The Alternating Current Multiple Unit (ACMU) Society has announced the newest additions to its Meet The Fleet initiative.
The two new vehicles are the last two survivors of Class 311, unit 311103.
This Society sees this partnership with the Sumerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life as a milestone in achieving its core mission, which is to bring unity to Overhead Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) preservation.
The Museum will continue to own the Class 311s, which will remain based at the Museum. The Society will support the Museum under its umbrella of preserved AC Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs).
These include all surviving vehicles of units 309624, 315856, 313121 and 317345. Each vehicle is owned by a separate organisation, but they are united under the auspices of the Society.
The Society’s core Glasgow Electric Group team, which is based at the Summerlee Heritage Museum, is working on preparations for the Class’s diamond jubilee this May.
The ACMU Society is supporting the team’s work by sponsoring some key elements of the restoration. This will ensure that the vehicles look their best in time for the celebration event.
The ACMU Society’s website has a page dedicated to the Class 311 project. Supporters can use the page to make a donation, to find out about upcoming events, and to see information about the rest of the ACMU fleet.
Other work that the Society is involved with includes the restoration of Class 315 No. 315856, including a partial repaint.
“Bringing the Class 311 into our network perfectly aligns with our founding goals. Since our launch, we have been working hard to continue to forge more strategic partnerships with organisations to bring dedicated marketing, promotion, and financial support to a variety of AC EMUs. Following the incredible recent success of ‘Project Yellow Submarine’—which just saw our Class 315 DMS carriage unveiled in First Great Eastern livery at the Llanelli and Mynydd Mawr Railway’s Spring Gala—we are eager to bring that same momentum to preserving this vital piece of Scottish railway heritage.”
Lakshman Pathak, Chair, Alternating Current Multiple Unit Society
Responses
I used to travel on the Class 309 daily in the mid 1960´s and WOW, the 2-unit version had collosal acceleration. The curved front windows were most eye catching. Walking through the unit driver sections, the cab was open and visible so the speedo was visible.