The Railway Trolley Trust has agreed to purchase a trolley that has laid dismantled at the Nene Valley Railway near Peterborough for several years.

For many years, the Railway Trolley Trust had been aware that there was a dismantled Bance two-seater trolley at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway.

The trolley was a Bance Alumi Cart Mk II two-seater trolley, built in 1995 with a Works number of 023, and earlier this year, at the end of February, the Trust contacted the trolley’s previous owners and reached an agreement to purchase it.

The trolley was built by R. Bance & Co. Ltd, and Roger Bance from the company has supplied the Railway Trolley Trust with the following information about the trolley.

It was designed for single-person operation and propelled by a 4 HP Briggs & Stratton or Honda petrol engine. Its operating speed was 20 mph, but could only move in a forward direction.

For the return journey, an operative would need to rotate it on a self-contained pivot. To reduce its weight, the trolley’s transmission used a torque converter. A similar lightweight trailer was also available.

On 5th October, the Chair of the Railway Trolley Trust collected all the remaining parts of the trolley from the shed at Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway. They have been placed in short-term storage in the Chair’s garage before they are moved to one of the Trust’s sites where they will be restored.

Very few photos of the trolley are known to exist, and if anyone has any photos or videos of the trolley, could they please let the trust know through its website at https://www.railtrolleytrust.co.uk

Current plans by the Trust include developing a battery-powered drive system that can be fitted to any of the trolleys that the Trust owns, primarily for those trolleys that are without their original engines and transmissions.

The intention is to initially move it between trolleys as required, but as more funds become available, to build other systems to return as many trolleys to service as possible. The aim is also to provide it with a suitable renewable charging facility.

Last year, the Trust set a target to raise £10,000 towards its projects. As more donations are received, they will allow the Trust to move more of its collection to its secure locations, provide additional storage accommodation for some of its older and more historic vehicles, and move forward with several restoration projects.