Railway Herald
Railbus No.E79960 at Weybourne NNR with the 12:13 to Holt on 9th June 2007. Built by Waggon and Maschinenbau and entered traffic in April 1958, withdrawn in November 1966. After a rather short and unsuccessful career on British Railways it was preserved in 1968 on the embryonic North Norfolk Railway, along with classmate E79963. The two were considered suitable for a growing heritage operation. E79960 was returned to service and painted into a non standard Midland & Great Northern Railway brown livery, the NNR's house colours at the time. The vehicle saw some service and was repainted back into BR Green with speed whiskers in due course. Usually E79960 operated services while E79963 was being overhauled and visa-versa. However by the 1990's E79960 was in poor mechanical and body condition and was withdrawn for a more thorough overhaul. The vehicle retains its original Busing engine which has caused many problems during its preservation life, with parts sometimes having to come from Germany at great time and expense. In 2002 the vehicle was re-launched into passenger service having been rebuilt inside and out, and worked regularly on its home line the North Norfolk. During 2006 the vehicle embarked on a mini tour, starring at the Llangollen Railway's annual gala and at the Railcar Convention at the Battlefield Line. E79960 returned to NNR use between 2007 & 2012, although the line had grown to such an extent that the vehicle often could not cope during times of higher demand such as the holiday season. So the vehicle saw use instead during the mid and low seasons, still covering several thousand miles each year. In late 2012 it was sent on loan to the Ribble Steam Railway on a five year agreement, its place on the NNR effectivly taken by the National Railway Museums Class 101 set 51192 & 56352, which was hired by the NNR to provide a back up to its own Class 101 set 51228 & 56062, a role previously covered by E79960. Although the vehicle had seen 10 years of NNR service since its major rebuild, the vehicle was still in excellent condition.
Keith Partlow
