A HISTORIC passenger train, which has been in store for the last 10 years has caused a buzz among rail enthusiasts in Eden.

A Class 502 unit - the only one left in the world - is being temporarily stored on a length of track in a field in Tebay, attracting crowds eager to catch a glimpse of the 1940s electric unit.

The Friends of 502 Group, which is currently in negotiations with the National Railway Museum to take over its ownership, moved the train to Tebay after the contract on its site in Warwickshire ran out.

The group hopes to restore it, which will cost around £150,000, and make it a static exhibit in Merseyside.

“Because of its age and fragility it probably won’t run again as a train,” said the group’s chairman, Duncan Reed.

“It may have an occassional outing on a preserved railway but it will probably be a static exhibit.”

The 502s were built for use on the Merseyrail network but were gradually run off the line by newer models, with the last set taken out of service in 1980.

Most were scrapped, apart from a two-car set, which was restored by the National Railway Museum and ran oaccasionally on the Merseyrail.

The 502 is expected to remain in Tebay for around 12 to 18 months while a permanent site is found.

Mr Reed said it will be protected from Cumbria’s weather with tarpaulin and asked people to look after the train after vandals smashed some of its windows.

For more information about the group visit the website below.