The Heritage Electric Trains Trust (HETT) has today announced that two of the preserved Class 503's carriages are to be scrapped, with only the driving motor coach to survive (28690). This coach will be moved to an unspecified alternative site, with the other two stripped for spares and scrapped.
There was an air of inevitability about this announcement given the group had gone quiet about the 503 since last summer, but what a crying shame nonetheless. Barring a last-minute miracle from an interested party, a very rare example of a complete pre-war EMU is about to be lost. Yes, the EMU is in appalling condition following years of gross neglect, but these units are still remembered with great affection in these parts and today is a sad day. I'm sure a lot of us would save it in a heartbeat if we had the resources and wherewithal.
For what it's worth, I did not donate towards to the 503 despite giving serious consideration to becoming an HETT 'gold supporter'. There was no clear way of guaranteeing the membership money would go exclusively towards the 503, and as the 4-SUB holds not the tiniest soupcon of personal interest, I didn't sign up given the costs involved. Others obviously felt the same too.
At least the driving motor is set to live on, for now.
The full statement is available on the Class 503 Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/503unit.