The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) has announced that it is adding a three-carriage Class 101 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) to its permanent home.

The DMU will leave its former base at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway in Derbyshire and arrive at the award-winning SVR on Wednesday 11 September.

Two of the set’s three vehicles – numbers 50170 and 50253 – have appeared at the SVR before, having featured in 2004’s Railcar 50 event. The third vehicle is number 59303.

All three have been returned to their original condition, with BR green livery. One unit requires a little cosmetic work, but otherwise, the set is fully operational.

The set was built by Metro-Cammell in 1957 in Saltley, Birmingham. It was allocated to British Railways’ eastern region, and served until 2003, when it was one of the final sets to be withdrawn from main line service as set no. 101692.

The SVR-based DMU Group (West Midlands) now owns the Class 101 DMU, having received a generous donation which enabled the purchase.

The Severn Valley Railway Company Limited’s board has agreed to the vehicles coming onto the line. The board’s approval is required for adding any permanent rolling stock.

“These latest residents will be a welcome addition. We already have a Class 108 DMU well established at the railway, and the return-to-service of three of its vehicles last year has proved incredibly useful.

“These agile vehicles are ideal for running shuttle services along part of the line, and for providing services at times when a full-size train wouldn’t be economic. Before the closure of the Severn Valley by British Rail in the 1960s, DMUs like these were a familiar site on passenger services. Their quirky, retro appearance is very popular with our visitors who particularly enjoy the forward-facing view of the line you can see from the front carriage!”

SVR managing director, Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster

“This is an exciting development for the DMU Group (West Midlands). Acquiring the Class 101 will allow us to provide the SVR with an operational DMU of suitable passenger capacity, at the same time as allowing regular downtime for maintenance of all our DMU vehicles.

“The Class 101s share many common parts with the Class 108, including the engines. And because they are what’s termed “blue square rated”, they can work in multiple or combined with Class 108 vehicles.

“Of the existing Class 108 DMUs on the SVR, 52064 has recently been repainted at Bridgnorth, and the other two operational vehicles are scheduled to be painted before the 2025 season. They have performed well in service this year with a few repairs required recently. We’re looking at options to get the bogies overhauled on the remaining two Class 108 vehicles.”

Group chair, James Cooper