| 79998 | Milton of Crathes | |
| 79999 |  |
Milton of Crathes |
The Strathspey Railway attempted to secure the set, but it was bought by the West Yorkshire Transport Museum for use on the abortive Bradford Low Moor scheme. It was put into store in the city's redundant BR Hammerton St. depot, which was the West Yorkshire areas first operational DMU depot in 1954. While in store they underwent complete asbestos removal. The vehicles were loaned to the East Lancashire Railway, and once the interior was replaced the unit went into service. Portable battery charging equipment is fitted in the guards van. The line no longer uses them and they are kept in the electric car sheds out of sight.
Present Condition
The vehicles have had all the test equipment removed. The front saloons, behind the cabs, still retain the original seats, with the original shell-pattern moquette, which is in remarkably good condition. Unfortunately, original-style seating could not be sourced for the large saloons, so DMU bus-type seats were fitted. 95% of the original brown marble formica remains, with the replacement material being an almost exact match. Externally, the bodywork is in immaculate condition, due to it's aluminium construction. They are painted in their original Brunswick green livery. The unit is in full working order.
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| The set on shed at Bury 1/9/97. S. Mackay | The guards van, with the control equipment on the left centre and the portable charging equipment on the right. S. Mackay |
The West Yorkshire Transport Trust's "Transperience" project went into liquidation, and most of it's assests were auctioned off. One exception was the BEMU, claimed to be a precaution against disposal through no sale or a high bid by a scrap merchant.
The Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society successfully negotiated with the liquidators to purchase the vehicles, and they arrived back in Scotland on the 22nd (trailer) and 31st August 2001 for storage on a private site. They moved on 12/5/06 to Milton of Crathes. Further details can be found on the Society's website.