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Train saved from scrap has exterior revamped

Alice Cunningham
BBC News East of England
Clacton Express Preservation Group The Clacton Express pictured after the restoration works on its exterior. The electric train has a yellow front and a sign that reads: "309 Homecoming." On its side it is painted blue with white and red detailing. A crane can be seen behind the vehicle.Clacton Express Preservation Group
Interim works on the Clacton Express at the East Anglian Railway Museum in Essex have now finished

Work to restore the outside of a historically important electric train saved from scrap has finished.

Brad Wright, 22, from Needham Market, Suffolk, bought the British Railways Class 309, also known as the Clacton Express, in March 2022.

He has been restoring it with a team of volunteers at the East Anglian Railway Museum in Wakes Colne, near Colchester in Essex.

Mr Wright revealed that while the inside still needed attention, the vehicle had been moved outside ahead of a beer festival taking place at the site.

"It was all about getting the vehicle outside after a six-month restoration programme to watertight it, as we'd suffered quite a lot of vandalism on it," Mr Wright explained.

"We did a full repaint - so stripped it down and completely top to bottom gave it a fresh coat of paint."

Clacton Express Preservation Group Brad Wright smiles at the camera while standing inside the Clacton Express' passenger carriage. He has short brown hair and is wearing black round glasses and a white shirt with dark stripes. Clacton Express Preservation Group
Mr Wright explained the train operated on the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street into Essex and parts of Suffolk

Mr Wright saved the train, which previously operated in Essex and Suffolk, from scrap in Sussex in 2022.

While he searched to find it a new home, he said vandals targeted it on several occasions smashing 14 windows that cost nearly £3,000 to repair.

He eventually set up the Clacton Express Preservation Group - a non-profit group that offers support and volunteers to restoration projects.

Clacton Express Preservation Group A view of the Clacton Express train prior to its restoration. It is missing its side passenger windows and its paintwork is heavily faded and dull. Clacton Express Preservation Group
Mr Wright found the train in Sussex and it was due to be scrapped if no one bought it

The vehicle was moved outside of its storage building on Wednesday when its new waterproofing was unintentionally tested.

"The heavens had opened but the one good thing is that we did the roof first and it then spent a couple of months in the shed and it got a little dusty, so [the rain] cleaned it all off for us and made it look even better for the photos," Mr Wright said.

He added the team would now focus on making repairs to the vehicle's interior ahead of a dedicated public exhibition on 12 April.

He stressed the project had been a team effort with help from Brendan Sothcott, Aimee Archer, Robert Varletta and Dom Shaw.

Clacton Express Preservation Group A view of the back and side of the Clacton Express. The rear of the train has been painted black with a red door. The side is largely blue with some white and red details.Clacton Express Preservation Group
The train is back outside for the first time since its restoration
The Clacton Express is being restored at an Essex railway museum

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