The Drewry former overhead line inspection railcar 998901, now converted for passenger use at the Middleton Railway. The window covers are not normally carried in traffic. Ian Dobson

All aboard the Mystery Machine! (with apologies to Daphne, Thelma and Scooby!) by Ian Dobson

In these enlightened days when every last shunt is reported within days (minutes if you are on the ‘net!) it is hard to believe that a vehicle can lead a life of complete obscurity for the best part of 50 years! The EM2 Locomotive Society’s Drewry Car DB998901, based at the Middleton Railway, has managed it though!

Just before the Second World War the LNER had grand plans for electrifying the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath ‘Woodhead’ route. Whilst the prototype locomotive – LNER 6000, later named ‘Tommy’ - was designed and built most work was held up by the War. Maintaining the overhead structures was not an easy task and the LNER realised that there was a need for special infrastructure vehicles to inspect the overhead equipment. Whilst some of the design work is now known to have been done by the LNER it was not until 1950, two years into the nationalised British Railways, that Drewry Car Company works numbers 2267 and 2268 were delivered. Contemporary reports show that it was intended that one vehicle was for the Woodhead route and one for the Great Eastern section which were both electrified at 1500 volts DC. Unfortunately other than some works photographs of the vehicles in grey and a press release giving details of the vehicles which appeared in two different magazines there is little or no documentary evidence of the vehicles until the mid-1970s!

It is known that the vehicles spent some time on the Manchester – Altrincham route but the only confirmed sighting of this period is of then stored at Dukinfield Works in Manchester prior to both being transferred to Colchester!

By the Mid 70s the Research Division at Derby were looking for overhead line inspection/maintenance vehicle for their test track at Old Dalby where testing of the overhead equipment in connection with the APT project was shortly to take place. Plans were afoot to install a flat roof on the Wickham railbus DB999507 (now also at the Middleton Railway) but someone became aware of the Drewry Cars existence at Colchester and the integrity of the Wickham roof was saved! The vehicles arrived at Derby in 1977 and by the July of that year they were in use on the test track at Old Dalby. DB998900 was already in an inferior condition to her sister DB998901 and stripped gradually for spares over the years. At some point DB998901 received the blue/red research livery and on 27^th July 1987 she was hauled to Derby by 97201 (now D5061, preserved on the NYMR) for repainting into the revised research livery of grey and red. In the meantime DB998900 continued to rot (literally!) away bearing evidence of green livery with small yellow panels.

At Old Dalby on the 1st Oct 1991. Ian McDonald

By November 1997 BR Research had become Serco Railtest and the two Drewry Cars plus the Wickham Railbus were put up for sale as part of the operation to clear the Old Dalby site for the Virgin testing (!) The EM2 Locomotive Society (owners of E27000 ‘Electra’ at Butterley and students of all things Woodhead) had been aware of the vehicles for some time and jumped at the chance of buying the two Drewry Cars. A home was negotiated at the Middleton Railway and DB998901 was moved there in November 1997. Her less fortunate sister was stripped for spares, sold to a third party and eventually broken up on site at Old Dalby.

DB998901 was basically complete and operational when purchased but as is usual with volunteer overhauls time ticks by at a frightening speed! A dedicated few aided by Middleton stalwarts have managed to restore her into BR brunswick green livery as carried by DB998900. No photographic evidence of DB998900 exists so we have had to make a guess based on what was visible under the rust. The BR crests and yellow panels were definitely there but if anyone has any concrete evidence it would be good to see that we have guessed correctly!

As well as the external restoration recently completed the hydraulic tower has been removed and the interior has been converted into a passenger carrying area. Both Railway Inspectorate and Department of the Environment and Transport in the Regions have been consulted at length over this and final approval to bring the vehicle into use was granted on 22^nd May 2002. It is hoped that she will be used on all line tours at the Middleton Railway Gala each September and will see occasional off-peak use as well.

For further information regarding the Middleton Railway please contact The Station, Moor Road, Hunslet, LEEDS, LS10 2JQ, Telephone 0113 271 0320 or visit the Website at www.MiddletonRailway.org.uk. For further details regarding the DB998901 or the EM2 Locomotive Society write to 21 Harper Grove, Idle, BRADFORD, BD10 8NX or visit our website at www.em2ls.org.uk. If you are interested in chartering the vehicle

The vehicle shares a home with another ex-non passenger railbus, the former Elliot Track Recording vehicle. 30th August 2003. Ian Dobson