| Batteries Included! 507001 overpowers its third rail limitation Posted by grahame at 22:24, 2nd September 2026 |     |
From the class 507 preservation society
A milestone in electric railway preservation was achieved yesterday by the Class 507 Preservation Society – the first conversion of a preserved electric multiple unit to battery operation in Britain.
507001 successfully ran under its own power, without a third rail, in tests at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane works in Derby, paving the way for future operation on a heritage railway. This feat has been made possible thanks to the fitment of batteries inside the train’s driving cars. These batteries can power the train’s traction motors and compressor (which supplies air to the brakes), removing the need for a third rail power supply. This modification means the train can run under its own power on unelectrified railways, including the many heritage lines across the country.
On the afternoon of 1st September, the three-car train completed several test runs on the works’ internal railway lines. Over the course of three hours, it travelled a distance of 2.8 miles at speeds of up to 8 mph, all on a single charge.
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507001 successfully ran under its own power, without a third rail, in tests at Alstom’s Litchurch Lane works in Derby, paving the way for future operation on a heritage railway. This feat has been made possible thanks to the fitment of batteries inside the train’s driving cars. These batteries can power the train’s traction motors and compressor (which supplies air to the brakes), removing the need for a third rail power supply. This modification means the train can run under its own power on unelectrified railways, including the many heritage lines across the country.
On the afternoon of 1st September, the three-car train completed several test runs on the works’ internal railway lines. Over the course of three hours, it travelled a distance of 2.8 miles at speeds of up to 8 mph, all on a single charge.
Continues
