A lot has been happening over the past few months. A number of volunteers undertook the task of both interior and exterior cleaning on our MK3’s at Swanwick in early April ensuring these are clean and fit for service in the near future.
Meanwhile, 43159 (thanks to the kindness of the Midland Railway diesel group) entered the diesel shed at Swanwick for some much needed cosmetic attention. With the powercar under cover, the opportunity was taken to make some overdue repairs to the van roof. The mammoth task of repainting was then started! As May 2023 happens to be the 20 year anniversary since commencement of Midland Mainline’s “Project RIO” services from St. Pancras to Manchester Piccadilly, we chose the latter MML “Ocean Blue” livery, which 43159 carried as a RIO power car for the repaint.
Last but no means least, May 1st saw 43025 officially join the 125 Group fleet, thanks to a generous donation by one of our members. 43025 is in good condition despite being stored for 4 years and will provide a 2nd MTU engined example to complement 43159. As always, updates on restoring 43025 to mainline operation will be featured in our Members Magazine OTF.