55029 Class 121 Driving Motor Brake Second

Home Railway	Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway	Location History	Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway Dec 10-Present
Current Location	Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway
Current Status	Under Restoration
Current Livery	BR Blue (Full Yellow Ends)
TRA Designation	5
Owner
Website
Record Last Updated	1 June 2025
Preservation Modifications The vehicle has been heavily modified in departmental service.
Preservation Information 55029, like many Class 121 vehicles, had been in departmental service (since 2000), and was heavily modified for this purpose. The vehicle was used by Eurailscout GB as a camera unit, and was latterly numbered 977968. An unusual candidate for preservation, 977968 was surplus to requirements by 2010 and was preserved at the growing Rushden Transport Museum at their base at Rushden station. 55029 was immediately set upon for backdating to original condition. Original parts required to do this, notably doors, windows and seating, were obtained from scrapped Class 117 vehicles. In 2012, with most parts in stock, restoration work on the exterior (No2 side) started with the long process of reinstating doorways. By 2014 the No2 side was substantially complete and work was focussing on the cab ends and No1 side. In September, the vehicle undertook its first moves in preservation and completed several test runs down the line following a gearbox change. In 2016, the departmental generator set was removed, and proper partitions returned to the No1 end. Sadly in the late 2010's the railway entered a period of uncertainty with politics affecting the DMU restoration team. The railway later suspended passenger operations after intervention by the Office of Rail and Road and 55029's restoration was halted. In 2020 some limited restoration work resumed, under a new group of volunteers who scraped down and repainted parts of the running gear. In 2025, exterior restoration had reached a point where the vehicle could be repainted into BR Blue, becoming the first 121 powercar in preservation to carry the scheme.
Future Plans It is hoped that the restoration of 55029 can be progressed in the future and the vehicle returned to original passenger carrying condition.

	55029 under restoration at Rushden, 18/2/24. Paul Hughes

	55029 under restoration at Rushden, 18/2/24. Paul Hughes

	55029 under slow restoration at Rushden, 16/8/23. Nigel Benning

	55029, shortly after restoration restarted, at Rushden, 2/20. Alfie Bryan

	55029, around the time that restoration was slowing to a stop, 19/10/17. Mark Miller

	55029 in the platform to have its departmental generator set removed, 9/1/16. Dale West

	55029 looking better again after reversing the fire damage, 7/6/15. Dale West

	55029 damaged by fire, 25/5/15. Dale West

	55029 at Rushden, 21/3/15. Leigh Gration

	An overall view of corrosion corrosion repairs at the No2 (exhaust) end of the vehicle, 9/2/15. Dale West

	A close up view of corrosion above the centre cab window at the No2 (exhaust) end of the vehicle, 24/1/15. Dale West

	55029 at the end of the running line at Rushden, having completed its first moves in preservation after a successful gearbox change, 20/9/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group

	Bodywork on No2 end progressing at Rushden, 31/8/14. Dale West

	Bodywork on No2 end progressing at Rushden, 27/7/14. Dale West

	Work on the cab end completed, attention turning to the No1 bodyside, 8/6/14. Dale West

	Work on the cab end progressing with primer applied,1/6/14. Dale West

	Work on the cab end progressing with primer applied, 24/4/14. Dale West

	977968 at Rushden, 8/7/13. Nigel Gould

	Evidence of exterior restoration (replacement doors) at Rushden, 26/8/12. Ian McLoughlin

	977968 under restoration at Rushden, 24/5/11. Trevor Daw

	Cab view of 977968 under restoration at Rushden, 24/5/11. Trevor Daw

	977968, showing the unusual departmental window arrangements at Rushden, 24/5/11. Trevor Daw

	More departmental modifications, this time to 977968's leading wheel set, 24/5/11. Trevor Daw

	977968's bufferbeam at Rushden, 24/5/11. Trevor Daw

	977968 shortly after arrival, at Rushden, 27/12/10. Daniel Adkins

Interior

	A freshly restored destination blind box for 55029, 13/8/15. Dale West

	Cab controls during a test run, 9/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group

	The modified and highly stripped interior, 9/14. Ecclesbourne Valley Railway DMU Group