That's what I've been wondering, you would think if they were owned by an active preservation group they would have been moved to a Heritage Railway where they could be easily worked on.

Not a MOD base in Bicester where from aerial views they haven't seemed to have moved an inch since they arrived there in 2018.

I'm definitely going to have a look into ownership of these units , this is turning into quite a strange rabbit hole.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 17 Sep 2025 ==

Did the Coventry Electric Railway museum have a website, you might be able to find some more information about the ownership of these units if you used Wayback Machine to view that ?

 

[Steddenm]

From the Wikipedia page:

Currently two vehicles are preserved. The two carriages used by the MOD were put up for disposal in early 2006. The driving trailer, no. 75186, was saved for preservation and moved to the Electric Railway Museum, Warwickshire. It was joined by driving motor no. 61183 in October 2006. It was hoped that the centre trailer coach would also be preserved, but this was scrapped in 2006.[5]

When the Electric Railway Museum closed in 2017, DMBSO 61183 and DTBSO 75186 were moved to a private site at Finmere Railway Station, on the former Great Central Main line (closed 1966) in Buckinghamshire. However, in January 2020 the station site was vacated and handed over to HS2, and 61183 and 75186 were moved to MoD Bicester for storage.[6]

It looks like they were transferred to MoD Bicester in 2020, and that they are still owned by the MoD even though they put them up for disposal in 2006. The vehicles have been moved a few times since then.

 

[sad1e]

From the Wikipedia page:


It looks like they were transferred to MoD Bicester in 2020, and that they are still owned by the MoD even though they put them up for disposal in 2006. The vehicles have been moved a few times since then.

Disused Stations: Marchwood Military Railway

Yes , reading up on some articles it looks like they were used as air braking stock for the MOD before being replaced by Class 488 carriages in 2006 ( when the 501 was put up for disposal ).

If they've been up for disposal since 2006 I'm very surprised they've lasted as long as they have. Hopefully they get preserved and last a good while longer.

 

[SERA01UK]

I can tell you what I know as I was ‘In the room when it happened’…..

The 501 Project was initially run by the Suburban Electric Railway Association and was funded by the sale of shares in the project, the shareholders would become (and still are) the owners of any vehicles purchased. It took a few years for the vehicles to become available with the driving trailer and a centre trailer at the MOD at Marchwood and the driving motor coming from the last sandite unit on Merseyrail. In the event the project was out bid on the centre trailer and that ended up going for scrap, which wasn’t all bad as the vehicle had a bent frame from a rough shunt sometime in its past.

The two vehicles that were saved went to the Electric Railway Museum and remained there until the site was cleared in 2018 when they went to Finmere. When that site close the vehicles went to their current location at Pidington.

The SERA (and my self) ceased to have any role in the management of the project from 2016 and the principle shareholder took over all management and administration. The ownership still remains with all the shareholders (of which I’m one) but since the units left ERM I’ve heard no updates and can’t tell you what, if anything, has been done to them restoration wise. There was a Facebook page for the project started by the principle shareholder but it hasn’t been updated in a very long time.

Class 501

Class 501. 1,250 likes · 457 talking about this. these unique British Rail multiple units were built in 1955/56 to run on the North London Lines which

www.facebook.com

 

[Towers]

Presumably somebody must be paying storage costs?

 

[sad1e]

I can tell you what I know as I was ‘In the room when it happened’…..

The 501 Project was initially run by the Suburban Electric Railway Association and was funded by the sale of shares in the project, the shareholders would become (and still are) the owners of any vehicles purchased. It took a few years for the vehicles to become available with the driving trailer and a centre trailer at the MOD at Marchwood and the driving motor coming from the last sandite unit on Merseyrail. In the event the project was out bid on the centre trailer and that ended up going for scrap, which wasn’t all bad as the vehicle had a bent frame from a rough shunt sometime in its past.

The two vehicles that were saved went to the Electric Railway Museum and remained there until the site was cleared in 2018 when they went to Finmere. When that site close the vehicles went to their current location at Pidington.

The SERA (and my self) ceased to have any role in the management of the project from 2016 and the principle shareholder took over all management and administration. The ownership still remains with all the shareholders (of which I’m one) but since the units left ERM I’ve heard no updates and can’t tell you what, if anything, has been done to them restoration wise. There was a Facebook page for the project started by the principle shareholder but it hasn’t been updated in a very long time.

Class 501

Class 501. 1,250 likes · 457 talking about this. these unique British Rail multiple units were built in 1955/56 to run on the North London Lines which

www.facebook.com

I might try and message the Facebook place and ask them about the state of the project and hope I get a response .( if the page is still regularly logged in to )

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Just sent them a message, hopefully I get a response.

 

[sad1e]

No update from the Facebook page as of yet , however the message has been read by the page as i have got a Read indicator but no response.

Sadly This project seems to be very dead in the ground.

 

[tumbles]

Presumably somebody must be paying storage costs?

Well or could be that its cheaper to leave them rotting on a siding that disposal if they have anything like asbestos in them?

 

[sad1e]

Well or could be that its cheaper to leave them rotting on a siding that disposal if they have anything like asbestos in them?

I would assume all asbestos would have been removed during their time at the Coventry electric museum or even before that during their time as departmental units.

 

[Andy317345]

I have found 2 images on Trainlogger of the 501s stored at MoD Bicester, taken on the 10th Jan 2026 (these are not my images, credit to jaspercurtis)

 

[sad1e]

Finally an update. According the the 501 Facebook page they no longer have an agreement to keep it at MOD Bicester and are looking to have it moved to another site.

Class 501

The 501 needs a new Home. Just to up date people with what going on with the 501. The plan to move to the former central workshops at...

www.facebook.com

 

[Forty29]

I've seen these green bunker like buildings from a distance but being MOD land have not ventured nearer. Never knew the units were there, probably need extensive renovation work now.

 

[Towers]

That doesn’t bode well, it has to be said. From those images one might presume that little to no preservation work has taken place in the recent past?

 

[Acathater]

Is there anything left worth restoring?
My memory of the 501s is that by the time they were removed from North London service they were fairly heavily vandalised and smashed internally. That was 40+ years ago, is there realistically anything salvageable left?

 

[Sidmouth34010]

Electric vehicles struggle in preservation needing siding space with little ability to generate an economic return . They are also multi doored stock which must make restoration and then ongoing care a nightmare especially if kept outdoors.

 

[Invincible]

Is there anything left worth restoring?
My memory of the 501s is that by the time they were removed from North London service they were fairly heavily vandalised and smashed internally. That was 40+ years ago, is there realistically anything salvageable left?

There is DMBSO 61183 and DTBSO 75186
From a picture on facebook in 2020 the exterior looked OK, so presume the same now?
Cant show the photo but the link is https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=550068955596678&set=a.679042044265610

 

[sad1e]

The 501 cars have recently been relocated from Bicester to the Colne Valley Railway, hopefully they can be properly restored here.

Facebook

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== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2026 ==


(Screenshot of the Facebook post showing the class 501 vehicles at the Colne valley railway)

 

[tumbles]

The 501 cars have recently been relocated from Bicester to the Colne Valley Railway, hopefully they can be properly restored here.

Facebook

www.facebook.com

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Aug 2026 ==

View attachment 209362
(Screenshot of the Facebook post showing the class 501 vehicles at the Colne valley railway)

It says offered a home, or has it actually moved? Appreciate that looks like one of the HST's from there...

 

[Obar123]

Yes it has moved

 

[Forty29]

It's says on the above photo on post #25 that it was taken at the Colne Valley Railway!

 

[50002Superb]

It says offered a home, or has it actually moved? Appreciate that looks like one of the HST's from there...

It was there when I visited two weekends ago.