CLASS 502 PRESERVATION TRUST

A very Merry Christmas to all our supporters. Thanks for your continued support during 2022.

Wishing you a happy new year.

There is one final outing for our sales stand this year, at the Rainhill MRC Christmas Model Railway Show tomorrow, 26 November 2022. A perfect chance to buy our book Merseyrail: 50 Years of Progress, if you haven’t already.

The next outing for the Friends of the 502 will be at the Liverpool Model Railway Society exhibition on the weekend of 3rd and 4th September 2022.

The exhibition will be at the Old Christ Church on Waterloo Road, Waterloo, Liverpool, L22 6RE. The venue is a short walk from Waterloo Merseyrail station and local bus routes.

The show will be open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday 3rd September, and 10am to 4.30pm on Sunday 4th September.

More information is available on the LMRS website.

For those of you unable to visit the MTT open day on Sunday, the video below gives a flavour of the event.

Thanks to our member Paul Gorton for creating and sharing this video.

We’re pleased to inform you that, after two years of cancellations due to COVID, the Merseyside Transport Trust will return with their open day on 31st July 2022.

The MTT’s Burscough base will be open to the public, with bus rides, trade stands and – of course – the chance to climb aboard the 502 and see how the restoration is progressing.

Members of the 502 Group will be there to chat and answer your questions, and we will have our sales stand. If you haven’t yet picked up your copy of Merseyrail: 50 Years of Progress, it will be on sale alongside many other items. For your convenience we can now accept credit and debit cards.

If you are travelling by train, there will be special connecting bus services from Burscough Bridge and Ormskirk stations.

For more details and bus timetables, please visit mttrust.co.uk

We’re pleased to report that as COVID restrictions lift, our 2022 diary is beginning to fill up with shows which we will be attending with our sales stand.

New for 2022 – we can now take card payments with Zettle, allowing for swift, safe transactions without the hassle of cash (although we will gladly take your cash from you too!)

The shows below have been confirmed. There will be more announcements throughout the year, so please keep checking back for updates.

• Rainhill Model Railway Show
  5th and 6th March 2022, 10am-5pm (4.30pm Sunday)
  Rainhill Village Hall, Weaver Avenue, Rainhill L35 4LU
  rainhillmrc.org.uk
• Toy & Collectors Fair
  29th May 2022, 10am-3pm
  Hulme Hall, Bolton Road, Port Sunlight, CH62 5DH
• The BIG Model and Hobby Show
  6th August 2022, 10am-4.30pm
  Aintree Racecourse, Princess Royal Exhibition Hall. L9 5AS
  modelandhobbyshow.com

Our book, Merseyrail: 50 Years of Progress has proved a hit, not just on Merseyside but across the UK and around the world.

We have received orders from America, Australia, Austria and Japan, showing that our region’s transport network has interest and admirers all over the globe.

If you wish to order from overseas, please contact us – robert(at)class502.org.uk – and we will work out postage costs for you. If you are in the UK, place the order directly on our shop page.

If you’re in the UK, there’s still time to order our book Merseyrail: 50 Years of Progress in time for Christmas.

The cut-off for orders is 10pm on Thursday 16th December. Any orders received by then will be sent out before the Royal Mail last posting date for Christmas.

At just £7.80 including p&p, it’s an ideal stocking filler for any rail enthusiast. Order now exclusively at class502.org.uk/shop.

We are thrilled to announce that Railways Illustrated has named our book, Merseyrail: 50 Years of Progress, their “Product of the Month” in the December 2021 issue.

“With a well selected range of historic and general photos included, as well as a wide selection of maps, posters and publicity material, it is clear that a lot of time and research has been put into its production…The publishers are to be congratulated on such an outstanding piece of work.”

Many thanks to Railways Illustrated for featuring us and giving us such a glowing review! The full review can be found in the December 2021 issue of Railways Illustrated magazine, which is on newsstands now.

If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of Merseyrail: 50 Years of Progress from class502.org.uk/shop for just £7.80 (including UK P&P).